Highlanders Fall to UC Irvine, 2-1

Saturday, October 3

Riverside, Calif.

7:00 pm

UC Riverside

2-8-1, 0-3-1

UC Irvine

4-4-3, 2-1-1

Team	1	2	Final F
UC Irvine	1	1	2
UC Riverside	1	0	1

Parking Game Notes

Photo by: Karl Boudiwan

10/3/2026 9:40:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

Darling opens collegiate scoring account

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - UC Riverside (2-8-1, 0-3-1 Big West) returned home on a warm Saturday night, falling 2-1 to UC Irvine (4-4-3, 2-1-1 Big West) at the UCR Soccer Stadium.

Finley Aghassi fired a shot wide of the UCI net in the third minute to get the offense going bright and early. Daisy Miller showcased the defense minutes later, chasing down a ball and shielding her defender to force a goal kick in the eighth minute.

Aghassi teed up a free kick a few yards outside the 18, but skied her attempt in the ninth minute as the Highlanders continued to play well in the early going.

KaMia Elliott took charge of UCI's first legitimate chance in the 15th minute with a point-blank stop on a free kick. Aghassi fired a shot over the bar seconds later at the other end as the home side kept pressing.

The youth movement continued in the 30th minute with a second consecutive freshman goal for UC Riverside. Natalie Darling provided the breakthrough, meeting the near post with a header following Harlem Hipps' cross.

The Highlanders kept their advantage in the 39th minute after a near miss header by UCI, but the Anteaters equalized from the spot at the end of the half.

UCR again escaped a dreadful outcome in the 51st minute with the Anteaters pushing the pace, The finishing touch just missed the crossbar, and another dangerous UCI opportunity went wide shortly after.

Sanaa Guyness booted one well over the end line in the 56th minute, and Miller pressed UCI's keeper in the 63rd minute in what almost resulted in the go-ahead goal.

UCR cut out an Anteater build up in the 66th minute and the sequence was halted for a VAR check on the other side of the pitch. UC Irvine fired a shot on the ensuing sequence to Elliott's right, wide of the post.

UC Irvine went ahead on a set piece in the 70th minute after the Highlanders picked up a pair of yellow cards.

Hipps forced the UCI keeper's hand in the 79th minute with pressure on a ball that slowly trickled back to the goal mouth. Elliott denied the visitors on the goal line in the 86th, and a final push couldn't see UCR pull level.

The Highlanders return to action on Saturday, October 10, to host UC San Diego in a 7:00 pm PT matchup on ESPN+. Tickets are available now at www.GoHighlanders.com/tickets.