UC Riverside
1-1-1, 0-0-0
Grand Canyon
1-2-0, 0-0-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| UC Riverside | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Grand Canyon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Highlanders Claim First Victory With Clean Sheet
8/28/2026 9:53:00 PM | Men's Soccer
PHOENIX, Ariz. – The Highlanders were in the Valley of the Sun for their third straight road match to start the season. It was the third time in school history that UCR and Grand Canyon met with the Highlanders looking for their first win against the Antelopes. The last match ended in a 1-1 draw back in 2019.
Entering the season the Antelopes were preseason ranked No. 21 by the United Soccer Coaches Association, but after an opening season loss at then No. 9 Stanford and a clean sheet (1-0) win over Sacramento State, GCU fell out of the rankings.
The Highlanders started the season with a 2-0 loss at Oral Roberts and a 1-1 draw at Tulsa.
UC Riverside's Diego Esquivel recorded the first shot of the game in the 4'. The Highlanders would not record another shot until the 29' when Tarek Hamideh found the back of the net to get UCR on the board, 1-0. This was the second straight match that the Highlanders netted one first.
For Hamideh it was his first goal of the year with Brady Elliott and Ethan Gonzalez credited with assists.
The half ended with UC Riverside up 1-0. The Antelopes outshot the Highlanders 9-2 and UCR's Giancarlo Sagredo was credited with two saves.
In the second half the Highlanders picked up their first shot on goal (48') off the foot of Xavier Smith. It was the second shot on target to that point of the match.
Then in the 63' the Highlanders struck again. This time it was Eric Martinez who found the back of the net with Ryan Guerra getting his first career assist as a Highlander.
After that second goal for UCR, GCU applied more offensive pressure and recorded seven shots to UCR's one. None, however, were on target. The Antelopes made one final push and in the 90' added their 23rd shot of the match. They outshot the Highlanders 23-6, but both teams recorded five shots on goal.
The Highlanders' defense held firm in the final minutes of the match to secure their first win and clean sheet of the year, 2-0.
Next up for the Highlanders is their home opener against Life Pacific on September 2 at 7:30pm. For tickets visit GoHighlanders.com/Tickets
Team Stats
Tarek Hamideh (1)
Assisted By: Brady Elliott , Ethan Gonzalez
GOAL by ucr Hamideh, Tarek Assist by Elliott, Brady and Gonzalez, Ethan.
28:24
Eric Martinez (1)
Assisted By: Ryan Guerra
GOAL by ucr Martinez, Eric Assist by Guerra, Ryan.
62:26
