CSUN, San Diego Plays to 0-0 Draw

SAN DIEGO, CA---

CSUN Women's Soccer (3-1-2) battled San Diego (2-2-1) to a 0-0 draw on Sunday evening at Torero Stadium. Senior Taylor Hobson finished with a team-leading three shots while fellow seniors Breanna McCallum and Kourtney Kutscher had two apiece. The Matadors earned their fourth shutout of the season including their third-straight after holding the Toreros scoreless over 110 minutes of action.

"I thought at times we played really, really well and at times we didn't expose them when we had opportunities," said head coach Keith West. "I thought we played hard and gave maximum effort tonight. As a coach, you have to be proud of the team when they give that much effort."

Seeking its third-straight win, the Matadors played the Toreros to an evenly matched affair on Sunday. In 90 minutes of hard-fought action, San Diego held a 9-8 advantage in shot attempts with each side collecting a shot on goal. The Matadors edged USD 4-3 in corner kicks in regulation while CSUN posted more fouls at 11-10.

Junior goalkeeper Jovani McCaskill helped keep the Toreros scoreless in the first 45 minutes thanks to a strong play in the 14th minute. With the ball on the right side of the box, Rachel Conners fired a low shot looking for the near post but McCaskill came out on the play and poked away the shot.

After halftime, the Matadors registered four shots within the first 20 minutes including an attempt from Hobson on the left wing that was snared by goalkeeper Amber Michel.

In the 66th minute, Kutscher fired two shots that both narrowly missed the net. Kutscher's first attempt banged off the cross bar from nearly 10 yards out and her returning header went wide right.

With the final minutes ticking away in the second period, the Matadors earned a corner kick that went into USD's box to the waiting foot of Hobson. However, the senior sent a shot just over the net.

The Matadors registered only one shot, an attempt from Sanchez in the 99th minute, in the two overtime periods while the Toreros posted three. Not credited for a shot, Sylvia Trinh had a look at the net in the first overtime off a cross from Sanchez. However, Trinh lost her footing on the ball, resulting in the USD defense breaking up the play.

USD had one of the closest calls of the evening in the 109th minute as strong CSUN defense prevented the winning shot from hitting the net.

Keeping the ball on the Matadors' side of the field, USD advanced the ball deep into the box. After a series of near shot attempts, Caitlyn Kretzschmar headed a low shot near the goal, forcing McCaskill to leave her feet. In a sea of players, McCaskill stopped the potential game winner using her body to keep the game alive before USD was whistled for offsides.

McCaskill's second save of the day ensured the draw and the Matadors' fourth shutout in six games this season.

"When our defense holds a team scoreless, I'm very happy as a coach because that means our attitude and energy is in the right place," added West. "When we start clicking and getting the goals rolling, then we are going to start getting some W's."

Playing in her hometown of San Diego, McCaskill earned her 10th career shutout on Sunday, moving her into a third-place tie with Cynthia Tafoya (2012-15) in the Matadors' all-time career shutout list. Also, with her two saves against the Toreros, McCaskill climbed into ninth-place in the CSUN record books by reaching 90 saves for her career.

Earning its fourth shutout of the season, CSUN has not surrendered a goal over the last 321 minutes of play. The Matadors have only given up two goals on the season and have not relinquished a score in the first half of any matches.

CSUN returns home for a Friday evening match against San Jose State at Matador Soccer Field. Kick off is slated for 7 p.m.

CSUN, San Diego Plays to 0-0 Draw

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Team Stats

Taylor Hobson

Kourtney Kutscher

Breanna McCallum

Ariana Tran

Players Mentioned

Taylor Hobson

Kourtney Kutscher

Breanna McCallum

Jovani McCaskill

Cynthia Sanchez

Cynthia Tafoya

Sylvia Trinh