| Highlanders In Week Five |
| vs. San Jose State |
| Friday, September 25, 7:30 pm PT |
| Live Stats |
| Purchase Tickets By Calling (951) 827-5438 |
Riverside—The UC Riverside Men's Soccer Team hosts San Jose State this Friday, September 25, in what will be just the second home match of the season for the Highlanders. UCR ran its record to 3-4-1 over the weekend with a 2-1 loss at Santa Clara (
box score/
recap) and a 1-1 tie at St. Mary's (
box score/
recap).
Michael Salazar scored his third goal of the season against the Gaels and is tied for the team lead in points with three goals and two assists. Norberto Ochoa netted his fourth score of the year at Santa Clara, and leads the Highlanders in that category.
Vincent Morales manned the net for UC Riverside in the last four matches, taking over for Ashkan Khosravi who has been ill. Morales' goals against average is 0.88, and he has 19 saves on the season.
San Jose State fell to 2-4-0 over the weekend with a 2-0 loss at San Diego on Sunday. The Spartans have six goals in six matches on the year, with Rory Knibbs accounting for four of those scores. Emmanuel Espinoza has played every minute of the season between the pipes for SJSU, and boasts a goals against average of 1.63 with 29 saves.
The Highlanders are 3-4-1 all-time against the Spartans, bu the teams have not squared off against one another since a 1-1 tie on September 18, 2011.
GAME NOTES
LET THE OCTOPI FLY
Michael Salazar became the first player in UC Riverside's Division I history to record a hat trick in the team's 2014 season-opening, 5-1 victory over visiting Pacific (box score/recap/video recap). He also added an assist, setting the program's Division I-era record for points in a match as well. The Big West and College Sports Madness honored Salazar with Offensive Player of the Week (story) and Player of the Week accolades respectively (story), while College Soccer News named him to their 12-man National Team of the Week (story).
Norberto Ochoa matched Salazar in the Highlanders' 2015 home opener as he scored all three goals in UCR's 3-0 victory over San Francisco on September 10 (box score/recap). He too was named the Big West Offensive Player of the Week (story) and to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week (story).
DAZZLING DEBUT
In his first two starts between the pipes as a collegian, sophomore keeper Vincent Morales pitched a shutout vs. San Francisco in a 3-0 victory on September 10 (box score/recap), and allowed just one goal to the number eight team in the nation, UCLA, in a 2-1 overtime win on September 13 (box score/recap). He was named the Big West Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts (story).
THE MAGIC NUMBER IS TWO
Since the 2011 season, the Highlanders are 29-1-1 when they score two or more goals in a match. Their lone loss was a double-overtime, 3-2 defeat at the hands of Cal State Fullerton on October 20, 2012.
Season
| Record Scoring
Two Or More Goals |
| 2015 | 3-0-0 |
| 2014 | 4-0-1 |
| 2013 | 6-0-0 |
| 2012 | 8-1-0 |
| 2011 | 8-0-0 |
BREAKING RANKS
The Highlanders beat #8 UCLA, 2-1 in overtime, on September 13, 2015 (box score/recap). It was the first time that UC Riverside defeated the Bruins (1-4-0 as a Division I program), and the team's second Division I victory over a ranked, non-conference opponent (2-0 on September 4, 2007 at #21 San Diego State (box score/recap).
DEEE—FENSE
The Highlanders allowed 23 goals in 19 matches in 2014 for a goals against average of 1.15, just missing out on breaking the program record for lowest goals against average set back in 2007. They did, however, tie the record for fewest goals allowed in a season, originally set by that same 2007 squad.
This season, the Highlanders have allowed 13 goals in eight matches, but just four goals over their last four matches.
GIMME FIVE
Ashkan Khosravi earned Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Week accolades (story) for the fifth time in his career on September 22, 2014 as he was honored following his shutout performance vs. San Diego (box score/recap/video recap).
ALL-CONFERENCE
The Highlanders put six players on the Big West All-Conference teams in 2014 season which is the most ever for the program (story). Michael Salazar and Otis Earle earned First-Team nods, while Ashkan Khosravi made the Second Team, and Romario Lomeli, Stephen Copley and Philipp Dominique were named Honorable Mention. In addition, Ricardo Ruiz made the All-Freshman Team.
College Sports Madness named Earle the Big West Defender of the Year and to the first-team, while also naming Salazar to the first team (story).
#WINNING
The Highlanders finished conference play a year ago with a 4-3-3 record, which tied the 2011 squad for the program's best Big West mark in UC Riverside history.
BACK-TO-BACK-TO BACK
The Highlanders recorded their first winning season as a Division I program in 2011, and made it back-to-back-to-back winning campaigns in 2012 and 2013 posting records of 10-8-0 and 9-8-3. Those 10 victories also established a Division I-era, single-season record for the program.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
With a 7-1-0 mark in non-conference matches in 2012, the Highlanders broke the program record for non-conference wins in a season established the previous year when UC Riverside finished the non-conference portion of their schedule with a 5-2-1 mark. Over the past three-plus seasons, UCR is 21-17-4 in non-conference matches.
POSTSEASON PLAY
The Highlanders advanced to their first-ever Big West Tournament in 2011, setting what was then the Division I era record for wins in the process. They advanced to their second conference tournament two years ago by finishing third in the South Division of the Big West, and in 2014 season they earned the number one seed in the South Division.
TAKE ME TO THE TOP
Goalkeeper Ashkan Khosravi continues to close in on the Highlanders career wins record. Charles Alamo occupies the top spot in UC Riverside history with 21.
| Career Wins |
| Goalkeeper | Years | Wins |
| Charles Alamo | 2003-07 | 21 |
| Ashkan Khosravi | 2012-present | 19 |
| Cody Suppé | 2009-11 | 10 |
Khosravi also recently cracked the top five in career saves for the Highlanders, and is now in second place.
| Career Saves |
| Goalkeeper | Years | Saves |
| Charles Alamo | 2003-07 | 305 |
| Ashkan Khosravi | 2012-present | 178 |
| Cody Suppé | 2009-11 | 155 |
Khosravi is already the Highlanders leader in career goals against average.
| Career Goals Against Average |
| Goalkeeper | Years | GAA |
| Ashkan Khosravi | 2012-present | 1.35 |
| KC John | 2013-14 | 1.42 |
| Cody Suppé | 2009-11 | 1.54 |
