Sophomore Mats Bjurman of UC Irvine and Ashkan Khosravi of UC Riverside notched Big West Men’s Soccer Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors with impressive performances against South Division foes.

Bjurman Helps UC Irvine Overtake First Place

UC Irvine sophomore Mats Bjurman (Irvine, Calif./Irvine HS) turned in the best offensive performance of his career into Big West Men’s Soccer Player of the Week honors.

The midfielder registered the first three-point match of his career with a goal and an assist as the Anteaters knocked off Cal State Fullerton, 2-1.  He got UCI on the board early in the second half as he took a tough, overhead pass and flicked it by a charging Titan keeper.

Bjurman notched the game-winning assist later as he fed Christopher Santana with a free kick, leading to a goal at the 72:34 mark.  It was Bjurman’s fourth assist of the season - all coming during conference play.

The win moved UCI into sole possession of first place in the South Division with 16 points.

Others nominated: Mackenzie Pridham (Cal Poly); Edwin Luna (Sacramento State); Juan Mendoza (UC Riverside)

Khosravi Keeps UC Riverside Postseason Hopes Alive

In a must-win situation, UC Riverside goalkeeper Ashkan Khosravi (Dallas, Tex./Plano West HS) came through in the clutch as the Big West Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week.

The sophomore made three saves to lead the Highlanders to a 1-0 road win against nationally-ranked Cal State Northridge.  It was Khosravi’s third shutout in six matches.

The win also scooted the Highlanders into a tie for third place in the South Division with Cal State Fullerton, and gives them a tiebreaker advantage over CSUN.

The shutout was also UCR’s program record seventh of the season.

Others nominated: Tarek Morad (UC Irvine)