California State University at Northridge
San Diego
CSUN Hosts San Diego, Travels to CSU Bakersfield
9/21/2016 9:25:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Matadors Close Out Non-Conference Season vs. Toreros, Roadrunners
Game Notes in PDF Format
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. --- The CSUN Matadors (2-4-0) return to Matador Soccer Field to host the University of San Diego on Thursday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. The Matadors and Toreros met last season with CSUN scoring a 1-0 victory in San Diego. The contest will be CSUN's first and only match-up with the West Coast Conference in 2016. The match will be streamed on the CSUN Sports Network with Eduard Cauich and Jose Avalos calling all the action . Live stats and an audio-only broadcast will also be available at GoMatadors.com.Â
Following the game with the Toreros, the Matadors hit the road for one final non-conference contest and travel to CSU Bakersfield for a 7 p.m. contest on Sunday, Sept. 25. The Matadors and Roadrunners played to a scoreless draw last year in Northridge and the two teams have not met in Bakersfield since the 2011 season. A live video feed and live stats will be available for the CSUN-CSUB meeting and fans are also encouraged to check with the CSUN Athletic Department's official Twitter accounts (@CSUNMensSoccer, @GoMatadors) for updates throughout the weekend.Â
Last week, CSUN suffered a narrow 1-0 loss at No. 19 Utah Valley. The Wolverines sneaked a header inside the near post in the 77th minute to edge the Matadors in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Kevin Marquez made five saves in net and Bar Shem Tov and Emmanuel Usen Jr. each had a pair of shots in defeat.Â
This week offers CSUN a chance to climb back to .500 as it closes out the non-conference portion of its schedule. Both San Diego and CSU Bakersfield are traditional rivals who the Matadors have seen frequently over the past several seasons. The Matadors carry a two-match winning streak against both the Toreros and Roadrunners entering this week's match-ups.Â
Fan Fair Set for Thursday at 6 p.m.
CSUN Athletics will host a Soccer Spirit Night Fan Fair in the parking lot directly south of the entrance of Matador Soccer Field. The Fan Fair is free and open to the public and the first 100 fans will receive a food voucher on site to Rosie's BBQ and Grillery. The Fan Fair will include games, prizes, local vendors and face painting with the CSUN Water Polo team. Two hundred fans will receive a Matador Sprit shirt with their CSUN vs. San Diego game ticket.Â
Due to the Fan Fair in Parking Lot F5, fans are encouraged to park in Lot G4 or the G3 structure and lot off of Zelzah and Prairie or in Lot E6, which is located at the corner of Lindley and Halsted.
A Closer Look at San Diego
The University of San Diego Toreros come to the San Fernando Valley for a 7 p.m. match-up at Matador Soccer Field on Saturday, Sept. 22 with a 3-2-2 overall record. The Toreros are 1-2-1 against the Big West Conference this season, scoring a 3-0 victory over Sacramento State and posting a 0-0 draw against UC Davis. USD posted a 4-3 victory over UNLV on Sept. 20 in San Diego.Â
Miguel Berry is tied for the team lead with four goals on the season while Michael Turner also has four goals and a team-best 10 points. Three other Toreros have scored this season and Djordje Babic leads the squad with three assists. San Diego averages nine shots per game and has produced 29 corner kicks in their seven contests.Â
Defensively, Thomas Olsen has played the majority of minutes in net for USD. He sports a 1.79 goals-against-average, 17 saves and a .630 save percentage in over 503 minutes of action. Connor Hountalas has also seen time in net and has a 1.08 GAA and a .667 save percentage in over 166 minutes of work. Opponents are averaging over 12 shots per contest and have totaled 39 corner kicks in the seven matches.Â
Seamus McFadden is in his 37th season as the head coach of San Diego. The Toreros hold a 15-11 advantage in the all-time series with CSUN, although the Matadors have won the last two meetings, including a 1-0 decision last year.
A Closer Look at CSU Bakersfield
The CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners are the Matadors' final non-conference opponent in the 2016 season and are 2-5-0 on the season. The Roadrunners are 1-1-0 on the year against Big West Conference opponents, having defeated Sacramento State in their season opener before falling 3-1 at home to UC Davis.Â
Hugo Vinales leads CSUB with eight points on the season courtesy of three goals and two assists. Julian Zamora also has three goals on the season while two other Roadrunners have found the back of the net this season. CSU Bakersfield averages nine shots per game and has totaled 31 corner kicks in its seven contests.Â
On defense, Nicolas Clever has played all the minutes in net for CSUB this season. He carries a 1.37 GAA, 33 saves and a .767 save percentage in over 658 minutes of action this season. Opponents are averaging over 14 shots per game and have totaled 45 corner kicks on the year.Â
Richie Grant is in his third season as the head coach of the Roadrunners. At the Division I level, the Matadors are 2-0-2 against the Roadrunners although the teams played to a scoreless draw last season.
