Friday, August 30
Riverside, Calif.
7:30 P.M.
UC Riverside
1-0-0, 0-0-0
1
vs
0
Bryant
0-1-0, 0-0-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bryant | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UC Riverside | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Photo by: Dwain Linden
Men's Soccer Earns a Shutout Victory to Kickoff the 2019 Season
8/30/2019 10:27:00 PM | Men's Soccer
RIVERSIDE, Calif.— One match, one goal, and one win is how the UC Riverside Men's Soccer Team kicked off the 2019 season as the Highlanders topped the visiting Bryant Bulldogs 1-0 Friday night. A very early score for UCR would be all the team needed as the Highlanders kept Bryant from landing any shots on frame for 90 minutes.
"I'm very proud of these guys and the team effort that they showed tonight," Head Coach Tim Cupello said. "When you see a shutout and zero shots on goal you think 'back four strong', which is true, but its also big attributes to the midfield and the front three for doing the things early so that it doesn't get to the defensive half."
The match was a scoreless for all of three minutes as the Highlanders punched in their first goal of the 2019 season in the fourth minute. Junior Jonick Pineda played a ball through to fellow junior Daniel Aguirre who setup yet another third-year player perfectly in Roberto Garcia-Vargas who fired in his sixth career goal to take a 1-0 lead.
"It's always lovely to just start off the game in the fourth minute with a big score, and your teammates feel it right away," Garcia-Vargas said. "After that, you get all the momentum and the rest of the team starts burning for more goals."
Following the early goal would come just over 85 minutes of scoreless soccer and great defense on both sides. For the Highlanders a team effort would keep the Bulldog offense at bay allowing just four total shots and for Bryant a strong performance from keeper Olivier Larente, who notched five saves, would keep his team bending and not breaking.
The Highlander pressure kept the ball in the attacking half for much of the match as the team registered 12 shots, six of which were on goal, and eight corner kicks. UCR's physicality proved to be a huge factor with the Bulldogs committing 20 fouls compared to the Highlanders' nine.
UCR is now off to the second match of the year this Sunday as the team hosts Hartford.
"After Tonight's match, we are just 1-0," Garcia Vargas said. "Whatever happened Today is said and done, and now we have to focus on Sunday's match."
"I'm very proud of these guys and the team effort that they showed tonight," Head Coach Tim Cupello said. "When you see a shutout and zero shots on goal you think 'back four strong', which is true, but its also big attributes to the midfield and the front three for doing the things early so that it doesn't get to the defensive half."
The match was a scoreless for all of three minutes as the Highlanders punched in their first goal of the 2019 season in the fourth minute. Junior Jonick Pineda played a ball through to fellow junior Daniel Aguirre who setup yet another third-year player perfectly in Roberto Garcia-Vargas who fired in his sixth career goal to take a 1-0 lead.
"It's always lovely to just start off the game in the fourth minute with a big score, and your teammates feel it right away," Garcia-Vargas said. "After that, you get all the momentum and the rest of the team starts burning for more goals."
Following the early goal would come just over 85 minutes of scoreless soccer and great defense on both sides. For the Highlanders a team effort would keep the Bulldog offense at bay allowing just four total shots and for Bryant a strong performance from keeper Olivier Larente, who notched five saves, would keep his team bending and not breaking.
The Highlander pressure kept the ball in the attacking half for much of the match as the team registered 12 shots, six of which were on goal, and eight corner kicks. UCR's physicality proved to be a huge factor with the Bulldogs committing 20 fouls compared to the Highlanders' nine.
UCR is now off to the second match of the year this Sunday as the team hosts Hartford.
"After Tonight's match, we are just 1-0," Garcia Vargas said. "Whatever happened Today is said and done, and now we have to focus on Sunday's match."
Team Stats
BRYANT
UCR
Goals
0
1
Shots
4
12
Shots on Goal
0
6
Saves
4
0
Corners
2
8
Fouls
20
9
Scoring Plays
Roberto Garcia-Vargas (1)
Assisted By: Daniel Aguirre , Jonick Pineda
GOAL by UCR Garcia-Vargas, Roberto Assist by Aguirre, Daniel and Pineda, Jonick.
03:28
Game Leaders
Shots
2
SOG
2
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
fwd
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
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