In a matchup of the two regular season co-champions, top-seeded UC Irvine defeated No. 2 seed Cal Poly by a final score of 1-0. With the win, the Anteaters earn the conference's automatic bid to the 2021 NCAA Championship. UC Irvine wins its second Big West Championship overall, the last in 1997, and the first in Anteater head coach Scott Juniper's career. UCI defender Maddy Chavez was named tournament MVP after anchoring the Anteater defense to two shutouts.
The bracket for the national championship will be announced at
the selection show streamed on NCAA.com on Monday, Nov. 8 at 1:30 p.m. PT.
| No. 1 UC Irvine 1, No. 2 Cal Poly 0 |
Box Score |
UC Irvine Press Conference |
Cal Poly Press Conference |
Recap courtesy of ucirvinesports.com
IRVINE, Calif. -- The top-seeded UC Irvine women's soccer team defeated No. 2 Cal Poly, 1-0, to claim the Big West Tournament title Sunday afternoon at Anteater Stadium.
Alex Jaquez scored the game-winner in the 32nd minute, while the 'Eaters registered their fourth-straight shutout. Chasing the equalizer, the Mustangs put the pressure on late with six of their 10 shots coming in the final 20 minutes, but goalkeeper Glo Hinojosa and the UCI defense held strong, extending their scoreless streak to 433:03.
UC Irvine (15-5-0) had most of the early opportunities, including three good looks in a 20-second span. Scarlett Camberos started the stretch, taking a Chloe Ragon pass down the right side of the pitch and all the way into the box where Cal Poly keeper Mackenzie Samuel made a sliding stop. Camberos collected the rebound and tapped it to Alyssa Moore, whose shot was blocked. The ball came right back to Moore's left foot, but her second try was saved by Samuel.
The Anteaters continued to put the pressure on and broke through at the 31:12 mark. A long throw-in from Amber Huff made its way into the box, and the Mustangs got a foot on it, but the clearance went right to Alex Jaquez, who from about 20 yards out delivered a beautiful shot to the upper right corner. It was her first goal of the season, making her the 14th different 'Eater to find the back of the net.
UCI dominated possession in the first half as it not only held the 1-0 lead, but also the advantage in shots (8-2), shots on goal (5-0) and corner kicks (2-0).
Cal Poly (13-8-0) came out swinging in the second half as it was looking to keep its season alive. The Mustangs totaled eight second-half shots, but the UC Irvine defense was up to the challenge. Hinojosa made two solid saves, while Jaquez also cleared an attempt from Kate Reedy off the line in the 61st minute. The Anteaters continued to withstand the pressure, closing out their ninth shutout of the season.
With the 1-0 victory over Cal Poly, UC Irvine claimed its second Big West Tournament title in program history, and first since 1997, when the Anteaters also defeated the Mustangs in the final. The 'Eaters will enter their third NCAA Tournament in program history (2010, 2011) on a six-match winning streak.