Highlanders In Week FIVE

vs. Arizona

Friday, September 18, 7:00 pm PT

Live Stats

Call (951) 827-4653 For Tickets

Riverside—The UC Riverside Women's Soccer Team returns home this weekend for a single match against the Pac-12's Arizona with kick off slated for 7 pm PT at the UC Riverside Soccer Stadium (view promo video).

The Highlanders dropped a pair of 1-0 decisions this weekend falling at #16 Cal (box score/recap) and LMU (box score/recap).

Goalkeeper Elizabeth Silas allowed just two goals over her last four matches, and lowered her goals against average to 0.99. Alexa Bustamante continues to lead the team in scoring with three goals and two assists

Arizona is 5-1-1 following an 0-1-1 week that saw the Wildcats tie Texas Tech 1-1 and fall to Pepperdine, 1-0. They started out the season with five straight wins against Abilene Christian, Santa Clara, Northern Arizona, San Diego State and Stephen F. Austin.

Gabi Stoian leads the Wildcats' offense with four goals and four assists for 12 points. Paige Crouch, Hayley Estopare and Hannah Stevens each have two goals, and Arizona is averaging more than two goals per match. The Wildcats primary keeper is Lainey Burdett who has a goals against average of 0.61 in six matches.

This is the first-ever meeting between UC Riverside and Arizona.
 

Highlanders vs. Wildcats
	UC Riverside		Arizona
2015 Stats & Record	4-4-0		5-1-1
	Schedule & Results		Schedule & Results
	Roster		Roster
Conference	Big West		Pac-12
Current Streak	L 2		L 1
Last Box Score	L, 1-0 at LMU		L, 1-0 vs. Pepperdine
Next Opponent	September 25 at South Dakota		September 25 vs. Washington
Top Scorer x x x x		Alexa Bustamante Senior 3 goal, 2 assist 8 points		Gabi Stoian Sophomore 4 goals, 2 assists 10 points
Top Goalkeeper x x x x		Elizabeth Silas Senior 8 matches 0.99 gaa, 26 saves		Lainey Burdett Freshman 6 matches 0.79 gaa, 12 saves
Record vs.			First Meeting
Current Streak vs.			N/A

GAME NOTES
THOSE WHO DO NOT STUDY HISTORY ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT
Two years ago, Big West coaches picked the Highlanders to finish last in the conference. UC Riverside finished third and advanced to the Big West Championship Game before falling to Cal State Fullerton via penalty kicks. Last year, Big West coaches again picked the Highlanders to finish last only to watch as UCR finished in fifth place, one game out of playoff spot. This season, conference coaches pegged UC Riverside to come in eighth place. When will they ever learn.

LENDING A HELPING FOOT
Tyler Cunningham broke the school record for assists last season finishing the year with 10—four more than Vanessa Chanez and Amber Plumlee, who set the mark in 2004, and teammate Blanca Barrio, who had six assists last year.

Cunningham picked up an assist in the Highlanders second match of the 2015 season. It was the 13th of her career, tying her with Renee Scachetti for the top spot on UC Riverside's career chart. Barrio has a team-high four assists this season giving her 10 for her career.

GONE STREAKING
The Highlanders won three straight matches from August 30 through September 6. That marked the first time UCR won three straight since the 2009 season. The last time UC Riverside won four matches in a row was early in the 2006 season.

RARIFIED AIR
The 2013 Highlanders four wins in conference were the second most in the history of the program. The 2003 squad went 5-3-1 en route to a third place Big West finish, while the 2002 and 2005 teams also each won four matches.
 

Season	W	L	T	Pts	Place
2003	5	3	1	16	Third
2005	4	0	3	15	Second
2002	4	4	1	13	Sixth
2013	4	4	0	12	Third

PRESEASON ACCOLADES
Big West coaches named UC Riverside junior forward Tyler Cunningham to the preseason All-Conference Team.

FEELING A LITTLE RANK
Last season, for the first time in the history of the program, the UC Riverside Women's Soccer Team found itself ranked in the NSCAA West Region. The Highlanders peaked at fifth midway through the year.

HIGHLANDERS HARDWARE
Tyler Cunningham and Amber Marani were both named to the All-West Region Team in 2014 marking the first time since 2004 that the Highlanders had players so honored (story).

YOU OLD BLANKETY-BLANK
The Highlanders recorded seven shutouts in 2014 which is the most for the program since the 2009 squad recorded eight clean sheets. This season, UCR has a pair of shutouts through the first six matches.

OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
The Highlanders 30 goals in 2014 are the fifth most in the history of the program, and the team's goals per match average is the third highest ever. UC Riverisde also accumulated 33 assists—the second highest total in program history. This year, UCR has 12 goal and 13 assists in eight matches.
 

Single-Season Team Goals
Season	Matches	Goals
2004	19	45
2002	19	36
2008	20	32
2003	21	31
2014	18	30
Single-Season Team Assists
Season	Matches	Assists
2004	19	39
2014	18	33

SPREADING THE WEALTH
Sixteen different Highlanders dented the back of the net in 2014, which is the most in the history of the program. Eight different players have 12 total scores for the team this season.