No. 19 Matadors Earn a Split in Day One of the UCSB Winter Invite

Santa Barbara, CA---

The 19-ranked CSUN Matadors (1-1) ended day one of the UC Santa Barbara Winter Invite on Friday afternoon with a split in their opening two matches of the 2016 season. CSUN fell in its season opener to Cal Baptist, 10-5, but bounced back with a 14-12 victory over Azusa Pacific to close out the afternoon. A host of Matadors enjoyed strong performances in the pool including sophomore center Amy Yule who scored six goals on the day and sophomore goalkeeper Niki Van Vugt posting nine saves in back-to-back matches.

The Matadors began the day squaring off with the No. 24 Cal Baptist Lancers and built an early lead. However, an 8-2 Lancer run over the second and third periods changed the tide of the contest.

Yule got the Matadors' offense started with a score just two minutes into the first quarter and Katelyn Fairchild pushed the CSUN advantage to 2-0 with 3:38 left to go in the period with her first goal of the season. CSUN threated to shutout the Lancers in the quarter but a score with 1:22 left on the clock sliced the Matador lead to 2-1.

CSUN would not be able to add to its lead in the second quarter as Cal Baptist controlled the period with a 5-0 run to surge ahead to a 6-2 lead. The Matadors stopped the momentum in the final seconds of the period with a pair of goals 00:30 apart. Madeleine Sanchez found the netting to trim the deficit to 6-3 and Fairchild scored with just two ticks left on the clock to bring CSUN to within two.

After halftime, the Matadors held the Lancers to just four goals the rest of the way. However, despite the solid defense, CSUN was unable to cut into the advantage. The Matadors were held scoreless in the third period and into the later stages of the fourth. A score from Alexis Elias with 2:02 remaining in the final period would be the only tally in the half as Cal Baptist held on for a 10-5 win.

Fairchild set a career high with two goals in the match while Shannon Hovanesian led the Matadors with four steals. Along with her goal in the second quarter, the sophomore Sanchez also recorded two assists and two steals.

CSUN (0-1) 2-2-0-1 = 5
CBU (1-0) 1-5-2-2 = 10

CSUN Goal Scorers: Fairchild (2), Elias (1), Sanchez (1), Yule (1)
CBU Goal Scorers: Evans (3), Banks (2), Spezzaferri (2), Dreyer (1), Kocsis (1), Castellana (1)

CSUN GK Saves: Van Vugt (9)
CBU GK Saves: Unavailable

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Following the match with the Lancers, the Matadors played a back-and-forth opening few minutes against the Cougars before taking control of the contest. Yule scored a career-high five goals to lead the Matador offense while McKenzie Pollei, Hovanesian and Sanchez each scored twice.

After both teams scored in the opening minute, Sanchez and Pollei found the net to give CSUN a 3-1 lead after the first period. In the second, CSUN continued to apply the pressure on offense as Yule and Hovanesian each earned tallies to give the Matadors a four-goal lead. The sophomore center Yule connected on her second score of the period while Emily Fuller and Lindsey Garcia each got into the act with a goal apiece to end a five-goal quarter for the Matadors.

In the third, the Matadors kept on the attack with three-straight scores to push the lead to 11-5 at the 3:52 mark of the quarter. Goals from Elias, Pollei and Hovanesian gave CSUN its largest lead of the afternoon. The Cougars rallied to trim the lead to 11-8 before the end of the period but the Matadors continued to keep APU at bay with strong plays on offense.

Yule hit the net twice more in the fourth while Sanchez gave CSUN a 14-10 lead with 3:08 remaining in the contest. Despite two late Cougar scores in the final minute, the Matadors held on for a 14-12 victory.

Van Vugt followed up her nine-save performance earlier in the day with nine more saves against the Cougars, giving her 18 on the afternoon. Last season, Van Vugt finished with 15 saves as a freshman.

Serving as a backup to Marisa Young, the second-highest scorer in CSUN history, as a freshman, Yule wasted little time adjusting to her role as the primary center for the Matadors with her six goals on the day. In 2015, Yule tallied 13 goals and 11 steals while competing in all 26 matches.

Fairchild led the Matadors in assists with five and steals with four against the Cougars.

The Matadors conclude their stay at the UC Santa Barbara Invitational on Saturday with a pair of matches against nationally-ranked opponents. CSUN takes on No. 12 Michigan at 12 p.m. and No. 21 UC San Diego at 4:40 p.m.

CSUN (1-1) 3-6-2-3 = 14
APU: (0-2) 1-4-3-4 = 12

CSUN Goal Scorers: Yule (5), Hovanesian (2), Pollei (2), Sanchez (2), Elias (1), Fuller (1), Garcia (1)
APU Goal Scorers: Espinar (3), Harris (3), Taylor (2), Batcheller (1), Paxton (1), Slama (1), Yeo (1)

CSUN GK Saves: Van Vugt (9), Averell (1)
APU Saves: Unavailable

No. 19 Matadors Earn a Split in Day One of the UCSB Winter Invite

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Alexis Elias

Katelyn Fairchild

Emily Fuller

Lindsey Garcia

Shannon Hovanesian

McKenzie Pollei

Madeleine Sanchez

Niki Van Vugt

Marisa Young

Amy Yule