California State University at Northridge
New Mexico
Matadors Head to New Mexico to Face Lobos, Falcons
9/1/2016 2:15:00 PM | Men's Soccer
CSUN Faces New Mexico, Air Force in Albuquerque
Game Notes (PDF)
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. --- The CSUN Matadors (1-0-0) hit the road for a pair of contests in Albuquerque, NM as part of the TLC Plumbing and Utility Invitational on the campus of the University of New Mexico. On Friday, Sept. 2, the Matadors will face the host Lobos in a 6 p.m. (PT) match that will feature live video and live stats. Two days later, CSUN faces the Air Force Falcons in a 1 p.m. (PT) contest that will feature live stats. Links for all multimedia are available at GoMatadors.com and fans are encouraged to check with CSUN's official Twitter accounts (@GoMatadors, @CSUNMensSoccer) for updates throughout the weekend and season.
Last week, the Matadors opened the 2016 campaign in sensational fashion by posting a 2-1 victory over Tulsa on Aug. 26 at Matador Soccer Field. Junior Papi Diouf scored eight seconds into the match, setting a new Big West Conference record and posting the second-fastest goal to start a game in NCAA Division I history. Emmanuel Usen Jr. and Juan Fernando Samayoa recorded assists on the record-setting goal.
After the Golden Hurricane tied the match in the second half, sophomore Nicholas Grinde, playing in his first career game as a Matador, took advantage of a turnover and buried the game-winning goal in the 83rd minute. In net, senior Kevin Marquez made his first career start and responded with six saves to earn his first career victory.
This weekend, CSUN gets a pair of match-ups with regional rivals in the elevation of Albuquerque. New Mexico is 0-2 after opening weekend, but dropped a pair of matches in Indiana to the nationally ranked Indiana Hoosiers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Lobos were picked to finish tied for fourth in Conference USA, their second season in the league.
Two days later, CSUN meets up with the Air Force Falcons in a neutral-site meeting. The Falcons dropped a 3-1 decision at Army West Point in their 2016 season opener. Air Force took the last meeting with CSUN, 2-1, although the schools are tied 1-1 in neutral-site contests in the all-time series.Â
A Closer Look at New Mexico
The New Mexico Lobos carry an 0-2 record into their home opener Friday night against CSUN, but it is not from lack of quality opponents. The Lobos fell 1-0 to No. 15 Indiana and 1-0 to No. 9 Notre Dame last weekend in Indiana.
Senior midfielder Chris Wehan, a member of the 2016 Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy Watch List, had eight shots over the two matches and posted 10 goals, two assists and 22 points last season. Niko Hansen added six shots over the weekend and recorded three goals, three assists and nine points in 2015.
In net, Jason Beaulieu played all 180 minutes and recorded six saves last weekend. He played all but 20 minutes in goal in 2015 and recorded a 0.94 goals-against-average, 75 save, an .806 save percentage and four shutouts.
Jeremy Fishbein is in his 18th season as the head coach of New Mexico. The Matadors and Lobos have engaged in a long rivalry that will see the teams meet for the 17th time on Sept. 2. The all-time series dates back to 1992 and the two sides have met every year since 2011 save 2012. CSUN has won once in eight chances in Albuquerque, taking a 3-2 decision on Sept. 15, 2013. New Mexico carries an 11-4-1 advantage in the series headed into Friday night.Â
A Closer Look at Air Force
The Air Force Academy Falcons will be the Matadors' second opponent in Albuquerque. On Friday, Sept. 2, the Falcons will take on the Big West's Cal Poly Mustangs before CSUN squares off with New Mexico.
Air Force traveled to Army West Point to open its 2016 season and fell 3-1 to the Black Knights. Abinadi Samayoa put Air Force up 1-0 in the 11th minute, but the Falcons conceded a tying goal less than 10 minutes later. The Falcons were then burned twice in just over a minute with just less than 10 minutes left in regulation.
Air Force finished with 12 shots in the match and allowed 22 from Army. John Wendt, who picked up an assist on Samayoa's goal, made eight saves in net while playing all 90 minutes in the defeat.
The Falcons compete in the Western Athletic Conference and were picked to finish eighth in the league. Air Force won the last meeting between the two schools, a 2-1 victory in Colorado Springs in the 2014 season. The two squads are an even 1-1 in neutral-site contests. Doug Hill, a graduate of the Air Force Academy, is in his 10th season as the head coach of the Falcons.Â
Team Notes
- Junior Papi Diouf scored at eight seconds of the first half in the win vs. Tulsa on Friday, Aug. 26 and was named Big West Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, Aug. 29
- The goal at :08 is the second-fastest in NCAA Division I history and is a Big West Conference record
- The goal at :08 is tied for the eighth-fastest in NCAA history across all three divisions
- The first goal of Diouf's CSUN career came in the form of a game-winning header vs. UC Riverside in 2015
- Diouf played his first collegiate season at Louisville and is originally from Dakar, Senegal
- Sophomore Nicholas Grinde scored the game-winning goal in the Matadors' win over Tulsa
- Grinde finished with 2 shots off the bench vs. Golden Hurricane
- Junior Emmanuel Usen Jr. recorded an assist on Diouf's goal in the Matadors' win over Tulsa
- Usen Jr. spent his first two years at IUPUI and prepped at the Houston Dynamo Academy
- Senior Juan Fernando Samayoa also posted an assist on Diouf's goal vs. Tulsa
- Samayoa has a goal and seven assists to his credit in his three-plus years of service with the Matadors
- Senior Kevin Marquez made his first career start and recorded six saves for his first career win in 2-1 victory over Tulsa
- Marquez played the majority of minutes in two exhibition contests, including all 110 minutes in a draw vs. San Diego State
- Senior Shane Steffes tied for second on the team with two assists in 2015
- Steffes was the 2015-16 CSUN Men's Scholar-Athlete of the Year
- Senior defender Patrick Hickman is a stout defender returning along the Matador backline
- Hickman has earned consecutive Honorable Mention All-Big West Honors (2014, 2015)
- Hickman enters his final season with two career goals, both of which he scored a sophomore
- Senior Gabe Robinson is the team's throw-in specialist and has a goal and four assists in his CSUN career
- Junior Jeremy Degraffenreidt scored the first goal of his CSUN career in a 1-1 draw at UC Davis
- Degraffenreidt has a twin brother, Michael, who plays at Louisville, which is where Jeremy started his collegiate career
- Junior Dean Wright will miss the 2016 season after suffering lower body injury in preseason match with Cal
- Wright led CSUN with four assists and added two goals to post eight points in 2015, his debut year with the Matadors
- Five first-year players record assists in 2015 and all return to the squad in 2016: Bradley Mulvey, Jules Cailliau, Stuart Close, Jumoke Hutton and Andrew Rizeq
- Freshman Bar Shem Tov is the latest Israeli national to sign with CSUN soccer, joining teammate Hagay Jalon
- Former Israeli Matadors include Yossi Raz, Yuval Barak, Yarden Azulay, Sagi Lev-Ari, Benji Asor and the first head coach in the program's history, Zvi Friedman
- The Matadors feature 10 international players from seven countries in 2016: Bradley Mulvey and Stuart Close (Scotland), Papi Diouf (Senegal), Vadim Sanzharevskyi (Ukraine), Hagay Jalon and Bar Shem Tov (Israel), Nicholas Grinde and Yannick Grinde (Norway), Jules Cailliau (Belgium) and Jackson Mayer (Australia)
- CSUN has added five transfers to the roster for the 2016 season: Dre Deas (Central Florida), Darion Mealing (Mira Costa College), Ehi Isibor (Cal State Dominguez Hills), Emmanuel Usen Jr. (IUPUI) and Joel Luis Juan (Mission College)
- Freshman Samuel Dadzie and Edwin Quiroz started both of the 2016 exhibition contests for CSUNÂ
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 141 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 now worse than fourth in GAA
- That defense has helped lead CSUN to 31 road or neutral-site wins since the start of the 2010 season, the second-most in the Big West Conference
- CSUN has produced 25 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: 9/25/2014, 2-1Â vs. CSU Bakersfield
- CSUN's last overtime loss: 11/7/2015, 2-1 vs. UC Davis
- CSUN's last double overtime draw: 9/13/2015, 0-0 vs. CSU Bakersfield
- 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
- 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
Fútbol en Español
- CSUN will produce audio broadcasts for select home matches in Spanish during the 2016 season for the second-straight year
- Eduard Cauich, the sports editor at Hoy Deportes, returns to the booth as does Jose Avalos, a reporter for Estrella TVÂ
- Links for their broadcast, which will also be looped into video broadcasts when available, can be found at GoMatadors.com
CSUN's Coaching Tree
- CSUN men's soccer has a culture of former players returning to the program in coaching and administrative roles.Â
- Terry Davila spent three seasons at as assistant coach (1995-97) for Marwan Assad, his head coach during his four-year career at CSUN (1988-91)
- CSUN women's head coach Keith West played two seasons as a Matador when Davila was an assistant and then spent seven years as an assistant to Davila before taking over the women's program in 2006
- Zach Feldman played from 2002-05 at CSUN for Davila and in his fourth year as a full-time assistant coach after also working as a volunteer assistant coach for four seasons
- Juan Florez played one season (1987) for CSUN and returns for his 10th season as a coach at CSUN in 2016;Â
- Yossi Raz played four seasons for the Matadors (2001-04) and then spent eight years on Davila's staff before taking over the head job at Cal Poly Pomona
- Director of Operations Jose Luis Garcia played two seasons (2011-12) for the Matadors and is a CSUN graduate
- Tony Davila, a former Matador tennis and baseball coach and Terry Davila's father, serves as a volunteer administrative assistant for the program
- Derek Hanks played four seasons for the Matadors (2003-06) and then spent four years on West's staff (2007-10) before returning to assistant coaching duties in 2015
