After a long six-game road trip that featured non-conference and Big West opponents, including a game against number three ranked Stanford, the University of California, Riverside (UCR) were finally ready to play their first home game in over a month. Wednesday’s game was also Latin Heritage Night, and the crowd and players alike were not shy to show off their pride.
When asked about the significance of the game, senior forward Edward Castro shared, “Yeah, of course. There’s extra importance because we’re representing the Latino community.” The metal bleachers of the UCR Soccer Stadium were rocking all night as the Highlanders were able to feed off the energy of the fans.
Without a doubt, it was the most highly anticipated game of the year up to this point. Anything other than a win against the University of California, Irvine (UCI) would be a major letdown. However, with senior captain Christian Ceja suspended, everyone else would need to step up in his absence. As the music of the mariachi band slowly faded away, the sound of the opening whistle started the game.
Despite the hostile environment, the Anteaters weren’t afraid to take it to the Highlanders early. UCI waited for UCR to pass it to one of their outside center backs, senior AJ Meade-Tatum or freshman Brady Elliot, then trap and win the ball in the corner. The Anteaters were helped by the referees holding their whistle, but the UCR coaches had their players prepared for a physical game.
When asked about his Mexican heritage, assistant coach Romario Lomeli expressed, “The obstacles of our journey and everything we’ve gone through … just working hard and everything we’ve got we’ve earned.” That mentality is clearly instilled into the squad and they showed it when they needed to break UCI’s press. When the Highlanders outworked the Anteaters in the build-up phase, they often created dangerous chances going the other way.
It wasn’t just a high work rate that helped them break through UCI’s pressure, captain Christian Ceja also noted the team’s togetherness as one of its strengths: “It’s a privilege playing here for UCR … everyone comes together and creates one big family and everyone kind of learns each other’s cultures.” With UCR consistently creating fastbreak chances, UCI had to abandon the press and play a much deeper line.
UCI started sitting back defensively and inviting the Highlanders into their own half. This made it easier for UCR to bring the ball up, but getting the ball into scoring areas became much harder. The Anteaters initially stymied any UCR chance, but the Highlanders found success on the left flank. Redshirt sophomore midfielder Jona Martinez and freshman fullback Oscar Emilio Trujillo Lizáragga harassed the UCI’s defense with clever through balls and one-twos.
They displayed chemistry just like their idols. Martinez would slip in passes like Carlos Vela for the speedy Trujillo Lizáragga to get behind the defenders and whip in a cross like Miguel Layún. Their synergy was reminiscent of the duo who used to overwhelm teams on the Mexico National Team’s right flank during the 2010s.
For most of the game, UCI’s senior goalkeeper Paul Jing did a good job coming off his line and dealing with balls into the box. However, in the 58-minute mark, UCR’s senior Noah Lopez knocked the ball on for senior Lukas Juodkunaitis. Lopez’s perfectly weighted pass gave Juodkunaitis a one-on-one with Jing, who rushed right at him. Juodkunaitis looked to go around the keeper, but was tripped up by Jing outside the box.
After a few minutes of deliberation, UCR was awarded a free kick just outside the box and Jing was handed a straight red card. This was followed by another several minutes of confusion since the remaining Anteater goalkeepers were both injured. In the end, redshirt sophomore defender Abraham Brown was thrown into the fire. He put on the gloves and organized the wall to defend the incoming free kick.
The wall did its job, but the ball deflected right to Martinez. The redshirt sophomore’s shot smacked the crossbar and was cleared away. The Highlanders kept piling on the pressure. They kept testing Brown with long shots, but his teammates put the bodies on the line and blocked shots to make it easier on him.
On corners, the Highlanders crowded Brown in his own six-yard box and dropped an inswinger on his head. Yet, the Anteaters fought hard to give Brown the space to go up and claim the crosses. As each minute passed, settling for a draw became more and more of a reality.
Nevertheless, the Highlanders didn’t give up hope. Head coach Tim Cupello made a wave of subs in an attempt to break the deadlock. With fresh legs on the field, a pair of subs made the difference with just a minute left. Charging down the right side, junior forward Wes Hastings hit a low cross into the box. On its way in, the ball takes a deflection and spills right on the penalty spot for sophomore Ethan Gonzalez. He instinctively smashes it in the top right corner. His shot rattles the net and erupts the crowd.
The Highlanders successfully saw out the last minute of the game and secured a 1-0 home win. On Saturday, UCR went back on the road to face Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. At the time, the Mustangs stood atop the Big West standings, but the Highlanders earned a gritty 0-0 draw. UCR will look to keep the clean sheets coming at home against California State University, Fullerton on Oct. 16.
