MERCED, Calif. - The University of California, Merced women's soccer team will head to the Grand Canyon State to take on Benedictine University Mesa and #14 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University this weekend. All three teams have a winning streak of at least three matches with the Bobcats owning the longest winning streak having won six in a row.

Friday, September 22
UC Merced at Benedictine University Mesa
Time: 6:30pm
Location: Legacy Sports - Bell Bank Park Field #16  (Mesa, Ariz.)
Watch | Live Stats | Legacy Sports Map

Sunday, September 24
UC Merced at #14 Embry-Riddle
Time: 1:00pm
Location: Varsity Field (Prescott, Ariz.)
Watch | Live Stats | ERAU Map

GAME NOTES

Weekly Game Notes can be accessed here.

HEAVY HITTERS

• UC Merced is coming off a 2-0 shutout against Pacific Union College on September 17
• UC Merced enters the weekend as the only team in the NAIA with six straight shutouts
• The shutout streak is program's longest shutout streak since 2016
• Embry-Riddle will mark the Bobcats first Top 15 opponent since Westmont on Sep. 3, 2022
• The Bobcats are looking for their first Top 25 win in program history
• UC Merced was ranked second in the most recent Cal Pac Coaches' Poll and for the first time this season received votes in the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll
• Trinidad Quiroz is tied for first in the NAIA with 12 goals and is ranked fourth in program history with 30 career goals.
• Quiroz has scored in all eight games, the only player in program history with an eight-game scoring streak
• Jadyn Gong is tied for fifth in the country with five shutouts and is currently on a career-best 520-minute shutout streak
• Fifth-year senior and Merced native Isabella Spiva has played in 68 consecutive games
• UC Merced is looking to start 5-0 for the third time in program history and 6-0 for the second time in program history (2020)
• Quiroz and Baleigh Zamudio have earned Cal Pac Weekly Awards in the early season
• UC Merced is 5-2-0 all-time against BenU, falling 3-1 in Merced last year
• The Bobcats are 1-14-4 all-time vs. Embry-Riddle, falling twice to the Eagles in 2022
• The Bobcats have outscored their opponents 22-5 this season
• The Bobcats haven't conceded a goal since August 19 and have held all eight opponents this season to 10 shots or less
• The Bobcats have won 25 of their last 30 Cal Pac games and have played to a 65-14-7 record in conference play since 2014
• Head coach Roman DuChateau is currently in his second season with the Bobcats
• UC Merced will host the 2023 California Pacific Conference Women's Soccer Championships

SIX STRAIGHT SHUTOUTS
UC Merced has tied their program-record shutout streak and is the only team in the NAIA this year with a clean sheet in six consecutive matches. No other team has more than four straight shutouts. In those matches, Gong has earned five solo shutouts and has combined with Melody Martinez for one shutout. The Bobcats shutout streak ties the program-best originally set back in 2016. In these six shutouts, the Bobcats have held five straight opponents to six shots or less and  all six to less than ten shots. 

SERIES HISTORY VS. BENU
Friday will be the eighth meeting between the Bobcats and Redhawks in program history with UC Merced leading the all-time series 5-2. The Bobcats are 1-1 at BenU and 2-0 at a neutral site. Last time these two teams met, BenU beat the Bobcats 3-1 at Bobcat Field. Vanessa Raygoza scored the lone goal in the setback with Stephanie Medina recording the assist. UC Merced's most recent win over the opponent was 3-1 in the 2021 Cal Pac Championship Opening Round.

THE SERIES WITH THE EAGLES
This is the 20th overall meeting between the Bobcats and the Eagles, marking the most frequently played match in program history. Embry-Riddle has had the success through the first 19 games, besting the Bobcats with a 14-1-4 record. In the last regular-season matchup, the Bobcats fell 2-1 to ERAU on October 15 but Trinidad Quiroz managed to find the back of the net. She was the first player from any NAIA team to score on the Eagles since August 23 of 2022. Later in the year, the Bobcats fell 2-0 to Embry-Riddle in the Cal Pac Championship Semifinals. The Bobcats last draw with ERAU was on November 14, 2015, with the last win coming on September 14, 2014.

RECAPPING PACIFIC UNION COLLEGE
The Bobcats shutout PUC 2-0 on September 17 at Bobcat Field. DuChateau's team dominated possession from start to finish, recording 14 shots and seven corner kicks while holding PUC without a single scoring opportunity for the full 90 minutes. Jadyn Gong earned the solo shutout and saw four other Bobcats play all 90 minutes. Trinidad Quiroz and Makena Jensen provided the offense with a goal each. Quiroz scored the game-winning goal in the 50th minute with Jensen doubling the advantage in the 86th.

ANOTHER ALL-AMERICAN SEASON
Trinidad Quiroz is currently tied for first in the nation with 12 goals and is the only player in the NAIA with a goal in eight straight games. Quiroz's eight-game goal scoring streak is also the longest in program history. Joining Quiroz with 12 goals in 2023 are Science & Arts' Alicia Rey and Oklahoma Wesleyan's Tania Mocholi. Quiroz also has three assists this year and is ranked first in the nation with 63 total shots and five game-winning goals. Quiroz scored four goals in the season opener at Hope, had a brace at Menlo, and scored the Bobcats lone goal at The Master's and at home against Academy of Art & Westcliff. She also scored a goal each against La Sierra, Providence Christian, and Pacific Union College. Just 26 games into her career, Quiroz is already ranked fourth in program history with 30 career goals. She is two goals away from being inside the top three. Last year, Quiroz was named a NAIA Honorable Mention All-American and both the Cal Pac Offensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year.

BOBCATS GETTING NATIONAL VOTES
For the first time this season, the Bobcats received votes in the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll. Two more wins this week and the Bobcats should find themselves in the Top 25 for the first time since November 10, 2015. The Bobcats were ranked for three straight weeks that season and first cracked the national rankings after playing to a 10-2-3 record with nine shutouts through their first 15 matches of the season. In addition, the Bobcats are currently ranked second in the Cal Pac Coaches' Poll for the third week in a row. Embry-Riddle is ranked first, setting up a meeting on Sunday between the top two teams in Cal Pac play with the Bobcats looking to be just the second team to beat the Eagles in a Cal Pac game since 2016. Only University of Saint Katherine has beaten Embry-Riddle in a Cal Pac game in that stretch.

BOBCATS SCORING THEIR FIRST GOAL
Transfers Yesenia Tijerina, Ana Centeno, Makena Jensen, and Alondra Higareda each scored their first goal in a UC Merced uniform over the last two weeks, while freshman Elisa Garcia scored her first career goal.

SPIVA'S STREAK & SUCCESS
Isabella Spiva leads all active Bobcats having appeared in 68 consecutive games dating back to September 17, 2019. Overall, Spiva has appeared in 69 of the Bobcats 70 games since she arrived at UC Merced as a freshman in 2019. She has started 50 games. Over her career, Spiva is a 3X All-California Pacific Conference First Team selection, a 2X California Pacific Conference Defensive Player of the Year and earned NAIA Honorable Mention All-American honors in 2021. The Merced, Calif, native currently ranks ninth in program history with 52 career points, 20 goals, and 12 assists. She is also one of just four players in UC Merced history with three hat tricks and is in the elite company with Trinidad Quiroz, Claudia Diaz, and Jenn Salinger. Also of note, Spiva is the only Bobcat in program history to be named both the Cal Pac Offensive Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week.

GONG IN GOAL
Junior goalkeeper Jadyn Gong became the first player in program history to post three consecutive solo shutouts (Aug. 26-Sept. 7) and then she combined with Melody Martinez for a shutout at Providence on September 9. Since then, she has tallied back-to-back solo shutouts against Westcliff and Pacific Union College giving her five on the campaign. She enters the week ranked first in the conference and second in the nation with her five solo shutouts. She is tied for first in the nation with seven wins. Over her career, the Merced, Calif., native has recorded nine shutouts and has combined for eight other shutouts. She sports a career 0.88 goals against average and has 60 saves, which is good for second and sixth in program history, respectively. Five of Gong's eight solo shutouts have come on Bobcat Field. Gong has logged 675 minutes between the posts this year.

PREEYA SINGH
Preeya Singh has started all eight games to start the 2023 campaign. Over the summer, Singh played for Fiji in the Oceania Football Confederation U-19 Women's Championship and her team played New Zealand in the Grand Final. She scored her first international goal on July 5 in a 3-1 win over Samoa in the semifinals. Singh earned an assist and was named Player of the Match in a win over New Caledonia. 

BOBCATS SUPPORTING GONG
Preeya Singh, Baleigh Zamudio, Zitlali Herrera, and Katy Flores have logged all 180 minutes in the Bobcats two most recent wins helping keep Gong from having to be busy in goal. Overall, Singh has played 90 minutes in four consecutive matches. Zamudio and Flores have played all 90 in three of the last five games.

SCORE FIRST THEN 
UC Merced is unbeaten in 14 straight matches dating back to last season when finding the back of the net first. Quiroz has found the back of the net first in seven of those matches, while Bella Spiva and Trinity Dunbar have scored first twice. Kaeley Cariglio, Yesenia Tijerina, and Jocelyne Garcia scored first in the other three wins during the streak. The last Bobcat loss when scoring first dates back to September 24, 2022 against Benedictine University Mesa. Since 2020, the Bobcats are 33-2-1 when scoring before their opponent.  

SCORING THREE IS IT
UC Merced has won 43 straight games, including two this year, when scoring three or more goals, a streak that dates back September 2, 2017. All-time, the Bobcats are 76-2 when scoring at least three goals. The Bobcats have scored 3+ goals nine times in each of the last two years. In 2016, the Bobcats found the back of the net at least three times on ten occasions.

NOT BY 1, 2, OR 3 
The Bobcats knocked off Menlo College 4-0 on August 28 and Providence Christian College 7-0 in their most recent Cal Pac road game. Last year, UC Merced won seven games by four or more goals, outscoring opponents 53-2 in such games. The seven games of such margin marked most in program history. The second highest number of games with a 4+ goal victory margin was five games in 2019. 

FINDING THE TIME TO SCORE
The Bobcats have scored 18 of their 22 goals this season between the 24th minute and 74th minute, while two goals have come in the first ten minutes of the game and two goals have come in the last ten minutes of the game. Also of note, the Bobcats last six goals have all been scored in the second half.

CAL PAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Trinidad Quiroz and Baleigh Zamudio have each earned a Cal Pac Player of the Week award in 2023, making Roman DuChateau's team one of three Cal Pac teams with multiple weekly award winners in 2023. Quiroz earned her award after scoring five goals on opening week, while Zamudio earned her award in week two after recording a goal and an assist and playing a key role defensively in the 4-0 shutout at Menlo College.

ROSTER BREAKDOWN
UC Merced has 31 student athletes on the roster for the 2023 season. Bella Spiva enters with the most experience as a fifth-year senior and 67 career games played. Stephanie Medina, Carly Kissinger, and Trinity Dunbar enter their fourth year with the program, while Baleigh Zamudio and Alexandra Mendoza are seniors who transferred in prior to the 2022 season. The Bobcats have four freshman, ten sophomores, eleven juniors, and six seniors. Of the eleven juniors, seven transfered in for 2023.

#WEARETHEVALLEY
UC Merced has 20 players on the roster that hail from the Central Valley, including 13 that come from a city right off the Golden State Highway from Bakersfield to Stockton. Also impressive, the Bobcats have four on the roster who attended high school within ten miles of UC Merced. Bella Spiva, Kassidy Spiva, and Alondra Higareda played their high school soccer at El Capitan, 2.5 miles from Bobcat Field. Jadyn Gong played at Golden Valley High School.

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE REDHAWKS
Benedictine University Mesa has won three games in a row, but dropped their first four to start the season. Last time out, they scored a season-high six goals against La Sierra University. Neshma Rodriguez recorded a hat trick in the win, while Idania Dominguez scored twice. Other top goal scorers throughout the year have been Dahlia Alonso and Brylee Rod with three goals each. Goalkeeper Jaden Campbell has logged all 630 minutes between the posts, stopping 23 shots with a 2.86 goals against average. In the three wins, Campbell has limited opponents to four combined goals.

SCOUTING THE EAGLES
The 14th-ranked Embry-Riddle Eagles have been nationally-ranked for 13 consecutive polls and 24 of the last 26 polls dating back to the start of 2021. The Eagles are currently 4-0 in Cal Pac action with a 6-2-1 mark overall. ERAU has outscored their opponents 19-0 in Cal Pac play, including most recently knocking off Providence Christian College 6-0 on September 16. The Eagles are ranked eighth in the nation with 23.6 shots per game and 22 assists, while ranking 13th with 26 goals scored. They are tied for seventh with five shutouts. Jaime Black is leading the Eagles with six goals with Rae Yoshioka and Kylee Bennett scoring three goals each. Adelie Zechmann has recorded four assists. Annabelle Ruckle has logged 765 minutes in goal (all but 45 minutes) and has maintained a 0.82 goals against average with four solo shutouts.

ROAD VENUE INFORMATION
Friday night's match against Benedictine University Mesa will be played at Legacy Sports - Bell Bank Park Field #16 in Mesa, Ariz. Fans should park in Lot 6 and then walk south past two soccer fields and then west past three soccer fields in order to get to the Bobcats match. Bell Bank Park is located at 1 Legacy Drive, Mesa, Ariz. Sunday's match against Embry-Riddle will be played at Varsity Field on Embry-Riddle's campus. Varsity Field is located at the back of campus. When entering on Dan Carrell Drive, take the first left on Dobberteen Drive and take that back to Varsity Field.

NEXT UP
UC Merced will return home to face Park University Gilbert on Friday, September 29. It will be the Bobcats second ever matchup with the Buccaneers, beating Park Gilbert 6-0 a year ago in Mesa.

POSTSEASON BOBCATS
On November 5, 2022, the Bobcats knocked off Pacific Union College 4-0 in the California Pacific Conference Opening Round. The Bobcats four goals tied the program's postseason single-game record, while the four-goal final victory margin was the biggest in program history. UC Merced goalkeeper Jadyn Gong stopped all six shots she was tasked with to become the second Bobcat all-time with a postseason shutout. The Bobcats have won a postseason game in five straight years, setting a new record among all active teams in the Cal Pac.

CALIFORNIA PACIFIC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
UC Merced has been selected to host the 2023 California Pacific Conference Women's Soccer Championships November 9-11 at Bobcat Field. This will be the first time since 2017 that UC Merced will host the women's soccer conference tournament, and first time ever on Bobcat Field. The semifinals are set for Thursday, November 9 with the championship match scheduled for Saturday, November 11.