Matadors Fall 3-1 to Washington

NORTHRIDGE, CA---

CSUN Women's Soccer (5-2) dropped a 3-1 decision to the Washington Huskies (5-1) in the opener of the Nike Portland Invitational at Merlo Field on Friday afternoon. Trailing 1-0, Lyndsey Preston cashed in on her first goal of the season to tie the game in the 59^th minute, but the Huskies would rally back with two scores later in the second half to seal the victory.

Seeking its sixth-straight win, the Matadors battled the Huskies in a seesaw affair in Friday's match. In a defensive battle early on, neither team recorded a shot until the 14^th minute of play, as Cynthia Tafoya saved the game's first shot off the foot of Kelcie Hedge.

After over 27 scoreless minutes, Washington finally took the lead off a goal from Amanda Perez from the right wing.

The Matadors were unable to hit the equalizer for the remainder of the half, totaling only a pair of shots in the first 45:00 minutes. The deficit at intermission marked the first time this season where CSUN trailed at the half.

After halftime, the Matadors attacked early, posting two shot attempts in the opening minutes of play. Camille Watson collected the Matadors' first shot on goal of the match in the 52^nd minute while Nicole Thompson shot high of the net minutes later.

Finally in the 59^th minute, the Matadors' steady play on offense paid off in a score to tie up the match.

Cynthia Sanchez, who had tallied goals in each of the last five contests, cashed in on her 13^th point of the season, passing to Preston who shot and scored from the left wing.

The Huskies would answer back, however, to take the lead just minutes later. Shortly after Sanchez shot high of the goal, Shannon Simon hit the back of the net from the top of the box to put Washington ahead 2-1 in the 66^th minute.

Looking for the tie, Watson registered her second shot on goal of the match just moments later, rifling a shot from the top of the box that was corralled by Megan Kufeld.

The game remained a one-goal contest until the 84^th minute when a costly foul occurred inside the CSUN box. Capitalizing on a penalty kick opportunity, Simon struck the back of the net for her second goal of the day. The score pushed the Washington edge to 3-1, which proved to be the final tally.

After being outshot 7-2 in the first half, the Matadors posted a 7-5 shooting edge in the second half. Watson led CSUN with four shots followed by Preston with three while Sanchez and Thompson each had one.

Although Sanchez was unable to record a goal on Friday for the sixth-straight match, the sophomore has registered points in each of the last six games after assisting Preston on her goal.

The Matadors return to the field on Sunday afternoon to take on the Portland Pilots at Merlo Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

Matadors Fall 3-1 to Washington

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Team Stats

Lyndsey Preston

Cynthia Sanchez

Camille Watson

Nicole Thompson

Players Mentioned

Lyndsey Preston

Cynthia Sanchez

Cynthia Tafoya

Nicole Thompson

Camille Watson