August 30, 2007

UCI men’s soccer team opens season

Fresh off the best season in school history, the UC Irvine men’s soccer team will kick off the 2007 campaign Friday by hosting Gonzaga at 7:30 p.m. at Anteater Stadium.

The team will then play host to Long Island on Sunday at 7:00 p.m. at Anteater Stadium.

Gonzaga is coming off a 4-0 win over Trinity Western in an exhibition match. Four different players scored in the match for Gonzaga. The Anteaters are 5-2 all-time against Gonzaga, with their last meeting coming in 2001.

Long Island opens the season on Friday night at Cal State Fullerton. It went 0-2 in exhibition matches, losing to Massachusetts and Lafayette. The two teams played for the first time ever in Brooklyn last season as UCI won, 4-0, on its way to capturing the LIU Soccer Classic.

Junior midfielder Matt Murphy, the 2006 Big West Conference Midfielder of the Year, returns to lead the Anteaters in 2007.

Murphy has been selected pre-season third team All-America by College Soccer News after leading the Anteaters in scoring in 2006.

He had 25 points last season and has 13 goals and nine assists in his career at UCI.