Men's Soccer Announces 2019 Schedule
7/2/2019 9:19:00 AM | Men's Soccer
RIVERSIDE, Calif.—The UC Riverside Men's Soccer Team released its 2019 schedule, today, Tuesday, July 2, and the 2018 Big West Tournament Champions are ready to take the pitch as they look to defend their title. The team will begin its 2019 campaign playing eight of its non-conference matches in front of the home crowd at UCR Soccer Stadium. Â
"We love playing at home and it's been about three years since we've had this many non-conference matches here, so this is exciting for us," said Head Coach Tim Cupello. "We are definitely looking forward to building some momentum at the UCR Soccer Stadium with the community and fan support and getting a lot of energy in those stands early on. We can't wait to hear the cheering and chanting from our supporters to help build another championship environment."Â
The non-conference slate for the Highlanders is one that features a medley of opponents from different conferences including the AEC, NEC, WAC, WCC, AAC, and the ASUN.Â
"We have an extremely demanding schedule with six teams that made the NCAA Tournament," Cupello said. "It's going to be both challenging and exciting, but it is the kind of schedule that guys want to play."Â
The Highlanders will take to a newly refurbished UCR Soccer Stadium field for the first time on August 21 in an exhibition with soon-to-be Big West foe, Cal State Bakersfield, before hosting a pair of opening weekend matchups with Bryant (August 30) and Hartford (September 1).Â
The first road test for UCR comes just down the 91 Freeway in Riverside, as crosstown rival, California Baptist University (CBU), plays host to the Highlanders in the second edition of the "Crosstown Showdown" on September 5 (last year's first edition of the matchup was won by the Highlanders in dramatic fashion). UCR then heads to Dallas to take on the Mustangs from SMU on September 9.Â
Following the brief road trip, the team returns to Riverside for a five match home stand that features Air Force (September 13), Florida Gulf Coast University (September 15), LMU (September 19), Grand Canyon University (September 22), and the University of San Diego (USD) (September 27).Â
The non-conference slate wraps up with a three-day West Coast road trip as the Highlanders play at UCLA on October 1 before heading to Portland for their match on October 4. Â
The defending 2018 Big West Tournament champs begin their quest for a repeat performance in Conference, but according to Coach Cupello, the team will not be coasting off of their triumph from last season.Â
"I don't think we're defending anything from 2018," Coach Cupello said. "It's 2019 now, it's a whole new season, and I think we still have a lot to prove. We want to show the Conference that we can do it again."Â
Big West Conference play begins on the road at UC Irvine on October 9. The Highlanders are set to host Cal Poly (October 12), CSUN (October 23), and Sacramento State (October 26) at UCR Soccer Stadium. The team will face both teams it saw in last year's Conference Tournament, UC Davis (October 19) and Cal State Fullerton (November 2) on the road, along with UC Santa Barbara (October 16).Â
Season tickets and single game tickets are now on sale! Visit GoHighlanders.com/Tickets for more information. Â
