Friday, September 11
USAFA, CO
6:00 PM MT
Air Force Academy
vs
UC Riverside
Falcon Men's Soccer Hosts UC Riverside Friday Evening
9/10/2026 1:17:00 PM | Men's Soccer
MATCH 06
Air Force (0-2-3) vs. UC Riverside (2-1-2)
6pm MT, Friday, September 11
Cadet Soccer Stadium, USAF Academy
Following a positive result in the comeback against Saint Mary's, the Falcons return home for a three-match home stint against UC Riverside (Sept. 11), UTRGV (Sept. 18), and Mountain West Conference opener against Utah Tech (Sept. 26).
A LOOK AT THE HIGHLANDERS
UCR, in their first season as a Pac-12 affiliate, will take the pitch under the command of Tim Cupello in his 14th season at the helm.
The Highlanders have 10 goals on the season led by a pair of scorers with two goals in Diego Esquivel and Tarek Hamideh. UCR also has a pair of 'team goals' as LIFE Pacific plugged in two goals on themselves in the 6-0 loss to Riverside.
UCR has played two Mountain West opponents this season; Grand Canyon and UNLV. The Highlanders blanked GCU, 2-0, for their first win of the season. They played the Runnin' Rebels to a draw at one in Riverside.
Giancarlo Sagredo is likely to get the start in goal. He is 1-1-2 in four starts and has a .733 save percentage.
SET PIECE GOALS
Air Force has three goals this season, each strike originating from a set piece. Sophomore team captain Tucker Kern notched the first goal of the season in a free kick at Army, August 20. At Saint Mary's, the first goal came by way of free kick where C4C Xidane Espinoza chipped a deflected shot to C4C Doran Farrell who headed the ball off crossbar which deflected to Logan Zaa who had his header blocked to freshman teammate Hector Orozco who finished low center for his first collegiate goal. The second strike happened when Menes Ajyeman lined up and took a shot that was deflected by an SMC defender into the possession of Kern who capitalized with a rocket to the right side of the frame from 22 yards out.
CHASING W
Despite three positive results ending in draws, Air Force is gunning for their first win since beating Mercer, 2-0, last season on September 11. The Falcons are 0-11-5 since their last win.
REMEMBERING 9/11
Air Force will honor the 25th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks with the USAFA Base Honor Guard presentation of the colors prior to kickoff. Fans will see symbols of mourning, remembrance, service, and national unity throughout the night. Our first observance will take place as the pregame clock reaches nine minutes and 11 seconds. There will be a tri-folded American flag placed on the front seat of each team's sideline. The captains of the Air Force men's soccer team will also wear black captain's armbands as a traditional symbol of mourning and remembrance.
For the National Anthem, the players from Air Force and UC Riverside will stand together in an alternating formation. For this moment, they will stand not as opponents, but side by side. Their formation symbolizes the unity that brought Americans together in the aftermath of September 11th and serves as a reminder that, beyond the competition of this field, we remain united by something greater.
UP NEXT
The Falcons continue the three-match home stint against UTRGV in the non-conference finale on September 18. Action against the Vaqueros is scheduled for 6 pm MT. This season marks the first in many that AF and UTRGV are not conference foes. The Vaqueros are now affiliates of the Ohio Valley Conference.
LAST TIME OUT
Air Force played with tenacity and determination to overcome a two-goal deficit, playing a talented Saint Mary's team to a draw at two at Saint Mary's Stadium on Labor Day. After trailing two-nil at halftime, C4C Hector Orozco (58') and team captain C3C Tucker Kern (79') registered the strikes to earn the positive result on the road.
FOLLOW ALONG
Catch all the action on the pitch on MW+, the official streaming destination for Mountain West men's soccer. Stream every match live all season long on the web, the MW+ mobile app for iPhone and Android, or your connected TV, including Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku. Subscribe today at watch.themw.com.
Air Force (0-2-3) vs. UC Riverside (2-1-2)
6pm MT, Friday, September 11
Cadet Soccer Stadium, USAF Academy
Following a positive result in the comeback against Saint Mary's, the Falcons return home for a three-match home stint against UC Riverside (Sept. 11), UTRGV (Sept. 18), and Mountain West Conference opener against Utah Tech (Sept. 26).
A LOOK AT THE HIGHLANDERS
UCR, in their first season as a Pac-12 affiliate, will take the pitch under the command of Tim Cupello in his 14th season at the helm.
The Highlanders have 10 goals on the season led by a pair of scorers with two goals in Diego Esquivel and Tarek Hamideh. UCR also has a pair of 'team goals' as LIFE Pacific plugged in two goals on themselves in the 6-0 loss to Riverside.
UCR has played two Mountain West opponents this season; Grand Canyon and UNLV. The Highlanders blanked GCU, 2-0, for their first win of the season. They played the Runnin' Rebels to a draw at one in Riverside.
Giancarlo Sagredo is likely to get the start in goal. He is 1-1-2 in four starts and has a .733 save percentage.
SET PIECE GOALS
Air Force has three goals this season, each strike originating from a set piece. Sophomore team captain Tucker Kern notched the first goal of the season in a free kick at Army, August 20. At Saint Mary's, the first goal came by way of free kick where C4C Xidane Espinoza chipped a deflected shot to C4C Doran Farrell who headed the ball off crossbar which deflected to Logan Zaa who had his header blocked to freshman teammate Hector Orozco who finished low center for his first collegiate goal. The second strike happened when Menes Ajyeman lined up and took a shot that was deflected by an SMC defender into the possession of Kern who capitalized with a rocket to the right side of the frame from 22 yards out.
CHASING W
Despite three positive results ending in draws, Air Force is gunning for their first win since beating Mercer, 2-0, last season on September 11. The Falcons are 0-11-5 since their last win.
REMEMBERING 9/11
Air Force will honor the 25th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks with the USAFA Base Honor Guard presentation of the colors prior to kickoff. Fans will see symbols of mourning, remembrance, service, and national unity throughout the night. Our first observance will take place as the pregame clock reaches nine minutes and 11 seconds. There will be a tri-folded American flag placed on the front seat of each team's sideline. The captains of the Air Force men's soccer team will also wear black captain's armbands as a traditional symbol of mourning and remembrance.
For the National Anthem, the players from Air Force and UC Riverside will stand together in an alternating formation. For this moment, they will stand not as opponents, but side by side. Their formation symbolizes the unity that brought Americans together in the aftermath of September 11th and serves as a reminder that, beyond the competition of this field, we remain united by something greater.
UP NEXT
The Falcons continue the three-match home stint against UTRGV in the non-conference finale on September 18. Action against the Vaqueros is scheduled for 6 pm MT. This season marks the first in many that AF and UTRGV are not conference foes. The Vaqueros are now affiliates of the Ohio Valley Conference.
LAST TIME OUT
Air Force played with tenacity and determination to overcome a two-goal deficit, playing a talented Saint Mary's team to a draw at two at Saint Mary's Stadium on Labor Day. After trailing two-nil at halftime, C4C Hector Orozco (58') and team captain C3C Tucker Kern (79') registered the strikes to earn the positive result on the road.
FOLLOW ALONG
Catch all the action on the pitch on MW+, the official streaming destination for Mountain West men's soccer. Stream every match live all season long on the web, the MW+ mobile app for iPhone and Android, or your connected TV, including Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku. Subscribe today at watch.themw.com.
Players Mentioned
M/F
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's Soccer
M
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's SoccerFriday, September 11
Monday, September 07
Monday, September 07
Wednesday, September 02
