RIVERSIDE, Calif. - UC Riverside fell 1-0 to UC Irvine on Wednesday night at Anteater Stadium in both sides' Big West opener. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• UC Irvine started on a strong foot with a fifth-minute opening strike to take a 1-0 lead for the night's only goal. 
• Wes Hastings followed up a few minutes later with a pair of attempts, one hitting the far post and the next sailing over the crossbar. 
• Nathan Scott tried volleying a point blank shot into the near post in the 53rd minute, but the attempt went straight into the breadbasket of Irvine's keeper. 
• Carlos Gonzalez stayed home on his line to gobble up a UCI free kick in the 58th minute. Gonzalez came up big once more, reading a penalty all the way for a crucial save in the 65th minute. Gonzalez hugged the near post from four yards out and crouched for yet another big time save in the 68th. 
• Both keepers made clutch saves in the 72nd and 73rd minutes. Brendan Clark was on the receiving end of a ball destined for the back of the net before Gonzalez put a hard stop to Irvine's counterattack on the other end. 
• UCR cleared a ball off the line in the 85th minute as Gonzalez again found himself in the middle of a scrum on the doorstep. 
• Andrew Alexander had a perfect look at net in the final minute of action, but was turned aside by UCI's goalkeeper. 

HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS

• Despite the early concession, Gonzalez was UCR's clear and obvious man of the match with a season-high eight saves on the night. The senior has now logged at least eight stops in each of his last two trips to UCI after making a career-high 11 in the 2021 Big West Semifinal. 

UP NEXT

• UC Riverside will bring the Big West schedule home for the first time in 2023 with a 7:00 p.m. kick against Cal Poly on Saturday, September 30 at the UC Riverside Soccer Stadium on ESPN+.