A
shutout victory for the Highlanders was the result of Saturday
night's matchup between the UC Riverside Men's Soccer Team (6-5-2,
1-1-0) and visiting Cal Poly (4-6-1, 0-2-0).
After coming up short in
its last four matches, UCR earned a 1-0 bounce back win thanks to a
second half goal from junior Hugo Magana
Jr. and an outstanding performance from
the Highlander defense.
"There
are always a lot of ups and downs throughout a season, but when you
get knocked down, it's all about how you get back up," Magana
Jr. said. "We're an amazing
family, we're a team that's here to stay, and a team that wants to
repeat. I think we showed that today."
After
45 minutes of scoreless soccer, UCR emerged from the locker rooms
with a sense of aggression and urgency. The team would get down to
its attacking third a few times, but the Mustang defense held strong
straddling the line of passion and chippy play. The Highlanders
maintained their composure and fought through until their moment
arose in the 56th minute.
Junior
Federico Ucar
would play a long ball down the right sideline to Magana Jr. who
broke one defender before beating the Mustang keeper on a tough shot
from the right side. This would be the game-winner and Magana Jr.'s
second in blue and gold.
"I
got a great ball from [Ucar] out wide and my teammates trusted me to
put the ball in the back of the net,"
Magana Jr. said. "It was an
incredible feeling and a real weight lifted off our shoulders. As a
family, we do everything together and celebrating that moment
together with my team, our coaches, and the community was incredible.
It's what makes being a Highlander great."
The
Highlanders posted just six shots on the night compared to Cal Poly's
18, but just one would make the difference in the match. Senior
keeper Edwyn Gutierrez
added another clean slate on the season posting seven saves in his
shutout.
UC
Riverside will look to keep the momentum going this week when the
team sees a hot No. 19 UC Santa Barbara squad up in Central
California, Wednesday night.
Press
Release Provided by the
University
of California Riverside
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