Matadors Draw with Long Beach State on Senior Night

NORTHRIDGE, CA---

CSUN Women's Soccer (8-4-7, 4-1-3 BWC) fought to a 2-2 draw with Long Beach State (8-6-3, 2-3-2 BWC) in a wild match to close the Matadors' regular season schedule on Thursday evening at Matador Soccer Field. Marissa Favela scored her team-leading sixth goal to start the scoring on the night and Lindsay Kutscher connected for her first goal of the season. Needing a win to wrap up a Big West title, the Matadors held a lead in the 89th minute but a costly handball call resulted in the equalizer.

With tonight's result, the Matadors conclude their regular season still in first place in the Big West Conference standings at 15 points. In a second place tie, UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton have 13 points while UC Riverside holds fourth place with 12 points. All four teams can still win the Big West title with matches still to be played on Sunday afternoon. The Anteaters and Titans will battle in Irvine on Sunday while the Highlanders host Hawai'i. Still alive for the Big West Tournament, UC Davis has 11 points and will travel to Long Beach State to close the season.

The Matadors can win the conference outright with a UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton tie along with either a tie or loss for UC Riverside. A tie at UC Irvine and a UC Riverside win would result in the Matadors sharing the Big West title with the Highlanders. CSUN also cannot finish lower than second in the conference.

"I talked to the team this morning about [our play] and I asked them if it was September, would we be in this spot," said head coach Keith West about his team's play in October. "Their answer was 'no.' It's true, they've fought through some adversity and dealt with some things. I just think adversity and failure makes you stronger. They are really special to be around, and I couldn't be more proud of them."

CSUN jumped out in front in the 13th minute after a Long Beach State turnover. Favela intercepted a pass near the 30 yard mark and deposited a long ball over the head of goalkeeper Imani McDonald and into the net to give CSUN a 1-0 lead.

In the early minutes of the second half, Long Beach State evened the match after advancing the ball deep into the Matadors' half of the field. Shortly after a CSUN foul, Tori Bolden received a pass and kicked the ball ahead near the goal line. With the ball sitting in front of the line, Dana Fujikuni finished the play near the left post.

Undeterred, the Matadors struck back moments later. In the 64th minute, Amanda Martin sent a long kick over the head of a series of players near the top of the box. Kutscher broke away from the pack and attempted to get a foot on the ball while McDonald came up and got a touch. However, Kutscher deflected the ball off her knee into the goal to put CSUN ahead 2-1.

CSUN held the lead into the final minutes and nearly put the match away in the 85th minute. On the play, Cynthia Sanchez broke away from her defender and went one on one with McDonald on the right side. Sanchez attempted to sneak the ball inside the right near post but McDonald was able to knock away the shot attempt.

The match remained 2-1 until the 89th minute where a costly CSUN foul allowed Long Beach State to square the match. A handball gave Jessica Vincent an opportunity to nail the tying goal via a penalty kick to send the match into overtime.

Each team registered two shots in the second overtime but neither shot was on frame. In another close call, Amy Aquino hit the right post on a header in the 107th minute but the 49ers would clean up the play. Kirsten Von Meter took the last shot of the match in the final minute, however her shot went wide left.

Prior to the match, the Matadors honored their senior class in a special pregame ceremony. Seniors Sanchez, Sylvia Trinh and Ariana Tran and Jovani McCaskill all started their final regular season match of their respective careers. Sanchez and Trinh had two shots apiece on the night.

The Matadors now turn their attention to the Big West Conference Tournament set to start next Thursday, Nov. 2. Should CSUN win its semifinal match, the Matadors would advance to the championship match on Sunday at 1 p.m. CSUN's opponent will be determined after Sunday's Big West matches are concluded. All three tournament matches will be held at Matador Soccer Field this season.

Matadors Draw with Long Beach State on Senior Night

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Team Stats

Marissa Favela

Lindsay Kutscher

Amanda Martin

Amy Aquino

Players Mentioned

Amy Aquino

Marissa Favela

Lindsay Kutscher

Amanda Martin

Jovani McCaskill

Cynthia Sanchez

Ariana Tran

Sylvia Trinh

Kirsten Von Meter