Riverside—The UC Riverside Women's Soccer Team returns home this week for matches against Seattle on Thursday, September 22 at 7 pm PT, and CSU Bakersfield on Sunday, September 25 at 6 pm.
The Highlanders are coming off of a 1-1 weekend that saw them top Houston, 3-0, (
box score/
recap) and nearly upend the eighth-ranked team in the nation, Texas A&M, before falling 2-1 (
box score/
recap).
Alanna Guzman lowered her goals against average on the season to 1.15 over the weekend, and was named Big West Defensive Player of the Week for her performances in Texas (
story).
Tayler Dragoo netted her team-leading third goal of the season in the win over Houston. The rest of the team's eight goals on the year have been scored by eight different players.
Seattle is 3-4-1 on the season following a 1-0 victory over Gonzaga on Sunday. That victory snapped a three-match losing streak for the Redhawks. Brie Hooks has scored four of Seattle's five goals on the season, while Ashley Routh has played all but nine minutes in goal. Routh has 16 saves on the year, and a goals against average of 0.86.
The Highlanders are 1-1-0 all-time against the Redhawks, but the teams haven't squared off against one another since the 2010 season, when Seattle picked up a 1-0 win in Riverside.
CSU Bakersfield is 3-6-1 on the year following its most recent 3-2 win over Idaho. The Roadrunners have scored 15 goals in their ten matches to date, but have allowed 21.
Sabrina Delgado leads the team with five scores while Alexa Orrante has three. This season, the 'Runners have utilized two goalkeepers—Jen Padilla and Jordan Bertram. Padilla has seven starts in 2016, with a 1.89 goals against average, while Bertram has three starts and a 2.38 GAA.
UC Riverside is 5-1-0 all-time against the Roadrunners, with wins in each of the last four meetings between the two clubs. The Highlanders have outscored Bakersfield 9-0 over the last three matches.
GAME NOTES
THOSE WHO DO NOT STUDY HISTORY ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT
Three 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.
Two years ago, 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.
Last season, conference coaches pegged UC Riverside to come in eighth place, and they finished fourth, advancing to their second conference tournament in three years.
This year, the Highlanders are picked to finish sixth. When will they ever learn?
DAZZLING DEBUT
Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Annie Bailey made her Highlanders debut in a 3-0 shutout victory at Akron on September 11 (
box score/
recap). The last member of the Highlanders to toss a shutout in their first start between the pipes was Sara Slaughter who blanked Pacific on October 9, 2012 (
box score/
recap).
LENDING A HELPING FOOT
In just two-plus years with the Highlanders, Blanca Barrio ranks second on the Highlanders' career assists chart with 14. That is one assist behind Tyler Cunningham's record of 15.
DRAW!
The Highlanders have three ties through nine matches this season. The last time UC Riverside had more than three ties in a year was 2009 when they had four draws at season's end. The program record is six, set by the 2005 squad.
SEVEN YEAR ITCH
Tyler Cunningham's seven goals last year were the most for a member of the Highlanders since Tessa Lennala netted 11 back in the 2009 campaign.
DOUBLE DIGITS
The Highlanders reached the 10-win plateau last year for the first time since the 2006 season.
| Year |
W |
L |
T |
| 2004 |
13 |
2 |
3 |
| 2003 |
11 |
7 |
3 |
| 2005 |
11 |
4 |
6 |
| 2015 |
11 |
9 |
0 |
| 2002 |
10 |
8 |
1 |
| 2006 |
10 |
7 |
1 |
GONE STREAKING
The Highlanders won three straight matches from August 30 through September 6, 2015. That marked the first time UCR won three straight since the 2009 season. They also won three straight from October 9 through 16, 2015. The last time UC Riverside won four matches in a row was early in the 2006 season.
ONE IS THE LONELIEST NUMBER
Elizabeth Silas posted a goals against average of 0.94 last season, becoming just the third keeper in program history to record a sub-1.00 GAA. The other two are Tawny Poggio, who did it three times (0.69 in 2004, 0.81 in 2005, and 0.88 in 2003) and Jessica White (0.80 in 2009).
THE MAGIC NUMBER IS TWO
The Highlanders are 35-4-2 over the past five-plus seasons when scoring two or more goals in a match. Their last loss when scoring two or more goals was a 3-2, double overtime decision at UC Santa Barbara last year.
Season
|
Record Scoring
Two Or More Goals |
| 2016 |
2-0-0 |
| 2015 |
9-1-0 |
| 2014 |
6-2-1 |
| 2013 |
7-1-0 |
| 2012 |
6-0-1 |
| 2011 |
6-0-0 |
RARIFIED AIR
The 2015 Highlanders five conference wins tied the program record for most Big West wins in a season.
| Season |
W |
L |
T |
Pts |
Place |
| 2003 |
5 |
3 |
1 |
16 |
Third |
| 2015 |
5 |
3 |
0 |
15 |
Fourth |
| 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 Blanca Barrio to the preseason All-Conference Team.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
Sixteen different Highlanders dented the back of the net in 2014, which is the most in the history of the program. Twelve different players had 28 total scores for the team last season, while nine Highlanders have goals in 2016.
