Mission accomplished for the Citronauts, and then some.
The fireworks began early, with senior forward Emmanuel Bam igniting his team’s offense in just the fifth minute of action. He received a long pass from fifth year defender Jonas Fritsci from UCF’s defensive end and got to work.
The Accra, Ghana, native dribbled through a pair of Anteater defenders before taking a shot from above the 18-yard box. The ball sailed past the UC Irvine goalkeeper through the upper right corner, pushing the ‘Nauts out to an early 1-0 advantage.
Bam’s tally marked his second of the season, making him his team’s first multi-goal scorer of the 2024 fall campaign with his sixth career goal.
Sophomore midfielder Yanis Belatrache took his turn next, potting his first career game-winning goal just after the commencement of the second half.
On the heels of a match-tying Anteaters (1-2-1) score in the 34th minute of the first half, Belatrache and redshirt sophomore Joey Mueller teamed up to swing the momentum right back to their team’s bench. Mueller corralled an errant UC Irvine pass just outside the box before sending it through the legs of Rojas, acting as a sort of decoy, to Belatrache just behind him.
A light touch by Belatrache was all that was required, as the Herblay sur Seine, France, native sent the ball floating into the back of the net to restore the Citronauts’ one-goal advantage in the 49th minute.