COACHING STAFF
Program's all-time coaching leader with 16 seasons, 304 matches, and 160 wins
Big West Coach of the Year 2010 & 2017
4 NCAA Tournament berths
2 NCAA Tournament at-large berths
2010 & 2022 NCAA Sweet Sixteen Appearances
4 Big West Regular Season Titles
2 Big West Tournament titles
3 All-American Selections
26 All-West Region Selections
88 All-Big West Selections
13 Big West Players of the Year
2 Big West Championship MVPs
Holds multiple licenses and accreditations:
- U.S. Soccer Federation "A" coaching license
- UEFA "B" license
- USSF National Youth License
- NSCAA Goalkeeper license
- Speed, Agility and Quickness trainer accreditation
- Cal South coach education staff
- Cal South and Region IV Olympic Development programs coach
- Head Coach - LA Galaxy OC
Under coach Juniper's watch, 17 Anteaters have enjoyed successful professional careers including Scarlett Camberos currently with Angel City FC in the NWSL and five Anteaters playing internationally. Three Anteaters have been selected in the draft from either the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league or National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) starting with Tanya Taylor as a fourth round pick in 2011 followed by CoCo Goodson selected in the first round in 2012, and most recently Palacios was taken in the fourth round in 2017. In addition to the success in American pro soccer, Anteaters have made marks in leagues in the Netherlands, Iceland, Czech Republic, Norway, Cyprus, Sweden, Denmark, and Lithuania with two stints on Women's Champions League squads in Europe.
Juniper's Anteater career began in 2006 when was hired as an assistant coach at UCI under April Heinrichs. Prior to joining the Anteater program, Juniper was an assistant coach for the UC Riverside men's soccer program for three seasons from 2003-05 and an assistant coach at the University of Bristol (England) from 1998-2002. Juniper earned his Bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Bristol (England) in 1998 and went on to receive his Master's in sport and exercise science from the University of Bath (England) in 2002. His Master's thesis investigated group dynamics of elite soccer. Juniper's research was published by the English F.A. Coaches Association Journal in 2003 and "The Sport Psychologist" in 2006. His research, which was based on work with collegiate soccer programs in the U.S. and professional soccer academies in England, highlighted key elements of effective teams. Coach Juniper has delivered presentations on building effective teams to a number of organizations.
As a collegiate soccer player in England at the University of Bristol, Juniper was named both Freshman and Player of the Year in 1996 and was the leading scorer in 1996 and 1998. During that time, Juniper represented England Universities at the regional level. In 1995, he captained the Colchester Sixth Form College to a high school national title and in 2001 he was part of the National Championship winning team at the University of Bath. He also played for a number of semi-professional teams in England.
Coaching at the highest levels of women’s soccer in North America outside of the NWSL, Juniper coached the LA Galaxy Orange County Women to a National Championship in 2019 alongside Associate Head Coach PJ Woolridge in the United Women’s Soccer league in only their second season. Coach Juniper recently added this new wrinkle to his coaching career jumping on as the team's inaugural coach in the league designed to help collegiate players and recent graduates develop as professionals. Juniper has also worked extensively with the Olympic Development Program and has served as a scout and assistant coach for U.S. Soccer Youth National Team program for a number of years.
Juniper, a native of Bath in England, resides in Irvine along with his wife, Jill, and their two young children, Glen and Faye.
Juniper's Publications
- Juniper, S. W. & Mellalieu, S. D. (2003). The Impact of Role States on Team Effectiveness. INSIGHT - The Football Association Coaches Association Journal, 4, Vol. 6, 59-61.
- Mellalieu, S. D., & Juniper, S.W. (2006). A Qualitative Investigation into Experiences of the Role Episode in Soccer. The Sport Psychologist, 20, 399-418.
- Juniper, S. (2019). Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose. Soccer Journal, 64, 52-53.
Joined the coaching staff in 2014
- Three seasons as an assistant at USC which included wins over UCLA, Stanford, and Washington
- Three seasons as an assistant at San Diego where they reached the NCAA Tournament each time
- Eight seasons as an assistant at at Cal Poly where he won four straight Big West championships and reached the NCAA Tournament five times
"Over the years, I have gained a great deal of respect for the UC Irvine Women’s Soccer program and university as a whole so I am extremely excited to begin working with such a great staff and talented group of student-athletes.”
Four-year starter at Cal Poly, where he was a two-time first-team all-conference honoree, and still holds Cal Poly program records with career matches played and starts. 2000 graduate of Cal Poly with a degree in psychology.
Woolridge grew up in San Jose, Calif., and is a 1995 graduate of Leland High School, where he was a two-time All-American and two-time Youth National Team member
USSF National A license
Together with his wife, Alli, they have three children, Rylan, Keenan, and Camden.
- UC Irvine Goalkeeper 2007-10
- All-time leader in wins, shutouts, and goals-against-average
- 2010 Big West Goalkeeper of the Year
- Played for FC Twente (Netherlands) from 2011-13
Joined coaching staff in 2014
Honored with a selection to the NSCAA 30 Under 30 Program, a year-long education and mentorship opportunity for up-and-comers in the soccer coaching career realm, in 2016
U.S. National Team under-16 team goalkeeper coach for the under-16 team in July 2017 and January 2018 Coached under-15 U.S. National Team in June 2018
See what it's like to be on the scene with UC Irvine women's soccer
THE ANTEATER MENTALITY
We're a technical team. We play through the lines. We're a team that wants to go forward. We want to attack teams and put teams under pressure, we're prepared to attack more regularly
The personality of our team is we want to play the toughest. No one comes close to how tough we schedule.
We’re known to be good at set pieces, we’re dangerous. In tight games, if you’re getting fouled a lot, you have to bring in set pieces to score. It keeps our opponents on their back foot because they have to prepare. We're improv comedians
#GOforward
In soccer and in life, we go forward, dealing with adversity, overcoming obstacles, and taking others with us
#SWEEPsheds
Servant leadership as expressed by the New Zealand All-Blacks rugby team who refer to their locker room as the shed. The captains sweep it
#LIVEfit
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle physically and mentally; mind, body, and soul
#BLUEmind
(In the midst of battle when everyone else is losing their minds, we stay present
#PLAYhungry
Everyone plays hard, playing hard is not enough ... so play hungry, desperate, doing everything it takes to feed my family
#WOLFpack
Attacking as a unit, everyone has each other's back
"For the strength of the pack is in the wolf and the strength of the wolf is in the pack" - Rudyard Kipling
We're known as a very hard working team. We're very organized by how we press teams. We don't sit back and wait for someone, we go crush them and force them into mistakes. We score goals off turnovers. We're on the front foot and then playing when we get the ball. Play out through our goalkeeper, playing through the lines
If freshmen are ready, they come in, they start, they play right away. We're not scared to put them into the game
SOCCER EXCELLENCE
21 Winning Seasons
17 Seasons with 10+ Wins
4 Big West Regular Season Titles
4 NCAA Tournament Appearances
3 Big West Tournament Titles
2023 NCAA Tournament Run
First-Round Upset of No. 14 UCLA
- Defeated [14] USC 2-0
- Advanced over Brown, 1-1 (4-2 on penalties)
- Lost to [2] Alabama
Big West Tournament Champions
11-6-7 record
First 6-seed in Big West Championship history
551-minute shutout streak
2022 NCAA Tournament Run
First-Round Upset of No. 3 UCLA
- Defeated [3] UCLA 1-0
- Lost vs. Wisconsin
Big West Tournament Champions
Big West co-Regular Season Champions
16-6 record, 2nd-most wins in program single-season history
7-match winning streak
Defeated Cal, 1-0, in 2OT for first win in series history
Program record 555-minute shutout streak
2010 NCAA Tournament Run
Reached Sweet Sixteen in 1st NCAA Berth
- Defeated Arizona State 2-1
- Defeated Wake Forest 2-0
- Lost to Washington in 2OT
At-large berth with 19-3-2 Record
8-0-0 Big West Record - only perfect season in conference history
17-match Unbeaten Streak
14-match Winning Streak
11 Shutouts
UC Irvine Athletics Hall of Fame
CoCo Goodson | Inducted in 2020
- 2011 MAC Hermann Watch List
- 2010 & 2011 All-American
- 2011 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Candidate
- Two-time Big West Defender of the Year
Nicole Bucciarelli | Inducted in 2006
- Program's all-time leader in starts & scoring
- Single-season goals and points leader
- 1998-99 UCI Lauds & Laurels Senior Athlete
- Two-time All-West Region
- Three-time All-Big West First Team
NEVER BACKING DOWN
10 wins over ranked opponents
Wins over top-tier programs:
- Texas A&M
- Auburn
- BYU
- UCLA
- USC
- Portland
- Cal
- Wake Forest
- Arizona
- Arizona State
- Oklahoma
- Mississippi State
- Louisville
- Kansas
- Washington State
- Oregon State
- Oregon
- Princeton
- Pepperdine
- Pittsburgh
- Draws with Stanford, Santa Clara, Penn, Indiana
13 wins and 5 draws against the Pac-12 under coach Juniper
Played multiple Pac-12 schools in 13 of coach Juniper's 16 seasons
'EATER NATION
Anteater Stadium
Hungry 'Eater Crowds
2,187 - 2022 1-0 win vs. Cal (Largest regular season UCI soccer crowd)
1,704 - 2018 vs. #12 USC (Largest regular season UCI soccer crowd)
1,611 - 2011 win vs. #25 Portland
1,254 - 2010 NCAA Third Round match vs. Washington
1,058 - 2010 NCAA First Round win vs. Arizona State
UC Irvine women's soccer is 6-2-1 in front of crowds of 1,000 or more at Anteater Stadium
Red Carpet Treatment
Top programs to visit Anteater Stadium
- Stanford
- UCLA
- USC
- Texas A&M
- Auburn
- Vanderbilt
- BYU
- UCF
- Portland
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Oregon State
- Wake Forest
- Arizona
- Arizona State
- Washington
- Washington State
- Santa Clara
- Cal
- Hartford
- Penn
- Kansas
Lights, Camera, Action
6 straight seasons with a match broadcasted on the ESPN networks
UCI with a 5-1 record in ESPN home matches
ANTEATER PROS
UCI and the Mexican National Team
The Anteaters have become a pipeline for Mexican soccer talent beginning in 2009 and highlighted by the trio of Janelly Farias, Kiana Palacios, and Clarissa Robles pictured left
Anteaters Playing Abroad
Jessica Miclat (pictured right) joined the Philippines at a tournament in Jordan. The 'Eaters have spread out to Mexico, Europe, and New Zealand over the years with their play
'Eaters Playing in the States
CoCo Goodson (pictured left) was the highest professional draft pick from UCI taken 12th by Philadelphia. She was joined by other 'Eater draft picks Tanya Taylor (2011) and Kiana Palacios (2018)
Over 300 Student-Athletes in 18 Varsity Sports
- Baseball
- Men's & Women's Basketball
- Men's & Women's Cross Country
- Men's & Women's Golf
- Men's & Women's Soccer
- Men's & Women's Tennis
- Men's & Women's Track and Field
- Men's & Women's Volleyball
- Men's & Women's Water Polo
- Women's Indoor Track and Field
Achievements
- 115 Conference Players of the Year
- 34 Conference Freshman / Newcomer of the Year Awards
- 99 Conference Coaches of the Year
- 92 Conference Championships
- 22 Conference Tournament Championships
- 4,000+ Scholar-Athletes
WHY THE ANTEATER?
The idea for the Anteater mascot came from Pat Glasgow and Bob Ernst, two water polo players, who were inspired by the anteater in the Johnny Hart comic strip “B.C.” The two students, along with the creative marketing genius of fellow student Schuyler Hadley Bassett, organized a campaign for the unusual mascot. The Anteater was elected as the official UCI mascot on Nov. 30, 1965. It received 559 votes, beating out such alternatives as Seahawks, Bison and “none of these”.
Peter won the 2015 Mashable Mascot Madness Award and recently took home the trophy at the Big West mascot challenge.
THIS IS UC IRVINE
Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 30,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy.
On a brilliant day in 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson stepped from a helicopter into an undeveloped Irvine Ranch meadow and dedicated the land that would become UCI. The founding administration and faculty established traditions of rigorous academics, progressive research, interdisciplinary teaching and independent thinking. From the classrooms and labs, businesses were born, jobs created and discoveries made.
President Barack Obama delivered the commencement address on Saturday, June 14, 2014, at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the campus’s dedication by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Obama gave kudos to UCI for being “ahead of the curve."
BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE
Meeting academic responsibilities while competing at the highest level is top priority for UCI student-athletes. It’s a challenging task, with the requirements of practice time, away-game travel, and year-round conditioning. Add the demands of class work and community service, and it is a full life indeed.
The Al Irwin Academic Center sends a clear and powerful message to scholar-athletes, coaches, the surrounding community, and alumni about UCI’s commitment to transforming the student-athlete experience by providing a quality learning environment. The center provides a comprehensive area which houses services such as academic consultation for course selection, class scheduling, and skills development classes (including study strategy workshops, note and test taking), orientation for freshmen and transfer student-athletes as well as academic and life management skills.
The Al Irwin Academic Center also assists with summer school assessment, tutoring and mentoring opportunities, computer and printer lab access. Other possible uses for the center include post-eligibility programs for internships, resumé building opportunities, networking, and job searches for the department’s 300+ student-athletes. The new center provides intellectual and social community support that contributes to the holistic development of student-athletes and stimulates camaraderie among all students throughout UCI’s 18 Division 1 sports.
STRONGER TOGETHER
UCI’s strength and conditioning program plays a key role in the success of Anteater Athletics. All student-athletes are trained and closely monitored throughout the year by head strength coach Mike Nagler and his staff in the Santora Elite Training Center.
The weight room sets the tone for the team and the season. Winning a championship begins in the off-season. Strength and preparation breeds confidence.
UC Irvine student-athletes often use local beaches as another training facility. Orange County features 42 miles of Pacific Ocean coastline, including Newport, Corona del Mar, Huntington and Laguna beaches, which are all within a short distance from campus and provide year-round training possibilities. The average temperature in Orange County is a perfect 68 degrees.
LEADERSHIP & COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Success is about great leadership, great chemistry, and athletes that possess a winning mindset. These skills are honed through Coaching, Life Skills, Community Outreach as well as the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
The UC Irvine Athletics Department sponsors a comprehensive Community Outreach program which takes advantage of the skills, experience, and popularity of our 300+ students-athletes, coaches, and staff members to reinforce positive messages to K-12 children and community members in Orange County.
The program allows our student-athletes, coaches, and staff members the opportunity to promote sportsmanship, citizenship, volunteerism, and a healthy lifestyle through various campus and community initiatives throughout the year.
A Great Place to Live
Welcome to Anteater Country. UCI is located in the heart of beautiful Orange County, nestled between Los Angeles and San Diego counties and just five miles from SoCal’s sunny shores. A cornerstone of Irvine, one of the safest cities in the U.S. and home to Southern California’s burgeoning tech coast, UCI is the perfect place to study, work, live and play. Our close proximity to shopping, amusement parks, premier arts and cultural centers, and industry leaders make UCI a destination unlike any other.
Destination beaches. Pristine hiking and bike trails. World-class entertainment. Elite education. Exciting career prospects. Unlimited possibilities.
Things To Do
Here is just a sampling of the activities that are available year-round: Surfing, beach volleyball, bicycling, kayaking, sailing, hiking, bonfires
In addition to the pristine beaches nearby, Irvine is centrally located to shopping, entertainment and cultural destinations:
- Irvine Spectrum
- Fashion Island
- South Coast Plaza
- Honda Center
- Irvine Town Center
- Taste of Newport
- Newport Film Festival
- Irvine Barclay Theatre
- Orange County Performing Arts Center
- Segerstrom Center
- Bowers Museum
- Orange County Museum of Art
- Disneyland & Downtown Disney
- Knott's Berry Farm
- Newport Sports Museum
- The Outlets at Orange
- Crystal Cover State Beaches
- Dana Point Harbor
- Laguna Festival of Arts
- FivePoint Amphitheatre
- Orange County Fair
- OC Great Park
Orange County's Finest
UCI's location combines the cultural and economic resources of an urban area with access to Southern California's spectrum of recreational, scenic, and entertainment venues.
Orange County is a diverse community that embraces music, fashion and the arts. It was once dubbed “America’s Hip Factory” by VH1 and “Cathedral of Cool” by USA Today.
The FBI heralded Irvine, California as the number one safest large city in America several times.
Irvine is centrally located so that getting to Los Angeles, Palm Springs or San Diego is only an hour or so away.
About 40 percent of UC Irvine alumni live in Orange County and 84 percent live in California.
The famed sailing and surfing beaches of Newport, Laguna, and Huntington are a short distance from campus, while hiking trails, desert camping, or mountain resorts for snow boarding and skiing are within two-hour's travel distance from Irvine. The campus itself is a natural arboretum of native species, as well as trees and shrubs from all over the world.
UCI's Anteater Recreation Center is a 92,000-square foot, state-of-the-art facility that includes a pool, gymnasiums, racquetball courts, weight room, and jogging track.
Across Campus Drive, and linked by a pedestrian bridge, an area of shops and restaurants also features a movie theatre complex, post office, and other services. Complimenting UCI on-campus sports and cultural events throughout the year is the vigorous Orange County arts and entertainment environment. It offers everything from small venues for bands and performers to galleries, museums, the Irvine Barclay Theatre, Orange County Performing Arts Center, and Pacific Symphony.
Campus Living
UCI provides many housing options for students on campus and off.
On campus, the newest student housing development the Middle Earth Towers opened in the Fall 2019. The $130 million expansion of the housing complex added the 500-bed twin towers, providing such amenities as a dining hall, a multipurpose room, a two-story study pavilion, and a fitness and recreation center. In 2017, Mesa Court Towers opened featuring three six-story buildings with 932 beds and zero-waste food service operations. Both Mesa Court and Middle Earth provide quality housing with close proximity to classes.
American Campus Communities provides housing such as Vista del Campo, Vista del Campo Norte, Camino del Sol, Puerta del Sol and Plaza Verde which are privately owned and managed and serve sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students. All apartments on the east campus are furnished and offer individual 12-month leases. Vista Del Campo won the 2005 Pillars of the Industry Award from the National Association of Home Builders for Best Student Housing Community. Units feature full kitchens, living rooms, high speed internet access and cable TV. Public spaces include a five screen mini-theater, billiard tables, 24-hour fitness facilities, pools, gas barbecues, WiFi in the common areas and a basketball court.
Arroyo Vista - A unique community housing students on the basis of campus involvement, academic interests or Greek membership. Altogether, there are 40 houses accommodating 16, 24, or 32 residents each.
Off Campus, Irvine features many housing options a short distance to campus, while Newport Beach and Balboa Island provide oceanfront living. Campus buses travel down to the beach communities providing easy transportation for students.
TRAINING LIKE A PRO
With great weather and facilities, Orange County is a hotbed of professional activity. Some professional athletes train at UC Irvine in the off-season, while nearby cities are also home to many top athletic organizations. Since 2016, the Los Angeles Rams have held their training camp at UCI's Crawford Athletic Complex.
Also within a short distance are many professional teams, organizations and events:
- Los Angeles Chargers and Rams
- Los Angeles Angels and Dodgers
- Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers
- Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings
- LA Galaxy and LAFC soccer clubs
- U.S. Men's & Women's Volleyball in Anaheim
- USA Water Polo in Los Alamitos and Irvine
- U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach
- AVP Huntington Beach Open
- The Hoag Classic (PGA) in Newport Beach
- AMA Supercross Championships at Angel Stadium