Anteater Stadium

ANTEATER STADIUM -- UC Irvine senior Robyn Piotrowski received Big West Conference Co-Player of the Week honors after she scored both goals in the Anteaters' 2-0 win over Eastern Washington Friday. Piotrowski scored both of her goals in the first half at Titan Stadium in the Cal State Fullerton Fila Classic. She is a 5-foot-5 defender from San Dimas High. Last year, Piotrowski earned All-Big West Honorable Mention laurels, dishing out two assists and starting in 13 of 15 games played.

FULLERTON -- Robyn Piotrowski scored twice to lead the UC Irvine women's soccer team a 2-0, season-opening win over Eastern Washington in the Soccer Town Classic at Titan Stadium in Fullerton Saturday. Piotrowski scored from 25 yards out to give the Anteaters a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute. Then she added another unassisted goal before halftime (38th minute) after Eastern Washington's goalie missed a kick to clear from the top of the box. Overall, Coach Marine Cano's Anteaters outshot the Eagles, 21-9.

UC Irvine sophomore Alisha Misiata was named Big West Conference Female Field Athlete of the Week following her record-breaking performance at the Stanford Invitational April 5. Misiata broke her own school record in the shot put for the third time this season with a mark of 50 feet, 7 1/4 inches at Stanford. Misiata finished second in the top section to Hawaii’s Meghan Weaver, who recorded a toss of 51-7. Misiata’s previous UCI record was 50-6, set March 22 in the Collegiate Classic at Anteater Stadium.

The UC Irvine women's soccer team lost, 4-0, to visiting USC Sunday afternoon in a nonconference match at Anteater Stadium. Freshman keeper Erin Henry had five saves for the 'Eaters in 81 minutes of action. Freshman Rosie Aguilera had one save in nine minutes in her first appearance as an Anteater. The Women of Troy got on the board first in the 24th minute as Kat Stolpa headed in a corner kick by Rosa Anna Tantillo, putting USC up, 1-0. In the 41st minute, Jocelyn Hein put back a rebound off a shot from Nini Loucks to give USC a 2-0 lead.

ANTEATER STADIUM -- UC Irvine men's soccer coach George Kuntz has announced the signing of 11 student-athletes to national letters of intent. Nine of the incoming players are from the high school ranks and two, midfielders Lee Berry and Agustin Neuspiller, are from Irvine Valley College. Among the freshmen are forwards Kyle Close (Elk Grove-Sheldon), Sean Iliff (Fountain Valley) and Dan La Rocque (Alta Loma), defenders Cameron Dunn (Alta Loma) and Sergio Rivera (Dana Hills)

Brad Evans, Matt Murphy and Anthony Hamilton scored second-half goals sparking UC Irvine to a 3-0 win over Air Force in nonconference men's soccer action Sunday at Anteater Stadium. Evans scored 37 seconds into the second half as he netted from the left side of the box on an assist from Murphy. Murphy scored less than three minutes later on a breakaway with an assist credited to Charles McKay. Hamilton closed out the scoring with an assist from Evans in the 74th minute as UCI improved to 3-3-2 on the season.

The 2008 UC Irvine men?s soccer recruiting class has been ranked No. 40 in the nation by College Soccer News. Coach George Kuntz?s eight-member class, including three community college transfers, garnered the second-best ranking in the Big West Conference. ?We have added some strong attacking players particularly at the forward and midfield positions,? Kuntz said. ?This recruiting class adds size, speed, and skill to an already talented group returning next year. Most importantly these are fine individuals that will represent themselves well at [UCI]

The Vanguard University women's soccer team, which includes 12 underclassmen on its 18-player roster, lost, 3-1, to nonconference host Cal State Los Angeles, a NCAA Division II team, Tuesday. The Lions, who compete in the NAIA, finished two goals down, but were even with the Golden Eagles (1-1) on shots, 15-15. Vanguard (1-2) fell behind, 2-0, in the first half after Cal State L.A. scored in the 15th minute and then again with less five minutes remaining before halftime.

The UC Irvine Anteaters (8-7-4, 3-3-3) and the UC Riverside Highlanders (3-12-4, 1-7-1) finished in a scoreless draw at Anteater Stadium Wednesday night. Freshman goalkeeper Ryan Mathy earned his second shutout of his career finishing with eight saves on the night. The Anteaters played with 10 players for the final 22 minutes of regulation as well as the two overtime periods. Goalkeeper Josh Alexander earned a shutout as well with 10 saves on the night for UCR. Senior Scott Bowman playing in his final game at Anteater Stadium led both teams with six shots on the night.

MEN’S GOLF IRVINE — UC Irvine received an at-large berth into the NCAA regionals. The Anteaters are the No. 9 seed in the regional at Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City, Calif, May 14-16. It’s the eighth regional appearance in nine seasons for UCI.   TRACK AND FIELD Steve Scott Invitational IRVINE — Freshman Charles Jock and junior Alisha Misiaita were individual winners for UC Irvine at the two-day event that concluded Sunday at Anteater Stadium.

WOMEN'S WATER POLO UC Irvine 8, Loyola Marymount 6 SAN DIEGO - The No. 4-seeded Anteaters advanced to Saturday's semifinal against No. 1-seeded Stanford by topping the Lions in the NCAA Championship at San Diego State on Friday. UCI (25-6) has won four straight and 13 of its last 14. Coach Dan Klatt's squad lost at Stanford, 17-5, on March 3. The teams meet Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The Cardinal (24-2) topped Pomona-Pitzer, 17-5, in a quarterfinal Friday.

DAVIS — The UC Irvine women's water polo team earned its fourth straight Big West Conference Tournament championship by defeating UC Davis, 10-5, Sunday at the Aggies' pool. The win gives the No. 6-ranked Anteaters (24-6) the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, May 11-13 at San Diego State. Junior Jessy Cardey scored four goals, while Hillary Estrada and Katie Croghan had two apiece for the top-seeded winners, who received five saves from Jillian Yocum. Cardey was named Tournament MVP. UCI, which has won three straight and 11 of its last 12, led, 4-1, after one period and was never threatened.

Carsten Ball, a former Corona del Mar High standout, returns close to his roots to compete in the Costa Mesa Pro Classic on March 17 at the Costa Mesa Tennis Center. Ball, 24, is seeded second, behind Germany's Andre Begemann. Ball is ranked 322nd in the ATP World Rankings and Begemann, 27, is 263rd. Downey's Daniel Kosakowski, a former standout at UCLA who is ranked 402nd, is seeded ninth in the main draw. Seventh-seeded Gregory Ouellette (No. 383), eighth-seeded Brian Baker (No. 389)

IRVINE - The collection of celebratory choreography was on full display, but not until the UC Irvine men's soccer team showed it had indeed been there before at the Big West Conference Tournament championship game. The Anteaters, who claimed the conference regular-season crown and topped UC Riverside in the home semifinal, scored in the fifth minute of the second overtime to defeat UC Santa Barbara, 3-2, Saturday at Anteater Stadium. The victory was the third in as many Big West tournament title-game appearances for UCI, all against the Gauchos.

IRVINE - The UC Irvine men's soccer team, with two surprising NCAA Tournament snubs in the previous four seasons, made a clear statement as to its viability as a veritable lock to make this year's 48-team NCAA field on Wednesday. Or was it an opening remark? The host Anteaters, who repeated as Big West Conference regular-season champions to earn the No. 1 seed in the four-team conference tournament, scored 35 seconds into the Big West Tournament semifinal against No. 4-seeded UC Riverside.

WOMEN'S SOCCER Vanguard 3, Holy Names 1 COSTA MESA — Gabriela Valles had a goal and an assist for the Lions in the nonconference game Monday. Lauren Skachenko and Linsdey Holman-Kelly scored a goal each and Rachel Rucireta added an assist for Vanguard (2-0). Holy Names dropped to 1-3. * MEN'S WATER POLO UC Irvine 20, Redlands 2 IRVINE — Redshirt sophomore Mitch Wise scored a career-high six goals to lead the No. 6-ranked Anteaters in the UCI Invitational Sunday at Anteater Pool.

IRVINE - The newly created decorative UC Irvine scarves were flying high, as they do around the world, following a victorious performance by the Anteaters' unbeaten women's soccer team Friday night at Anteater Stadium. But it was forwards Natalia Ledezma and Lexi Kopf who flew first on the field, to make possible a 2-1, come-from-behind triumph over nonconference visitor Hawaii, that helps set the stage for a monumental road trip next weekend. Ledezma, a sophomore transfer from UCLA, bolted past a Hawaii defender, then darted around a charging keeper to even the score in the 53rd minute.

The women's soccer and volleyball teams at UC Irvine are gearing up for the start of their respective seasons next month with optimism. And though the two programs eat, drink, breathe and train in Irvine, they are coming from decidedly different places. UCI's women's volleyball team fell to 8-22  last season, 3-13 in the Big West Conference, in Coach Paula Weishoff's second season leading the program. It begins the season Aug. 26 in the Aztec Invitational, where it will play San Diego State, Nevada and Portland.

UC Irvine junior Charles Jock has been named Big West Conference Athlete of the Year in men's track for the second consecutive year. He ranks No. 1 in the NCAA and second in the U.S. in the 800 meters this season with a time of 1 minute, 45.19 seconds, accomplished in winning the Elite Invitational 800 at the Mt. SAC Relays April 16. The effort broke his own school record. Jock was named the Athlete of the Meet for the second straight year at the Cal/Nevada Championships after winning the 800 in 1:47.18 March 27 in Claremont.

BASEBALL Cal State Fullerton 10, UC Irvine 4 FULLERTON — The visiting Anteaters scored four in the fifth to reverse a 2-0 deficit, but the Titans answered with four in the home half of the inning and four more in the sixth to win the rubber game of the Big West Conference series at Goodwin Field. Junior Crosby Slaught absorbed his first loss as a collegiate starter, allowing five runs on five hits in four innings. Slaught left with the bases loaded in the fifth and Fullerton right fielder Michael Lorenzen greeted reliever Nick Hoover with a three-run triple to left-center field to turn the tide.