Matadors Top Ball State, 1-0

NORTHRIDGE, CA---

Behind freshman Bethany Fitzsimmons' first career goal, CSUN Women's Soccer (3-1-1) defeated Ball State (3-1-1), 1-0, on Friday evening at Matador Soccer Field. Seniors Camille Watson and Sylvia Trinh earned assists on the deciding goal in the 35th minute of the first half. Junior goalkeeper Jovani McCaskill racked up three saves en route to earning her ninth career shutout.

"When you hold a great team like Ball State scoreless it's a testament to our team on the defensive side of the ball," said head coach Keith West. "I think every game, from Portland State until now, we keep improving every game. We put together almost a complete 90:00 tonight and that's what I was most proud about."

Coming off a 4-0 win last Sunday against South Dakota, the Matadors controlled the ball for most of the 90 minutes of action on Friday. Edging Ball State 11-10 in total shots, the Matadors posted a 5-1 shot advantage in the opening period and produced several looks at the net in the early going.

With the game scoreless, CSUN nearly struck first after a series of shots close to the net. In the 21st minute, Cynthia Sanchez found room down the right side of the box and fired a low shot that was saved by a diving Tristin Stuteville. The ball trickled out to a streaking Watson who sent two consective shots to the goal but Stuteville prevented any scoring with a pair of timely stops.

Minutes later, the Matadors broke through after a pair of well executed passes. Playing with the ball on the Cardinals' side of the field, Watson sent a pass wide to Trinh on the left wing. Spotting her teammate heading to the goal, Trinh delivered a cross to the near post where Fitzsimmons kicked in a sliding shot.

After coming up empty in the first half, Ball State would outshoot the Matadors 9-6 in the final 45:00. However, despite facing several shots in the second period, the CSUN defense continued to keep the opposition scoreless.

McCaskill made two of her three saves in the final stanza on Friday including a clean save in the 65th minute off the foot of Gabby Veldmen. For the fifth-straight contest, senior Nicole Thompson played the entire match on the backline while sophomore Linday Kutscher saw a full 90:00 on the field as well. The sophomore tandem of Amanda Martin and Christina Nixon played 79 and 74 minutes respectively on defense.

Watson led the Matadors in shots with five with three on goal. Fellow forward, Sanchez posted three shots on the night including an attempt that smacked off the cross bar in the 70th minute.

Fitzsimmons' game-winner was her only shot in 29 minutes of action off the bench. She also became the sixth Matador to register a goal through the team's five matches. With her score in the first half, the Matadors tallied just their second first half goal of the season. Watson recorded CSUN's only other first half goal in 2016 at Oregon State on Aug. 21.

By notching her 11th win of her career, McCaskill moved into sole possession of seventh-place in the Matadors' all-time win list. She is now a win shy of tying Karen Comstock (2002-05) and Tawni Takagi (1996-1999) for fifth. McCaskill also tied Takagi for the fifth-most shutouts in team history with her ninth of her CSUN career on Friday.

Watson's assist is her eighth career helper and it moves her to within two of cracking CSUN's all-time Top 10 assist list. Both Watson and Trinh lead the Matadors with two assists this season.

The Matadors hit the road for a Sunday match-up with San Diego. Kick off is slated for 5 p.m. from Torero Stadium.

Matadors Top Ball State, 1-0

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Team Stats

Bethany Fitzsimmons

Camille Watson

Sylvia Trinh

Cynthia Sanchez

Players Mentioned

Bethany Fitzsimmons

Amanda Martin

Jovani McCaskill

Christina Nixon

Cynthia Sanchez

Nicole Thompson

Sylvia Trinh

Camille Watson