UC Irvine at Cal State Fullerton
Wednesday, Oct. 19 | 7 P.M. PT
Titan Stadium | Fullerton, CA
Live Stats: fullertontitans.com
Live Stream: fullertontitans.com
Series: UCI leads 24-21-8
Cal State Fullerton at UC Riverside
Saturday, Oct. 22 | 7 P.M. PT
UC Riverside Soccer Stadium | Riverside, CA
Live Stats: gohighlanders.com
Live Stream: gohighlanders.com
Series: CSUF leads 18-10-6
FULLERTON, Calif. -- After collecting four points in conference play last week, Cal State Fullerton's men's soccer squad takes on conference foes UC Irvine and UC Riverside this week.
The Titans will battle the Anteaters at Titan Stadium tomorrow at 7 p.m. PT and will head to Riverside to face off with the Highlanders for the second time this season on Saturday at 7 p.m. PT.
Tickets to the match against UC Irvine tomorrow are currently being discounted until 12 p.m. PT tomorrow due to our Rivalry Sale promotion. For more information on getting tickets to Wednesday's match, visit fullertontitans.com/tickets.
RUNDOWN vs. UC IRVINE:
-The Titans get back to work on Wednesday as they close out their homestand at Titan Stadium against UC Irvine at 7 p.m. PT.
-Fullerton is coming off a draw with Cal State Northridge last Wednesday and a victory over UC Riverside on Saturday. The Titans handed UC Riverside its first conference loss of the season with some late heroics from seniors Jacob Perez and David Elias. Perez, a fifth-year senior, scored his first career goal off a rebound from Ronaldo Pineda's effort to give CSUF a 1-0 lead in the 76th minute. In the 87th, Elias stepped up to the plate as the Highlanders received a penalty after a foul in the box and the senior Titan goalkeeper denied Tyler Miguel a goal with an incredible diving save to his right to secure the victory for Fullerton.
-UC Irvine split matches in conference play last week as they fell to UCR, 3-0, on the road before returning home to face CSUN. Against the Matadors, the Anteaters came back from a 1-0 and 2-1 deficit to beat CSUN at home, 4-3.
RUNDOWN vs. UC RIVERSIDE:
-After a battle with the Anteaters on Wednesday, Fullerton hits the road to UC Riverside Soccer Stadium to face off against the Highlanders on Saturday at 7 p.m. PT.
-This will be the second meeting of the season for both programs as CSUF currently leads the all-time series, 18-10-6. In the last match at UCR Soccer Stadium, Titan Ross McPhie put Fullerton on the board early as he headed in Robert Coronado's cross to put CSUF up 1-0 in the ninth minute. The Titans sealed the victory in the 48th minute when Carlos Troncoso netted his first goal of the year thanks to assists from Robert Coronado and Ruben Alvarez.
-UCR currently sits atop the South Division at 4-1-1 in conference play. The Highlanders drew with UCSB to start before going on to win four-straight matches until the Titans knocked them off at Titan Stadium last Saturday. UCR's attack has been the key to its strong play as they have score two or more goals in four of six Big West matches this season.
PLAYERs TO WATCH:
-CSUF's Ronaldo Pineda (MF, So.): In the past two matches, Pineda has had a big impact on the Titan attack by putting up 10 shots and assisting on Jacob Perez' winner vs. UCR.
-CSUF's Rei Dorwart (MF, Fr.): Since the start of conference play, Dorwart has taken his play to another level as he has been crucial to the Titan attack down the flanks of the pitch.
PROVIDING A SPARK
Over the last few matches, underclassmen Jacob Perez, Rei Dorwart, Michael Lopez and Ronaldo Pineda have proven to be a huge spark both in the lineup and off the bench. Perez scored his first career goal as a Titan against UC Riverside last Saturday, which proved to be the winner. Dorwart has been unbelievable in since getting his first dose of college soccer back on Sept. 18 against St. Mary's. In the month of October, the freshman has produced two assists in crucial moments as he assisted on Ross McPhie's goal to tie the score vs. UCSB at home and Alex Heilmann's goal last Wednesday against CSUN to give the Titans a late lead in the match. Pineda has been a big part of the Fullerton attack in the last two matches after not appearing in the previous five. Against CSUN and UCR, the sophomore has put up a combined 10 shots (two on goal) and produced the assist to Perez' winner. Finally, Lopez has started the last six matches for the Titans and has been defending well with the rest of the Fullerton backline who have only surrendered one goal in the past 200 minutes.
CHASING HISTORY!
Currently at 15 career clean sheets, David Elias sits just four shutouts away from the Fullerton career shutouts record, which was set by Mike Ammann from 1991-93 who had 19. The senior leader added a shutout to his total this weekend after the Titans defeated UCR, 1-0. Elias made the save of the year in the Big West as the Titan saved a UCR penalty kick in the 87th minute to keep the shutout alive and secure the CSUF win. The Titans goalkeeper had such a strong performance last week that he was voted the Big West Men's Soccer Defensive Athlete of the Week on Monday. The senior received the accolade after only surrendering one goal over 200 minutes in the net last week. Also, Elias became only the fourth Fullerton player in Big West history to earn multiple weekly honors from the conference, joining Brent Whitfield (3), Hector Orellana (2) and Steve George (2), after receiving the honor once last season. So with the season winding down, Elias could be hitting his stride at just the right time.
CORNER KICKING THE COMPETITION
As we get toward the end of the season there is one statistical category that the Titans have dominated all year, corners. Fullerton currently sits atop the Big West with 95 corners and has 18 more than UC Irvine who is second in the conference with 77 corners. On average, the Titans draw around 6.33 corners a contest which has been crucial to maintaining possession in the attacking half and keeping pressure on opposing teams in the box. Robert Coronado and Nicolo D'Amato have been the primary corner takers for Fullerton and have been successful on a few attempts this season on getting the ball in dangerous positions which led to goals for the Titans.
CLOSING IN ON 350
Fullerton men's soccer coach George Kuntz continues to add to his stellar coaching legacy this season as he currently sits at 347 career victories which puts him only three wins away from reaching 350. With nine regular season matches left (all against Big West opponents), Kuntz could collect his 350th career win and 75th Big West victory at the same time as he also sits at 72 career wins which gives him the third most in conference history. Currently, Kuntz has a steady lead when it comes to all-time career victories as the Titan head coach leads UC Santa Barbara's Tim Vom Steeg by 110 wins. Coach Kuntz has also been outstanding when tournament times come around as he has a 13-1 career record in the Big West Tournament and is currently undefeated in the conference tournament (5-0) since taking the helm at Fullerton back in 2014. So with conference play in full swing make sure to keep an eye on coach Kuntz' milestone of 350 career victories and 75 Big West wins.
FRIDAYS AT FULLERTON
With the start of the 2016-17 athletic season, CSUF introduces Fridays at Fullerton which is a membership club designed to enhance the Titan game day experience. The membership will feature a beer/wine hospitality area at every Friday home competition for all sports. Those interested in joining the club can visit www.fullertontitans.com/donate/Fridays_at_Fullerton for more information.
LOOK GOOD, PLAY GOOD!
Titan Stadium received some upgrades this summer as the 24-year-old venue got a well-deserved facelift. The upgrade includes nine large-formate vinyl graphic, two large-format banners encased in an aluminum frame, dimensional LED signage on the back side of the press box, paint on the field-level bowl, repair and paint of existing handrails and 1400 feet of wide screen to enclose the venue. "Over the last two years, we have continually made upgrades to Titan Stadium, which we believe will make our venue an attractive destination for future Titans as our men's and women's soccer programs build upon their recent success and conference championships," Fullerton Director of Athletics Jim Donavan said.
FULLERTONTITANS.COM
Make sure to visit the official site of Cal State Fullerton Athletics (FullertonTitans.com) for the latest news, scores, stats and photos from every CSUF event.
TICKETS
The Cal State Fullerton Athletics Ticket Office is located in the Titan House off of Gymnasium Drive on the northeast side of Titan Gym. Ticket purchases can be made in person at the Ticket Office, over the phone, or online. Those interested in the best available tickets should visit FullertonTitans.com at least 24 hours prior to any athletic sporting event.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
Make sure to follow @CSUFMensSoccer on Twitter and like the Cal State Fullerton Men's Soccer page on Facebook to keep up with the Titans. Also, make sure to give a follow to @FullertonTitans on Twitter and Snapchat.