Santa Barbara, CA—Fresh off a pair of must-win victories to close out the regular season, the UC Riverside Men's Soccer Team (4-12-1, 4-5-1) heads back on the road for a Big West Tournament First Round matchup at UC Santa Barbara (6-7-5, 4-3-3) this Wednesday, November 1 at 7 pm PT. With a win, the Highlanders would travel to face Cal State Fullerton in the semifinals on Saturday.
| Big West Tournament Schedule |
| Round |
Date |
Teams |
Time |
| First Round |
11/1/17 |
(S3) UC Riverside at (N2) UC Santa Barbara |
7 pm |
| First Round |
11/1/17 |
(N3) Sacramento State at (S2) CSUN |
7 pm |
| Semifinals |
11/4/17 |
(S2)/(N3) winner at (N1) UC Davis |
2 pm |
| Semifinals |
11/4/17 |
(N2)/(S3) winner at (S1) Cal State Fullerton |
7 pm |
| Championship |
11/11/17 |
at Highest Remaining Seed |
TBD |
GAME NOTES
THRIVING IN CRUNCH TIME
The Highlanders needed six points out of their last two matches to secure a postseason berth, and that is exactly what they got with a pair of 2-1 victories over UC Irvine on Oct. 25 (
Box Score/
Recap), and CSUN on Oct. 28 (
Box score/
Recap). Junior forward
Antonio Lokossou provided the game-winning goal in both contests.
UC RIVERSIDE IN THE TOURNAMENT
The Highlanders qualified for the Big West Tournament for the fourth time in five years after clinching the number three seed in the South Division on the final day of the 2017 regular season. UC Riverside advanced to its first-ever Big West Tournament in 2011, returning again in 2013, 2014 and 2016. The Highlanders have had the number three seed in every tournament appearance except for in 2014, when they earned the number one seed.
COMEBACK KINGS
UC Riverside erased a one-goal deficit in each of its wins last week, marking just the second time in the program's Division I history that it earned comeback wins in consecutive matches. The only other time the Highlanders managed this feat was from October 14-16, 2005, with a 3-2 win over Cal State Fullerton (
Recap) followed by a 2-1 victory over Cal Poly (
Recap).
Prior to last week, UCR hadn't had a come-from-behind victory in 37 consecutive matches. Its most recent one had been a 2-1 overtime win at Cal State Fullerton back on Oct. 24, 2015 (
Box score/
Recap).
STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM, NOW WE'RE HERE
After a slow start to the season, the Highlanders closed out their final seven regular season matches with a 4-2-1 mark, going unbeaten over their final three. A win on Wednesday would improve UC Riverside's current Big West unbeaten streak to four games, which would tie for the fourth-longest run in program history.
| Longest Unbeaten Streaks Against Big West |
| # of Games |
Record |
Dates |
| 6 |
3-0-3 |
Oct. 15-Nov. 5, 2011 |
| 5 |
4-0-1 |
Sep. 29-Oct. 12, 2016 |
| 5 |
3-0-2 |
Oct. 22-Nov. 5, 2014 |
| 4 |
- |
Three Times |
| 3 |
2-0-1 |
Oct. 21, 2017-Pres |
BACK ON THE ROAD
The Highlanders closed their 2017 home schedule with a 4-2-0 mark at UC Riverside Soccer Stadium, making them 9-4-1 at home since the start of last season. In matches away from home this season, UCR is 0-10-1. The Highlanders have a record of 1-11-1 all-time at UCSB, with the sole victory coming in a 3-2 win on Oct. 22, 2011 against a Gaucho side that was ranked No. 15 in the nation (
Box Score/
Recap).
THE STRIKER
After notching two huge goals last week,
Antonio Lokossou became the first Highlander this season to earn Big West Player of the Week honors (
Story). He leads UC Riverside this season in goals (5), points (10) and shots (26). No other player on the team has more than two scores this season. Lokossou's three game-winners during conference are also tops in the Big West.
THE SAVIOR
Redshirt senior goalkeeper
Vincent Morales has had at least four saves in ten consecutive matches. That is the longest streak of any keeper in the program's Division I history. Morales' longest previous streak of four save matches had been five from Sep. 23-Oct. 6, 2016.
| Consecutive Matches With 4+ Saves |
| Matches |
Player |
Saves |
Dates |
| 10 |
Vincent Morales |
52 |
Sep. 28-Pres |
| 6 |
Charles Alamo |
40 |
Aug. 29-Sep. 18, 2003 |
| 6 |
Cody Suppe |
39 |
Oct. 19-Nov. 9, 2011 |
| 6 |
Cody Suppe |
38 |
Sep. 4-Oct. 3, 2009 |
| 6 |
Nick Goldreich |
34 |
Sep. 16-Oct. 9, 2010 |
| 6 |
KC John |
29 |
Sep. 8-29, 2013 |
Morales leads the Big West this year in both saves per game (4.71) and total saves (80). His .754 save percentage during conference play ranks third. The Bellflower, California native has 203 career saves—third all-time at UCR.
| Most Saves, Career, Individual |
| Saves |
Player |
Year |
| 305 |
Charles Alamo |
2003-07 |
| 218 |
Ashkan Khosravi |
2012-15 |
| 203 |
Vincent Morales |
2013-Pres |
| 155 |
Cody Suppé |
2008-11 |
| 118 |
Josh Alexander |
2001-03 |
FROM DEFENSE TO OFFENSE
Redshirt senior defender
James Alewine III headed in a crucial equalizer in the 66th minute of the Highlanders' 2-1 win over CSUN. Not only was it his second goal in his last five outings, but the second of his career. Alewine III joins Lokossou,
Anthony Lopez,
Roberto Garcia-Vargas,
Ricardo Ruiz and
Eduardo Sanchez as the only players on the team with multiple goals this season.
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 |
GETTING ON THE SCOREBOARD
The Highlanders have scored at least one goal in nine of their last 11 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 |
BIG WEST SUCCESS
For the fourth time in five years, the Highlanders tied the program record for Big West wins, finishing with four victories for the third time in four years.
| 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 |
| 4-5-1 |
2017 |
THE MAGIC NUMBER IS TWO
Since the 2011 season, the Highlanders are 43-4-2 when they score two or more goals in a match.
| Season |
Record Scoring Two-Plus Goals |
| 2017 |
4-2-0 |
| 2016 |
7-1-1 |
| 2015 |
6-0-0 |
| 2014 |
4-0-1 |
| 2013 |
6-0-0 |
| 2012 |
8-1-0 |
| 2011 |
8-0-0 |
