Riverside, CA—The UC Riverside Men's Soccer Team (2-11-0, 2-4-0) closes out its 2017 regular season road schedule against CSUN (7-6-2, 2-2-2) on Wednesday, October 18, and Cal State Fullerton (7-6-2, 2-3-1), this Saturday, October 21. Both games will kickoff at 7 pm PT.
GAME NOTES
RACE FOR THE POSTSEASON
Winners in two of their last three matches, the Highlanders head into this week's road conference finales just two points out of first-place in the Big West South Division. All four South teams enter the penultimate week of conference play level in the win column with two apiece. The Highlanders (4th, 6 points) have a chance to move up in the standings this week against South Division rivals CSUN (2nd, 8 points) and Cal State Fullerton (3rd, 7 points).
The top three teams in each division will qualify for the Big West Tournament, which begins on November 1. The top seed in each division will receive a first round bye.
| Big West Men's Soccer Standings |
| NORTH DIVISION |
|
Team |
W |
L |
T |
Pts |
| 1 |
UC Davis |
4 |
1 |
1 |
13 |
| 2 |
UC Santa Barbara |
3 |
1 |
2 |
11 |
| 3 |
Sacramento State |
3 |
2 |
1 |
10 |
| 4 |
Cal Poly |
1 |
4 |
1 |
4 |
| SOUTH DIVISION |
| 1 |
UC Irvine |
2 |
2 |
2 |
8 |
| 2 |
CSUN |
2 |
2 |
2 |
8 |
| 3 |
Cal State Fullerton |
2 |
3 |
1 |
7 |
| 4 |
UC Riverside |
2 |
4 |
0 |
6 |
SPREADING THE WEALTH
In UC Riverside's six Big West games thus far, seven goals have been scored by seven different Highlanders. With four matches still to play, that is just one fewer than they had during their entire 2016 Big West campaign. UC Davis—whom was defeated by UC Riverside 2-0 on October 7 (
box score/
recap)—is the only team that has more goal scorers than UCR during conference (9).
The Highlanders have nine goal scorers overall this year, good for third-most in the conference behind UC Davis (15) and Sacramento State (11).
HOME SWEET HOME
UC Riverside has played just four games at home all season, compared to eight on the road. The Highlanders—who boast a 7-4-1 record at home since the start of last season— will split their four remaining matches evenly between home and away designations. Their final two regular season contests will be played at UCR Soccer Stadium against UC Irvine on October 25, and CSUN on October 28.
CAN'T SHUT US OUT
The Highlanders have scored at least one goal in six of their last seven outings. From September 24-October 27, they scored in five consecutive matches, tying for the program's fourth-longest run since 2013.
Consecutive Games
with a Goal |
Goals |
Dates (Since 2013) |
| 14 |
24 |
Aug. 26-Oct. 12, 2016 |
| 7 |
12 |
Sep. 4-25, 2015 |
| 7 |
10 |
Oct. 18-Nov. 5, 2014 |
| 5 |
8 |
Oct. 26-Nov. 12, 2013 |
| 5 |
6 |
Sep. 24-Oct. 7, 2017 |
OUT OF THE GATES
UC Riverside avoided being shutout in each of its first four conference matches, just one shy of the program record for the most consecutive games with a goal to open the conference season.
Games with a Goal
to Open Big West |
Goals |
Dates |
| 5 |
10 |
Sep. 29-Oct. 12, 2016 |
| 4 |
5 |
Sep. 28-Oct. 7, 2017 |
| 3 |
4 |
Oct. 3-Oct. 10, 2007 |
| 2 |
8 |
Sep. 28-30, 2012 |
| 2 |
2 |
Sep. 30-Oct. 7, 2009 |
REMATCH WITH FULLERTON
This Saturday, UC Riverside will play its regular season road finale at Cal State Fullerton. The Highlanders defeated the Titans 2-1 on October 14 (
box score/
recap), courtesy of an 80th-minute winner from redshirt senior defender
James Alewine III. Sophomore forward
Olli Pirinen also got on the scoresheet, converting on a penalty in the 5th minute. Both players scored for the first time in their Highlander careers.
THE CATALYST
Since notching a goal at Cal Poly in the Highlanders' conference opener on September 28 (
box score/
recap), sophomore forward
Anthony Lopez has held team-highs in both points (6), assists (2) and shots (21). His 2.33 shots per game are good for the third-highest average in the Big West. Against Oregon State on September 3 (
box score/
recap), he provided UC Riverside with its first two-assist performance since
Romario Lomeli did it against UC Irvine on October 12, 2016.
THE SAVIOR
Redshirt senior Goalkeeper
Vincent Morales ranks first in the Big West in both saves per game (4.77) and total saves (62). He is on pace to have 81 saves by the end of the regular season, which would be good for 5th-most all-time in single-season program history. His 185 career saves rank third all-time at UCR.
| Most Saves, Career, Individual |
| Saves |
Player |
Year |
| 305 |
Charles Alamo |
2003-07 |
| 218 |
Ashkan Khosravi |
2012-15 |
| 185 |
Vincent Morales |
2013-Pres |
| 155 |
Cody Suppé |
2008-11 |
| 118 |
Josh Alexander |
2001-03 |
BIG WEST SUCCESS
Last year, the Highlanders tied the program record for Big West wins, finishing with four victories for the third time in four years. Their nine total wins were just one shy of the program's Division I record for wins in a season.
| Most Big West Wins, Season, Team |
| W-L-T |
Year |
| 4-3-3 |
2011 |
| 4-3-3 |
2014 |
| 4-5-1 |
2004 |
| 4-5-1 |
2013 |
| 4-5-1 |
2016 |
| Most Wins, Season, Team |
| W-L-T |
Year |
| 10-8-0 |
2012 |
| 9-8-3 |
2013 |
| 9-6-4 |
2011 |
| 9-10-1 |
2016 |
THE MAGIC NUMBER IS TWO
Since the 2011 season, the Highlanders are 41-4-2 when they score two or more goals in a match.
| Season |
Record Scoring Two-Plus Goals |
| 2017 |
1-2-0 |
| 2016 |
7-1-1 |
| 2015 |
6-0-0 |
| 2014 |
4-0-1 |
| 2013 |
6-0-0 |
| 2012 |
8-1-0 |
| 2011 |
8-0-0 |
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 in 2012 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. They returned to the conference tournament again in 2016 as the three seed in the South Division.
