Highlanders Outpace Warriors, Earn Second Clean Sheet

Wednesday, September 2

Riverside, Calif.

7:30 pm

UC Riverside

2-1-1, 0-0-0

Life Pacific

0-2-0, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
LIFE Pacific	0	0	0
UC Riverside	3	3	6

Photo by: Daniella Centeno

Highlanders Outpace Warriors, Earn Second Clean Sheet

9/2/2026 10:50:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - The Highlanders returned to the friendly confines of the UCR Soccer Stadium for the first time in 2026 and hosted Life Pacific University. It was the first time that UCR faced Life Pacific and the Highlanders ran away with it, 6-0. It was the second straight clean sheet for UCR. The last time UC Riverside surrendered a goal was back in the 79' at Tulsa.

UC Riverside got on the board in the 18' when Tarek Hamideh scored his second of the year. He did so on a perfect pass by Eric Martinez to give UCR a 1-0 lead. It was Martinez' first assist of the season.

The Highlanders benefited from two own goals by Life Pacific with the first coming in the 22' and the second in the 85'. Both took unfortunate bounces off Warriors' defenders.

Brady Elliott scored his first of the year in the 39' off a corner kick by Adrian Villafranco. For Villafranco it was his first career assist (and point) as a Highlander and it was his first of two assists on the night. The second came later in the match in the 49' when Diego Esquivel notched his first goal as a Highlander. Ace Tendale was also credited with an assist on Esquivel's goal and for Tendale it was the first of his career.

The final goal for UCR came in the 89' off the foot of Wyatt Ponting from a great pass by Nathan Lopez. For Ponting it was his first goal of 2026 and for Lopez it was his first career assist. It was also Lopez' Highlander debut.

In total eight Highlanders were credited a point tonight. The last time UC Riverside scored three or more goals in a match was back on August 28, 2022 against St. Thomas (MN) and Villafranco was the first Highlander since Leopoldo Hernandez to record two-plus assists in a game. That, too, was against St. Thomas in 2022. The six goals scored tonight was the most goals scored in a match for the Highlanders in school history, that according the UC Riverside Men's Soccer Record Book.

Next up for the Highlanders is UNLV on Sunday, September 6 at the UCR Soccer Stadium. The match starts at 7:30PM and will be the nightcap of a double header with the women's soccer team. For tickets visit HighlanderTickets.com.