On Thursday, Oct. 2, UC Riverside’s (2-8-1) women’s soccer team lost in a thrilling conference matchup against UC Irvine (2-9).
Both teams were scoreless in the regulation period but after two 10-minute overtime periods, UCI sophomore forward Alex Jaquez scored the game-winning goal at the 108th minute mark in the second overtime. The final score was 1-0.
The Anteaters were fairly aggressive on the offensive end from the start of the match. UCI attempted six shots in the first half but the strong defensive effort of UCR senior goalkeeper, Annie Bailey, prevented the Anteaters from scoring. UCR countered with three shot attempts but none were converted.
UC Riverside turned up the offensive intensity after the break, attempting seven of their 11 shots in the second half. UCR’s attack on the offensive end put pressure on the UCI defense but the Anteaters were able to hold the Highlanders scoreless and keep the game tied until the overtime period.
UCR sophomore Natza Marin found herself with an opportunity to tie the match at the 100th minute mark of overtime, but her shot attempt was stopped by UC Irvine senior goalkeeper Maddie Newsom.
This is the second double overtime game that the Highlanders have played in their past three matches. On Sept. 26, UC Riverside faced off against the University of Denver in a double overtime thriller that ended in a tie.
Since 2001, UCR has battled against conference rival UCI a total of 17 times with the Highlanders only winning three of those matchups. Their last win against UCI came in October of 2014 when the Highlanders earned a 1-0 victory.
Up next, the Highlanders will face off against Cal State Fullerton (8-2-1) on Sunday, Oct. 13 in Riverside.
