CSUN Opens Up Big West Play with UC Davis, Long Beach State

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NORTHRIDGE, CA---

CSUN Women's Soccer (5-2-4) kicks off its Big West schedule with a pair of matches after an 11-game non-conference slate. The Matadors host UC Davis on Friday evening at 7 p.m. in both teams' conference opener. CSUN concludes the weekend with a road match at Long Beach State on Sunday at 6 p.m. Live stats will be available for both matches and the 49ers will provide an audio broadcast of Sunday's contest.

The Matadors head into the conference season with their fewest losses since 2005. CSUN earned a victory in their only match last weekend as the Matadors defeated Omaha, 2-0, at Matador Soccer Field. The team earned their eighth shutout of the season in the win over the Mavericks and its seventh over the last eight contests.

Seniors Camille Watson and Sylvia Trinh found the net for CSUN against Omaha and fellow seniors Taylor Hobson and Breanna McCallum earned assists. Watson utilized her six minutes on the field to her advantage as she scored on her only shot of the day. Goalkeeper Jovani McCaskill racked up her seventh individual shutout of the season and the CSUN defense held the Mavericks to only six shots with one one on goal.

The Matadors offense has come alive, scoring six times over the last three games after being shutout in three-straight contests earlier in September. Watson leads the team with three goals and eight points after hitting the net last Sunday. The trio of Kourtney Kutscher, Lindsay Kutscher and Trinh all have two goals while four other Matadors have also scored once. The team is currently first in the Big West in shots per game (16.00) and third in shots on goal per game (6.18).

Defensively, the Matadors are sixth in the nation in shutout percentage (.727), ninth in goals-against-average (.421) and 15th in save percentage (.878) as of September 27. In goal, McCaskill is also fourth in the nation with her seven shutouts and 14th with her .422 GAA. The Matadors have limited teams to 99 shots through 11 matches, which is the third fewest in the conference.

The CSUN defense also has allowed just two first half goals on the season. At home, the Matadors have been especially stingy, giving up just one score. After surrendering a second half goal to North Dakota State on August 26, CSUN has held opponents scoreless over the last 521:15 of home matches.

In conference openers, the Matadors are 9-8-2 all-time and have only lost once over their last five. At home, CSUN is 12-6-1 in conference openers and have won three of their last four at Matador Soccer Field.

The Matadors are 8-4-1 in the all-time in head-to-head series with UC Davis including posting a 5-0-0 record at Matador Soccer Field. Over their last eight meetings, the Matadors are also 6-1-1 against the Aggies. CSUN has allowed one goal to UC Davis over the last four matches and no goals in the run of play in those contests. Last season, the Aggies and Matadors battled to a scoreless draw at UC Davis to open up Big West play.

The 49ers hold an 11-8-1 mark against CSUN all-time. LBSU has posted victories in three of the last five meetings including 1-0 wins in each of the last two seasons. The teams have played in numerous low-scoring games in recent seasons as five of their last six matches have ended 1-0. At Long Beach State, CSUN is 2-7-1 in the head-to-head series and have not defeated the 49ers at George Allen Field since 2012. Last season, Long Beach State handed the Matadors their only loss at home in Big West play.

A Closer Look at UC Davis
The Aggies come into Friday's match with an overall record of 4-5-2 including an 0-2-2 mark in road contests. In last week's action, UC Davis battled Saint Mary's to a 2-2 draw on the road. Last season, UC Davis finished 3-4-1 in the Big West Conference.

Senior Celina Minissian leads the way for the Aggies in scoring with three goals on 32 shots. Leading the team in points with seven, sophomore Crystal Crump has netted two goals and posted a team-leading three assists. The Aggie offense have produced a majority of their scoring in the second half of games, scoring 11 of their 13 goals after halftime.

In goal, sophomore Alexis Smith has started all eleven matches, logging 1030:24 in goal to go along with three shutouts. Smith has also accumulated 42 saves and a 1.22 GAA.

A Closer Look at Long Beach State
The 49ers hold a 4-5-1 overall record and 4-3-1 mark in games contested at George Allen Field. LBSU has dropped its last three matches after falling at No. 4 BYU last Saturday. Last season, the 49ers earned a share of the regular season Big West crown after going 6-2-0 in conference competition and LBSU appeared in the NCAA Tournament. Prior to hosting the Matadors, the 49ers will face UC Irvine on Friday at home.

Team leader in scoring, junior Ashley Gonzales is third in the Big West with her five goals and fourth with 12 points. Senior Mimi Rangel leads the 49ers with three assists to go along with three goals. The quartet of sophomores Dana Fujikuni and Rocio Rodriguez, junior Tori Bolden and freshman Kaitlin Fregulia have all found the net twice for LBSU.

Owning a 3-3-1 record, senior goalkeeper Ashton McKeown has started seven matches and recorded a 0.97 GAA to go along with 29 saves and three shutouts.

CSUN Opens Up Big West Play with UC Davis, Long Beach State

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Players Mentioned

Taylor Hobson

Kourtney Kutscher

Lindsay Kutscher

Breanna McCallum

Jovani McCaskill

Sylvia Trinh

Camille Watson