Thursday, September 24
Irvine, CA
6:00 PM
California Baptist University
at
UC Irvine
Photo by: Matt Horrocks
MSOC Preview: Non-Conference Schedules Closes Thursday in Irvine
9/23/2026 3:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer
IRVINE, CA --- The final test before the start of California Baptist's first Pac-12 season takes place on Thursday night, with CBU visiting the Anteaters of UC Irvine. The Lancers enter the week riding a wave of momentum, having won three in a row without conceding a goal.
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CBU sits 5-2-0 through the first seven matches of the 2026 season. In all five wins, the Lancers have produced a clean sheet, outscoring opponents 8-0 in winning performances.
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Two of those clean sheets came last week when the Lancers knocked off Grand Canyon in a visit to Phoenix, followed by a 2-0 win over Pacific on Sunday afternoon. Goalkeeper Ulrik Stroem tallied six saves across those two winning performances, earning Stroem his second consecutive Pac-12 Newcomer of the Week award.
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Stroem is 4-1-0 in his five starts and has produced a shutout in four consecutive appearances.
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While CBU athletics made the jump over the summer from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) to the Big West, men's soccer did not make the same transition as it joined the Pac-12. The Big West and Pac-12 formed a partnership during the spring, agreeing to combine the two conferences into a 14-team league, with seven calling themselves Big West programs and seven claiming the Pac-12.
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UC Irvine competes in the Big West side of the conference split.
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The Anteaters saw early success to open the season, beginning with a draw against then-No. 19 Oregon State, and followed that with wins over LMU and Pacific. Since the 2-0-1 start, UC Irvine has gone 2-3-0, with their two wins coming in its last two appearances on the pitch. The Anteaters picked up a pair of 2-0 victories over UC Riverside and UC San Diego.
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In the first release of the 2026 Men's Soccer RPI, Irvine comes in at No. 43 while the Lancers sit at No. 109.
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Irvine is led offensively by Gage Lyons, who leads the squad with eight points (3 goals, 2 assists). Ferran Duran has also netted three goals. Marcus Less and Brady Trenen are tied with a team-leading three assists. In goal, the Anteaters have evenly split reps between Joe O'Shaughnessy and Scott Williams. Williams has a team-best .800 save percentage.
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Blake D'Agostino continues to lead the CBU attack, scoring a team-high four goals while adding an assist. Felix Ezekwuka took the team lead in assists after setting up both of CBU's goals in Sunday's win against Pacific.
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Thursday's visit to Irvine is scheduled for a 6 p.m. kick off. The match can be streamed on ESPN+.
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Following their visit to Irvine, CBU will travel north to Spokane to open the Pac-12 season against Gonzaga. The conference opener is scheduled for Wednesday, September 30, at 7 p.m.
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CBU sits 5-2-0 through the first seven matches of the 2026 season. In all five wins, the Lancers have produced a clean sheet, outscoring opponents 8-0 in winning performances.
Â
Two of those clean sheets came last week when the Lancers knocked off Grand Canyon in a visit to Phoenix, followed by a 2-0 win over Pacific on Sunday afternoon. Goalkeeper Ulrik Stroem tallied six saves across those two winning performances, earning Stroem his second consecutive Pac-12 Newcomer of the Week award.
Â
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Stroem is 4-1-0 in his five starts and has produced a shutout in four consecutive appearances.
Â
While CBU athletics made the jump over the summer from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) to the Big West, men's soccer did not make the same transition as it joined the Pac-12. The Big West and Pac-12 formed a partnership during the spring, agreeing to combine the two conferences into a 14-team league, with seven calling themselves Big West programs and seven claiming the Pac-12.
Â
UC Irvine competes in the Big West side of the conference split.
Â
The Anteaters saw early success to open the season, beginning with a draw against then-No. 19 Oregon State, and followed that with wins over LMU and Pacific. Since the 2-0-1 start, UC Irvine has gone 2-3-0, with their two wins coming in its last two appearances on the pitch. The Anteaters picked up a pair of 2-0 victories over UC Riverside and UC San Diego.
Â
In the first release of the 2026 Men's Soccer RPI, Irvine comes in at No. 43 while the Lancers sit at No. 109.
Â
Irvine is led offensively by Gage Lyons, who leads the squad with eight points (3 goals, 2 assists). Ferran Duran has also netted three goals. Marcus Less and Brady Trenen are tied with a team-leading three assists. In goal, the Anteaters have evenly split reps between Joe O'Shaughnessy and Scott Williams. Williams has a team-best .800 save percentage.
Â
Blake D'Agostino continues to lead the CBU attack, scoring a team-high four goals while adding an assist. Felix Ezekwuka took the team lead in assists after setting up both of CBU's goals in Sunday's win against Pacific.
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Thursday's visit to Irvine is scheduled for a 6 p.m. kick off. The match can be streamed on ESPN+.
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Following their visit to Irvine, CBU will travel north to Spokane to open the Pac-12 season against Gonzaga. The conference opener is scheduled for Wednesday, September 30, at 7 p.m.
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Players Mentioned
Tuesday, August 25
Friday, September 05
Tuesday, September 10
Tuesday, November 28
