UC Riverside Highlanders men's soccer
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The UC Riverside Highlanders men's soccer is the intercollegiate varsity soccer team representing the University of California, Riverside (also UCR), located in Riverside, California. Starting in 2026, UCR will play as a men's soccer affiliate of the Pac-12 Conference under the terms of a men's soccer alliance between the Pac-12 and UCR's primary home of the Big West Conference.[5] Both the Big West and Pac-12 are member conferences in NCAA Division I.[6]
I Division
| UC Riverside Highlanders men's soccer | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Founded | 1965 [1] | ||
| University | University of California, Riverside | ||
| Head coach | Tim Cupello [2] (13th season) | ||
| Conference | Pac-12 I Division | ||
| Location | Riverside, California, US | ||
| Stadium | UCR Soccer Stadium (capacity: 878 [3]) | ||
| Nickname | Highlanders | ||
| Colors | Blue and gold[4] | ||
| |||
| NCAA tournament appearances | |||
| 2018, 2022 | |||
| Conference tournament championships | |||
| 2018, 2022 | |||
| Conference regular season championships | |||
| 2022 | |||
The Highlanders' current head coach is Tim Cupello, who is in charge since 2013.[1] The team play their home matches at the UCR Soccer Stadium, which has a capacity for 878 spectators.[3]
The team was established in 1965, and played in the Big West from 2002 to 2025,[1] where it has won two tournament championships (in 2018[7] and 2022, when the team also won the regular season)[8]
Stadium
UC Riverside plays its home matches at UCR Soccer Stadium, also used by the women's soccer team. The venue has a capacity of 878 people, although there is room for an additional 278 people on the grass. The field was renovated in 2007 with a TigerTurf artificial grass. One year later, a scoreboard was added to the facility. Moreover the lighting system was improved to allow men's and women's programs to host night games.[3]
Players
Current roster
As of December 2025[update][2]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Records
Source:[1]
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Professional players
UCR players that play/have played at professional levels are:
| Nat. | Player | Pro. | Professional career (teams) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Aaron Long | 2012 | Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders, New York Red Bulls, Los Angeles FC | [9][10][11] |
 | Otis Earle | 2014 | FC Tucson, FC Dallas | [12][13] |
| Daniel Aguirre | 2021 | LA Galaxy, Guadalajara | [14][15] |
Coaches
Current staff
- As of 15 December 2025
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Andres Ochoa |
| Assist. coach | Chris Volk |
| Assist. coach | Romario Lomeli |
| Assist. coach | Tony Huerta |
Coaching history
Source:[1]
- As of December 2025
| # | Name | Tenure | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Hofinga | 1965–73 | 59–55–5 |
| 2 | Charles Stamos | 1974 | 9–7–2 |
| 3 | Francisco Salcedo | 1975–77 | 17–19–2 |
| 4 | Cliff Singh | 1978–80 | 26–20–2 |
| 5 | Nat Gonzalez | 2001–03 | 12–36–8 |
| 6 | Junior Gonzalez | 2004–12 | 53–96–12 |
| 7 | Tim Cupello | 2013–present | 75–112–38 [n1 1] |
- Notes
- As of 2025
Titles
Conference
Source:[16]
| Conference | Championship | Titles | Winning years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big West | Big West tournament | 2 | 2018, 2022 |
| Regular season | 1 | 2022 |
Team statistics
NCAA appearances
UB's appearances in NCAA tournament are listed below:[1]
- Key
- a.e.t. – Match went to extra time
- p – Match decided by a penalty shootout after extra time
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