Matadors Face Long Beach State in the Big West Tournament

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NORTHRIDGE, CA---

CSUN Women's Soccer (11-4-5, 6-1-1 BWC) heads to Long Beach State for the semifinals of the Big West Conference Tournament. The Matadors will take on the host 49ers on Thursday at 5 p.m at George Allen Field. Live stats will be available for the match. The winner of the contest will face the winner of UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton's semifinal match in the Big West Championship game on Sunday.

The Matadors capped off an impressive Big West Conference season with 1-0 wins over Cal State Fullerton and Hawai'i to claim the program's first ever Big West regular season crown. CSUN concluded conference play with six-straight 1-0 victories, setting a new program record for consecutive shutouts against Big West opponents and trying for the most victories in a row in conference competition.

Last Thursday, CSUN scored in the 31st minute as Kourtney Kutscher assisted Lindsay Kutscher on a goal off a free kick to put the Matadors in front. CSUN would make the goal hold up thanks to strong defense and steady play from goalkeeper Jovani McCaskill who picked up six saves. Three days later on Senior Day, the Matadors battled the Rainbow Wahine in a scoreless back-and-forth affair for over 100 minutes. After one overtime period, CSUN wasted little time in the second extra session to pick up the win. The senior trio of Nicole Thompson, Camille Watson and Kourtney Kutscher teamed up on the game-winning goal in the 101st minute to send the Matadors into this week's tournament as the regular season champion and No. 1 seed. Kutscher recorded the golden goal and claimed her second game winner in overtime on Senior Day in as many seasons.

With the two shutout wins, CSUN increased its program best shutout total to 15 on the season. The team finished the season with two goals allowed at home and just two goals allowed in conference play. CSUN also shutout seven of its eight conference opponents and did not allow scoring in any of its four home conference matches.

In front of the net, McCakill collected her 14th individual shutout this season on Sunday, giving her the second-most clean sheets in the nation. She is also first in goalie minutes played (1,921), fourth in save percentage (.908) and seventh in goals-against-average (.375). Already holding the school's single season shutout record, McCaskill is a win away from tying Jenny Willemse (2001) for the most wins in a season in team history. She could also surpass Cynthia Jacobo's (2012) single season minutes record (2,034) should she play 113 more minutes this season.

Playing in close games has been a theme for the Matadors this season. The team has played in 12 one-goal games this season while the last seven matches have been decided by a 1-0 score. Out of the Matadors' four losses this season, CSUN has not lost by more than one goal.

On the offensive side, defender Lindsay Kutscher leads the team with four goals heading into the tournament. Kutscher scored two of her four goals in conference play with both of the goals being game winners. The trio of Watson, Kourtney Kutscher and Cynthia Sanchez all finished the regular season with three goals apiece while Watson leads CSUN in assists (5), points (11) and shots (55). Sylvia Trinh also scored multiple goals on the season as she finished with two goals to go along with four assists.

The Matadors have faced Long Beach State twice before in the Big West Conference Tournament with both matches taking place at George Allen Field. The 49ers defeated the Matadors, 2-1, in the 2010 conference tournament and 2-0 in the 2011 semifinals. Overall, LBSU owns a 12-8-1 edge in the all-time head-to-head series after the 49ers earned a 2-1 double overtime win over CSUN at home on Oct. 2. The last four previous meetings between the two teams had ended 1-0 with each team posting two victories in those contests.

A Closer Look at Long Beach State
The 49ers finished the regular season with an overall record of 8-6-4 along with a 4-1-3 conference mark. Last week, Long Beach State played UC Riverside to a 0-0 draw on the road and edged UC Santa Barbara, 1-0, at home to clinch a berth in the conference tournament. Long Beach State earned a No. 1 seed in the Big West Conference Tournament last season but fell in the championship game to Cal State Fullerton, 1-0.

Junior forward Ashley Gonzales leads the team in scoring with nine goals this season to go along with three assists. Gonzales helped lead a comeback effort against CSUN, scoring one of the 49ers two goals to defeat the Matadors, 2-1, earlier this season. Senior midfielder Mimi Rangel leads the team in assists with four while she is second in scoring with four goals. Five other 49ers have also hit the net twice this season.

Senior Ashton McKeown has started 15 matches and compiled a 7-4-4 record in over 1,439 minutes in goal. McKeown also has posted a .853 save percentage, a 0.69 GAA and seven shutouts.

Matadors Face Long Beach State in the Big West Tournament

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Players Mentioned

Kourtney Kutscher

Lindsay Kutscher

Jovani McCaskill

Cynthia Sanchez

Nicole Thompson

Sylvia Trinh

Camille Watson