Late Goal Earns a Highlander Draw

Sunday, September 6

Riverside, Calif.

7:30 pm

UC Riverside

2-1-2, 0-0-0

UNLV

2-2-1, 0-0-0

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

9/6/2026 11:50:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - The Highlanders and the Rebels squared off tonight from the UCR Soccer Stadium with the final being a 1-1 draw. Diego Esquivel's late goal earned the hard fought result for UC Riverside.

The Highlanders got the first two shots on target in the first five minutes of the match but UNLV's Hugo Lemos kept the ball out of the net.

In the 9' of play, UNLV's Nick Legendre scored his second of the season to give the Rebels an early 1-0 lead. It was the first goal that UC Riverside surrendered since the 79' against Tulsa in August.

The Highlanders just could not find a rhythm in the first.

"I think the effort was there, but I don't think the quality was there to start," said UCR's Head Coach Tim Cupello post match.

Nothing really clicked for the Highlanders. They went over 25 minutes without recording a shot until Xavier Smith put one just left of the target. Five minutes later, Tarek Hamideh missed the target and that was all the chances the Highlanders had. In the first half UCR was outshot 6-4, but only two of UCR's shots were on target and both came in the early stages of the match.

UC Riverside, however, came out with more intensity in the second.

"I love the fact we could go to our bench and we got guys ready to step up and make an impact," added Cupello. The adjustments the Highlanders made at the break allowed them to imprint their game on the match.

After Giancarlo Sagredo made a save early in the second, the Highlanders did not allow another shot by the Rebels for the rest of the way. The Highlanders outshot the Rebels 5-1 in the second and never really faced a scoring threat.

The first four Highlander shots in the second were not on target. That changed in the 82' when Esquivel found the back of the net to tie the match at, 1-1. It was his second goal of the season and Xavier Smith recorded his first career assist as a Highlander.

"We all knew we were in a rough spot in the first half and we knew we were made of more," said Esquivel post match. "We just had to pick up the energy and intensity."

That they did and earned the draw. Now the Highlanders travel to Air Force and take on the Falcons on Friday, September 11. The match starts at 5PM (PST) and can be seen on Mountain West +.