California State University at Northridge
7-11-2
Cal State Fullerton
9-7-4
CSUN Women's Soccer Falls 1-0 to Cal State Fullerton in Big West Semifinal
11/6/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
En Español
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. ---
The CSUN women's soccer team (7-11-2) lost 1-0 to Cal State Fullerton Thursday night in a Big West Conference Semifinal at Alex G. Spanos Stadium in San Luis Obispo, Calif. A Titan goal midway through the second half was the deciding factor as the Matadors saw their season come to a close.
The contest was a tight affair with the teams only totaling seven shots at halftime. Neither team wanted to be the first to make a mistake and that is how it was going for the opening moments of the second half.
The scoreless tie was broken in the 67th minute off a free kick from the Titans. The ball curled in from the left side and after a Titan got a head to it, Christina Burkenroad pounced on the rebound and buried it into the netting from three yards out. Morgan Batcheller, who got a head to the ball, and Brianna Chapman, who delivered the free kick, were credited with assists on the play.
In net, sophomore Jovani McCaskill had a good game despite the loss. She finished with two saves and completed the season with a 5-6-1 record and five shutouts. She was among the Big West Conference leaders with a 0.80 goals-against average and .846 save percentage. McCaskill also became the first Matador since 2012 to win a Big West Player of the Week honor.
Both teams had a hard time mustering an offense Thursday. CSUN finished with 11 shots to six for the Titans. Both teams also had seven fouls and the Matadors held a 6-1 advantage in corner kicks.
Kourtney Kutscher had the best chance of the night for the Matadors, but her low liner was snuffed out at the near post by CSUF's Jennifer Stuart. Brittanie Sakajian also had a pair of shots on goal and Nicole Thompson had a header saved by Stuart. In all, CSUN finished with 11 shots and put four on goal over the 90 minutes.
Despite the loss, CSUN had a strong 2014 season. The Matadors were picked to finish tied for seventh in the Big West, yet qualified for the Big West Tournament for the fifth time in the last six years. In league play, the Matadors won at Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara in the same season for the first time in program history.
A pair of returning players for 2015 (Cynthia Sanchez, Lyndsey Preston) led the squad with three goals and six points. A total of six Matadors earned a spot on the 2014 All-Big West Team, led by a pair of First Team selections: Leandra Walker and Taylor Hobson. Four other Matadors (Sakajian, Preston, McCaskill and Sanchez) all earned Honorable Mention All-Big West awards.
The match represented the final contest for four CSUN seniors: Hannah Wissler, Melissa Lopez, Sakajian and Walker. The four were part of the 2012 team the captured the Big West Tournament and claimed the program's first-ever berth into the NCAA Tournament.
Team Stats
Burkenroad, Christin (4)
Assisted By: Batcheller, Morgan , Chapman, Brianna
Free kick leads to header at right post;
66:11
