CSUN Hosts Long Beach State, Visits Cal State Fullerton

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NORTHRIDGE, CA---

CSUN Women's Soccer (10-5-1, 3-0-1 Big West) faces a pair of conference foes hoping to improve upon its second-place positioning in the Big West standings. The Matadors host Long Beach State (8-5-3, 3-2 Big West) at Matador Soccer Field on Thursday at 7 p.m. and travel to square off with first-place Cal State Fullerton (12-2-1, 4-1 Big West) on Sunday at 5 p.m. Live stats will be available for both matches.

The Matadors stayed unbeaten in conference play with a 1-0 victory at Hawai'i last Sunday. Junior Breanna McCallum tallied her first goal of the season shortly after halftime to lift CSUN to victory. The goal was McCallum's first since her freshman season in 2013 and on the play Kirsten Von Meter earned her first career assist.

The CSUN defense held the Rainbow Wahine without a shot in the first half and withstood several shots down the stretch to post its seventh shutout of the season. Senior goalkeeper Cynthia Tafoya recorded her fifth shutout of the year in the victory and her third shutout in four conference games. In 380 minutes of Big West action, Tafoya has allowed one goal and registered 12 saves.

After earning three points in Hawai'i, the Matadors sit in second place with 10 points, two points behind Cal State Fullerton. CSUN also is a point ahead of Long Beach State, UC Santa Barbara and UC Riverside for third place.

The Matadors are 8-10-1 all-time against the 49ers but have won two of the last three matches. At Matador Soccer Field, the Matadors hold a 6-3 record including posting a three-match winning streak dating back to 2009.

Against the Titans, CSUN is 6-13-1 and is winless in its last three matches. Last November, the Titans ended the Matadors' season with a 1-0 victory in the Big West Conference Tournament semi-finals. Despite going 2-6-1 all-time in Fullerton, CSUN in unbeaten its last three contests at Titan Stadium and has not lost an away match in the series since 2007.

A Closer Look at Long Beach State
After winning their first three games against conference opponents, the 49ers were defeated twice last weekend. Last Friday, Long Beach State fell 2-1 to UC Riverside at home and the 49ers dropped a 2-0 decision at UC Irvine on Sunday.

Sophomore forward Ashley Gonzales leads LBSU with six goals and 12 points. Senior Melanie Fox boasts three goals along with two assists and junior Mimi Rangel leads the team with three assists while posting two goals on the year.

Goalkeeper Ashton McKeown has spent over 1,361 minutes in net and owns a league-leading 0.60 goals-against-average. The junior also has 50 saves, eight wins and eight shutouts this season.

A Closer Look at Cal State Fullerton
The Titans moved into first place in the conference standings with a pair of road victories last week. Cal State Fullerton defeated UC Irvine, 2-1, on Friday and posted a 1-0 victory at UC Riverside on Sunday. On the season, the Titans lead the conference in goals (35), assists (38), points (108) and shots (233).

Forward Rebecca Wilson leads the conference with 15 goals after adding to her goal total against UC Irvine. The senior also has recorded five assists and has amassed 35 total points. Senior Christina Burkenroad is tops on the team in assists with eight and second with seven goals.

Junior Jennifer Stuart has accumulated 1,005 minutes in net for the Titans. She has posted a 0.72 GAA with 39 saves and five shutouts.

CSUN Hosts Long Beach State, Visits Cal State Fullerton

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Players Mentioned

Breanna McCallum

Cynthia Tafoya

Kirsten Von Meter