California State University at Northridge
Cal State Fullerton
CSUN Opens Divisional Play vs. Cal State Fullerton, at UC Irvine
10/11/2016 3:36:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Matadors Host Titans Before Traveling to Face Anteaters
Game Notes in PDF Format
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. --- The CSUN Matadors (5-5-2, 2-1-1 Big West) begin play against their Big West Conference South Division rivals this week when they face the Cal State Fullerton Titans and UC Irvine Anteaters. On Wednesday, Oct. 12, the Matadors take on the Titans at Matador Soccer Field in a 7 p.m. match. Three days later, CSUN travels to Orange County to face the Anteaters in a 7 p.m. match at Anteater Stadium. Wednesday's contest will feature live stats, live audio and video via the CSUN Sports Network with Eduard Cauich and Jose Avalos calling all the action. Saturday's contest will feature live stats and fans are encouraged to check in with the CSUN Athletic Department's official Twitter accounts (@GoMatadors, @CSUNMensSoccer) for updates throughout the weekend.Â
Last week, the Matadors finished with a 1-1 draw at Cal Poly before falling 2-1 to UC Santa Barbara. Against the Mustangs, Patrick Hickman scored a goal in the 76th minute to tie the match up and give the Matadors an important road point. Two days later, Edwin Quiroz brought CSUN back to within 2-1 with his first career goal, but CSUN could not find an equalizer in the defeat.Â
At 2-1-1 in league play, the Matadors enter South Division play in second with seven points. Senior Juan Fernando Samayoa leads the Matadors with four goals, three assists and 11 points on the season. Nicholas Grinde has three goals, one assist and seven points while Hickman is second on the team with two goals.
Cal State Fullerton enters the week with a 5-8 overall record and a 1-3 mark in conference play. CSUN leads the all-time series with the Titans 22-17-3 and won the last meeting 2-1. UC Irvine enters the week with a 3-10 overall record and a 1-3 mark in the Big West Conference. UCI will play at UC Riverside Wednesday before the Matadors come to Anteater Stadium on Saturday night.Â
Pride Night on Wednesday, Oct. 12
The CSUN Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) and men's soccer program, in collaboration with the CSUN Pride Center, will host a Pride Night as part of the match against Cal State Fullerton at Matador Soccer Field on Wednesday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. As part of the event, t-shirts will be given out to fans and there will be information about the Pride Center and other resources available on CSUN's campus.
The CSUN Pride Center supports lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning students, faculty and staff through programming and educational outreach to improve the campus climate at CSUN for LGBTQ individuals as well as advocate for the respect and safety of all members of the campus community.
A Closer Look at Cal State Fullerton
The Cal State Fullerton Titans make their annual trip to the San Fernando Valley Wednesday night for a 7 p.m. match at Matador Soccer Field. The Titans enter the contest with a 5-8 overall record and a 1-3 mark in Big West play after suffering road defeats at Sacramento State and UC Davis last weekend.
Senior Aaron Heilmann leads the squad with seven goals and 14 points on the season despite having only 13 shots for the season. Nicolo D'Amato, Ronaldo Pineda and Ross McPhie all have two goals on the season while Robert Coronado is tied for the team lead with two assists. The Titans have won 82 corner kicks over their 13 games, an average of over six per game, and also fire off about 11 shots per contest.
On defense, freshman Paul Andre Guerin has seen the majority of time in net and carries a 1.28 goals-against average, 24 saves and a .649 save percentage into Wednesday's contest. Senior David Elias has also seen time in net and has a 1.86 GAA and a .538 save percentage in over 289 minutes of work. Opponents have averaged just over eight shots and three corner kicks per match against Cal State Fullerton.
George Kuntz is in his third season as the Titans' head coach and Cal State Fullerton has won the past two Big West Conference Tournament Championships. CSUN has not won at home against CSUF since the 2013 season.Â
A Closer Look at UC Irvine
The UC Irvine Anteaters host CSUN Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Anteater Stadium in the Matadors' first of two trips to Orange County. The Anteaters start the week with a 3-10 overall mark and a 1-3 record in Big West play after defeating Cal Poly on Oct. 8. UCI plays at UC Riverside on Wednesday night before facing the Matadors.
Sophomore Luis Leon leads the Anteaters with three goals and eight points on 13 shots for the season. Junior Giovanni Godoy has two goals and five points and senior Thomas Janjigian leads UCI with three assists. UC Irvine has totaled 61 corner kicks and 148 shots on the season.
Defensively, senior Elliot Farmer and freshman Alex Waldron have seen nearly equal time in net. Farmer has a 1.98 GAA, 30 saves and a .682 save percentage on the season while Waldron checks in with a 1.68 GAA, 16 saves and a .615 save percentage.Â
Chris Volk is in his third season as the Anteaters' head coach. The Matadors and Anteaters have met 47 times in the all-time series between the two schools with UCI holding a narrow 21-20-6 advantage. The teams played to a scoreless draw in their last meeting.Â
The Defense Never Rests
- The CSUN defense returns several prominent players and has been one of the top units in the Big West Conference over the past several seasons.
- CSUN has allowed 156 goals since the start of the 2010 season, the second-fewest in the Big West
- CSUN has allowed the second-fewest goals three times since 2011 and has finished no worse than fourth in GAA
- That defense has helped lead CSUN to 32 road or neutral-site wins since the start of the 2010 season, the second-most in the Big West Conference
- CSUN has produced 26 shutouts since the start of the 2012 season and four of the five goalkeepers with the most victories in program history played after the turn of the 21st century
This and ThatÂ
- CSUN's last overtime win: 9/4/2016, 2-1Â vs. Air Force in Albuquerque, NM
- CSUN's last overtime loss: 11/7/2015, 2-1 vs. UC Davis
- CSUN's last double overtime draw: 10/6/2016, 1-1 at Cal Poly
- CSUN's last hat trick: Carlos Gonzalez at Saint Mary's on 9/18/2015
- CSUN's last brace: David Turcios at Sacramento State on 10/10/2015
- CSUN's last multi-assist performance: Dean Wright (2) vs. Sacramento State on 10/10/2015
- CSUN's last loss when scoring at least 2 goals: 4-2 at UCLA on 9/22/13
- After Tulsa win, CSUN holds an all-time record of 25-12-2 in its season openers and a 29-10 mark in its home openers
- Over the last two seasons (2014 & 2015), CSUN and its opponents have each scored 40 goals
Bring the Noise
Have a drum, cowbell, or other noisemaker lying around at home? Now is the time to bring it out and explore the space of Matador Soccer Field! In 2011, the Big West Conference office announced that all noisemakers, with the exceptions of airhorns and whistles, will be allowed at all conference matches and all home venues. Please note that noisemakers have been approved for use at men's and women's soccer matches only and will be confiscated in The Matadome or at any other CSUN Athletics venue.Â
