September 13, 2015
Highlanders 2 – Bruins 1
The UC Riverside men’s soccer team pulled off arguably the biggest upset in program history last Sunday, and in doing so notched their second-ever win against a ranked opponent as they knocked off No. 8 ranked UCLA 2-1 in overtime.
The scoring got started in the 30th minute with a goal by the Bruins’ Jose Hernandez. With about 20 minutes left in the game, the Highlanders equalized with a cross from Michael Salazar to Ricardo Ruiz to equalize the score and also give Ruiz his first goal of his Highlander career.
After regulation, the Highlanders continued to press on into overtime. And in the 95th minute a shot deflection off of a UCLA defender popped the ball up in the air and what should have been a routine play for UCLA keeper Dakota Havlick ended up being the game winner for UCR as the ball went through his hands, and into the net.
After the game, Head Coach Tim Cupello said of his team, “Early on we had some great chances that their goalkeeper came up big on. Once we went down, 1-0, we showed a lot of maturity to stay true to ourselves. I’m very proud of these guys as this was a huge team victory for our program.”
September 18, 2015
Highlanders 1 – Broncos 2
The UCR men’s soccer team fell to the Santa Clara Broncos on Friday night by a score of 2-1.
The Broncos got off to a hot start, scoring two goals in the first half. Both goals came from Carlos DelGadillo, the first in the fourth minute and the second in the 34th via an errant pass from the Highlanders.
The Highlanders also got on the board in the first half with a goal by Norberto Ochoa for his fourth goal in three matches.
In the end, coming back proved to be too much for the Highlanders as both teams went scoreless in the final half.
The Highlanders remain on the road this week with a match against Saint Mary’s on Sunday, September 19 at 3 p.m.
