UPCOMING MATCHES

Game Notes

UC Irvine Anteaters vs. Nevada Wolfpack

Friday, September 4, 2015
2:00 PM – Moraga, Calif.
Live Stats Live Stream

UC Irvine Anteaters vs. Colorado State Rams

Sunday, September 6, 2015
1:30 PM – Moraga, Calif.
Live Stats Live Stream

WEEKEND WRAPUP

UC Irvine’s trip to College Station, Texas produced a loss and a draw to put them at 1-2-1 early in non-conference play.

The viewing public on the SEC Network and 4,790 fans at Ellis Field saw a 4-0 victory for Texas A&M on Friday night. The Aggies put up 28 shots firing 11 on net in the fifth time the ‘Eaters have allowed four goals in a match under Coach Juniper. The others coming against Washington State (2013), Denver (2012), Pepperdine (2012), and UC Santa Barbara (2007), all 4-0 margins.

The seven saves for Corey Tobin were the most in her career breaching her previous high of four she had attained four times prior.

Sunday brought a different foe in Abilene Christian. The squads played to a 0-0 draw in the morning heat of Texas that saw 19 shots from the Anteaters.

Four players hung in for all 110 minutes including freshman Brittany Nguyen who made her first two starts of the year in Texas and impressed, especially coach Juniper.

“Brittany Nguyen played the most minutes for us. She stepped into the holding midfield spot and played like a seasoned veteran.”

Juniper praised the play of all the freshmen on the trip as they’ve all played extended minutes and began to mesh with the fabric of the program.

“We have a young squad capable of becoming a great team if we commit to competing with ourselves every day to be better.”

The early-season struggles can only be seen on the field. With remaining trips to Northern California, Portland, and Florida, coach Juniper has highlighted the importance of coming together as a unit and enjoying the full college experience.

“Traveling with this team has been so much fun. Their personalities come out in different ways, and watching that part of the team’s evolution is good to see at this early stage of the season.”

The minutes on the pitch are equally as important as the minutes between the matches for the program.

TECHNICAL SQUAD

The ‘Eaters head up to Moraga, Calif. and the campus of Saint Mary’s College to take place in the Gael Classic.

Both matches are scheduled to be live streamed and available to the public. One scheduling change has seen Sunday’s match vs. Colorado State has been bumped up to 1:30 p.m.

GAEL FORCE WINS

Road trip number two is upon us with a shot up the coast to Moraga, Calif. for the Gael Classic on the campus of Saint Mary’s College. The interesting part of this tournament is the Anteaters will not actually play against Saint Mary’s.

UCI’s actual opponents both hail from the Mountain West Conference in Nevada and Colorado State.

First up is a 2:00 p.m. matchup with the Nevada Wolfpack, an opponent the Anteaters have faced four times in their past, winning all four times. The last matchup was a 4-2 home victory back in 2010.

The 2014 Wolfpack finished at 4-14-2 that included wins against Saint Mary’s and UC Davis, losses to Fresno State and Boise State, and a tie with a ranked Denver squad.

The scoring combo of sophomore Angel Meriwether (5 G, 3 A) and senior Daisha Jones-Oglesby (2 G, 3 A) return to the fold. The lone strike so far this season has come from freshman Hannah Miller. Nevada is 0-1-1 thus far with a loss to Montana and a draw with Gonzaga.

Kelsey Quintos assumes duties as top keeper over senior Devyn Bryar who stopped 106 shots in 19 matches last year. The junior Quintos saw time in two matches last year, and in her two to this point of 2015, she’s stopped 11 shots and allowed just two tallies.

Nevada averages 10 fouls per match and has directed six of its 14 shots on target.

The second MWC foe is a first-timer in the Colorado State Rams. The Rams come off a 4-15-0 year in 2014 which includes a win against Nevada and narrow losses to San Diego State and Fresno State.

Colorado State is 1-1-1 through the early going in 2015 drawing with Colorado (1-1) to open the season and has since beaten Denver (1-0) and falling at Grand Canyon (2-1).

The Rams scored just 10 goals in 19 matches last season while conceding 36. They return nine of those goals including leading scorer senior Gianna Bertana. She has the lone assist on the year while their three goals have come from senior Erika Bratschun, freshman Hannah Gerdin, and a third off an own goal.

Junior keeper Jesse McGinley returns to the net after 80 saves, a 1.76 goals-against-average, and four shutouts in 19 matches last year. She’s allowed three goals in three matches so far and stopped 17 shots.

The Anteaters have matched up with a Mountain West opponent each season since the conference was formed back in 2005. It’s the second straight year two programs have shown up on the ledger joining the duo of Boise State and Fresno State from 2014.

All-time, UCI is 42-21-7 against current schools in the conference which includes a former Big West member in Utah State. Colorado State is one of two programs UCI has yet to square off with alongside Colorado College.

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