FRESNO, Calif. — The UC Riverside Men's Soccer Team saw its magical and electrifying post-season run come to an end on Thursday, November 14, following an intense 90 minute heavyweight bout with the University of the Pacific. The Highlanders fought hard, but eventually fell to the Tigers 1-0.
The day began in Stockton on the campus of the University of the Pacific with questions looming throughout the morning as to where this first round NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament match would be played. Earlier in the day, Pacific announced a full campus closure for rest of the week due to the poor air quality from the fires in Northern California. Shortly afterward, it was determined that the match would be held two hours away in Fresno, resulting in both teams needing to pack up and head south to Fresno Pacific University.
The first half saw a determined and spirited Highlanders squad pitted against an aggressive Tigers unit and minus a goal scored in the 22nd minute by forward Anthony Orendain the fierce battle taking place between the lines was evenly matched.
Down 1-0 heading into the half, Head Coach Tim Cupello spoke to his team. He reinforced the confidence and the belief the coaching staff has had in this group imploring them to leave everything on the field in the final stanza.
"We made some tactical adjustments at half time and told our guys we have to go for it," Cupello said. "We can't be afraid of the stage we're on and I thought we were the better team in the second half."
After the break, the Highlanders came out fighting harder than ever and never yielding to the Tigers for the final 45 minutes. Defensively, UCR thwarted several attacks from Pacific, shutting the team down time and time again. On the offensive side, the Highlanders aggressive play produced nine shots on goal compared to the Tigers five, but unfortunately the ball never found the back of the net.
"I thought we were fantastic in the second half," Cupello said. "The beautiful thing is our captain led a post match speech about how proud he was to be a part of this program and how proud he was of this team and what we've accomplished. We've set a new standard for how to win and the work it takes to get there."
The Highlanders enjoyed a great run from the start of Conference play through the Big West Tournament and into the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The tremendous effort seen throughout the year was matched with the team finishing 7-2-1 in its final 10 contests.
"Winning the Big West Conference Tournament and earning an NCAA Tournament berth are something that's never been done here before," Cupello said. So there's a new expectation and something to build upon. We've built every year from conference play, to post season play, and now we're at the next level. Hopefully we can build upon this next season too."
