California State University Northridge Athletics
California State University at Northridge
Cal Poly Pomona
CSUN Men's Soccer Hosts Cal Poly Pomona in Final Tune-Up
8/25/2015 4:12:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Matadors Meet Division II's Broncos at Matador Soccer Field
Admission is free for Thursday's contest for all fans. Sunday's game with Loyola-Chicago is part of a CSUN soccer doubleheader with the women's team facing New Mexico State at 1 p.m. Separate tickets are required for each contest. Noisemakers are welcome at all matches at Matador Soccer Field.
CSUN Defense and Goalkeeper Preview
Led by an experience-laden group, expect the CSUN defense to be a strength of the Matadors in the 2015 season.
In goal, the Matadors feature a pair of experienced upperclassmen patrolling the last line. In his third season on the squad, senior Adam Hobbs has already placed himself among the program's all-time leaders in wins, shutouts and games in goal. He has totaled 21 wins, 134 saves and nine shutouts in two years and established himself among the Big West Conference's top netminders.
Kevin Marquez is a 6-2 redshirt junior who started the first two matches of the 2014 season, giving CSUN an experienced reserve. Damien Lewis is a 6-4 redshirt sophomore who made six appearances and one start in 2013, posting a shutout at Cal State Fullerton and finishing the year with a 0.66 goals-against-average. Hagay Yalan is a true freshman from Haifa, Israel who has made a positive impression quickly on his teammates and coaches.
Patrolling the space in front of the goalkeepers for CSUN is an accomplished group of experienced Matadors. Senior Trevor Morley has earned consecutive First Team All-Big West honors and has started every match in which he has played. He has two career assists and also earned NSCAA Third Team All-Far West Region honors in the 2013 season.
Three more seniors join Morley in hoping to lead the Matadors back to the postseason. Benjamin Asor is a 5-9 outside back who appeared in 11 matches and made two starts in 2014. Tanner Snedigar, a 5-11 outside back, is a redshirt senior who missed all of last season due to injury. He appeared in 37 matches and made 14 starts between 2012-2013 and scored the game-winning goal in overtime to lift CSUN past Bradley in 2013. Finally, Victor Vasquez, a 5-10 outside back who can also play in midfield, has appeared in 39 matches and made one start between the 2013-2014 seasons.
Junior Patrick Hickman has also been a stalwart defender in his first two seasons at CSUN. A 6-0 redshirt junior, Hickman played every minute of every match last season en route to Honorable Mention All-Big West Conference honors. He scored his first two career goals in 2014, finding the back of the net for the first time against UC Santa Barbara before netting the game-winning goal against UC Irvine.
Another redshirt junior, Pol Schonhofer Bartra, also brings extensive experience to the CSUN defense. He has appeared in 39 matches in two seasons, making 23 starts. He has one career goal to his credit and was a member of the Big West All-Freshman Team in the 2013 season.
The team boasts another junior defender in Gabe Robinson. A 6-2 local product from Valencia, CA, Robinson has appeared in 31 matches and made 12 starts in his first two seasons with CSUN. He excels at long throw-ins and picked up three assists in the 2014 campaign.
Adding to the depth of the unit are redshirt sophomore Kevin Martinez and true freshmen Stuart Close, Jumoke Hutton and Alex Gomez.
CSUN Midfield and Forwards Preview
A new group of forwards and midfielders take the reins as the CSUN offense looks to find the back of the net frequently.
CSUN features a host of new forwards and midfielders in 2015, some of whom come to the Matadors with previous Division I experience. Papi Diouf and Jeremy Degraffenreidt join the Matadors after competing at Louisville while Dean Wright spent time at rival Cal State Fullerton.
A host of newcomers are redshirt freshmen, getting their first crack at Division I soccer. Eric Bohlin is a central midfielder from Sweden who sat out the 2014 campaign after transferring from Foothill College. Bradley Mulvey is a 5-10 midfielder from Glasgow, Scotland, who is one of eight international players on the squad. Fabian Roman also took a redshirt in 2014 and he and his brother Christian, a true freshmen, will compete for playing time in midfield.
Then there are the true freshmen. Nicolas Grinde (Norway) and Jules Cailliau (Belgium) both bring international credentials to the squad. Local products Chester Castellaw, Aaron Robles and Andew Rizeq also bring outstanding prep careers to the Matadors.
Not to say that all the Matadors' midfielders and forwards are all newcomers. The Matadors have a seasoned and experienced group ready to lead CSUN back to the postseason.
David Turcios is a 5-6 senior midfielder from Reseda who has totaled 18 assists in his three seasons at CSUN. He needs three more to move into a tie for 10th in program history at 21 career helpers. Junior Juan Fernando Samayoa earned Second Team All-Big West honors in 2014 after posting a goal and two assists in 18 matches last season.
Another senior, Carlos Gonzalez, figures to see time at the top of the Matador attack. He took 13 shots in 19 matches last season and picked up assists in CSUN victories over Tulsa and CSU Bakersfield in 2014. Steven Manios returns to the squad in 2015 after missing all of last year due to injury. In 2013, Manios appeared in 21 matches and recorded four assists and 15 shots.
Junior Richard Martinez returns in 2015 for his second year with the club after starting his career at Saint Mary's. Last season, he appeared in six contests for the Matadors. Shane Steffes is another junior returning to the center of midfield for the Matadors. He has appeared in 23 matches over his first two seasons, making 14 starts.
Raz and the Broncos went 17-1-2 in the 2014 campaign, including a 10-1 mark in CCAA play. Cal Poly Pomona won the CCAA Tournament Championship on penalty kicks against Cal State Stanislaus. The Broncos return their top two goal scorers, as well as their goalkeeper, from a year ago.
The Broncos officially open the season on Sept. 30 against Fresno-Pacific.
