California State University at Northridge
3-2
Denver
3-3
Team Stats
Usen Jr., Emmanuel (2)
Assisted By: Trejo, Daniel
shot from left side into top left of net
60:19
Usen Jr., Emmanuel (3)
drove past defense, shot from close righ
73:17
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Usen, Jr. Scores Twice As CSUN Defeats #9 Denver
9/10/2017 1:57:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Emmanuel Usen, Jr. scored both goals as the Matadors defeated the Pioneers 2-0.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—Emmanuel Usen, Jr. scored both goals as CSUN defeated No. 9 Denver 2-0 Sunday afternoon. The victory marked the second week in a row that the Matadors have defeated a nationally ranked opponent.
The first two shots of the final match of the Grange and Ashwill Invitational came in a two-minute span 10 minutes in. Denver's Kyle Morlack went wide. An ensuing Pioneer corner kick resulted in an Alex Underwood attempt that was saved by Henrik Regitnig. Daniel Trejo took the first CSUN shot which came from inside the goalkeeper's box. The attempt was blocked and knocked out over the DU end line. The Matadors received a corner kick that was knocked away by the Denver defense.
Regitnig made a save on Kenny Akamatsu's shot in the 20th minute. The teams exchanged a pair of shots in the 24th minute with Regitnig posting his third save of the match on an Andrew Shinyashiki shot. The ball was deflected out off a Matador player. DU was awarded a corner kick but went offsides. Regitnig charted his fourth save when he turned away Akamatsu a little over a minute later.
The Matador defense turned away a Denver corner in the 36th. Giovanni Aguilar's header from the far-right wing went wide. Denver took the goal kick down the field, resulting in a Norman Destan challenge that was blocked from the top of the box. Two Denver shots in the 43rd minute were blocked by the CSUN defense. The final shot of the first half was Julio Rubio's with 1:44 remaining.
Michael Flores opened the second half with a shot that went wide from the far-left wing. Flores' corner attempt in the 50th minute went wide. Flores' shot went high from the far-right wing in the 54th. The Pioneers earned a corner kick in the 56th minute. Shinyashiki had a shot blocked in the box off the set piece. DU kept the ball in the CSUN end as Shinyashiki went wide left. Denver's Eric Kronenberg took a shot from the far-right wing that went wide.
Usen, Jr. broke the seal when he connected from 11 yards out at the 60:19 mark. His shot went from the left side into the top left of the net. The Pioneers attacked right away with a Blake Moncur blast the next time down. Regitnig came up with his fifth save on a Ryan Barlow counter. The deflection resulted in a DU corner which CSUN was able to successfully defend. The teams defended against each other for the next five minutes. Usen, Jr.'s attempt was saved by Nick Gardner with just under 20 minutes to play.
CSUN was issued a second yellow card in the 71st minute. Denver was able to create a set play that saw an Underwood header that was blocked from inside Regitnig's box. Usen, Jr. extended the lead at 73:17. He drove past the Pioneers' defense and scored from the right wing. The Matadors again turned away DU off a corner in the 78th.
Denver kept possession after the corner. Shinyashiki received a pass and headed the ball towards the CSUN net. Regitnig made the save in front of his net. DU retained possession inside the Matadors' end. Underwood received a pass that he turned into a shot that went wide from the top of the box. Off the throw in, Shinyashiki went wide left from the top of the box for the 17th Pioneers' shot of the match. The match was played mostly in the middle of the field for the next 4+ minutes before Kronenberg's shot was high from inside the box. Denver's final threat came with two seconds remaining as Scott Devoss had a shot blocked.
"I am very happy with today's result," said CSUN head coach Terry Davila. "We bounced back and beat a quality team. As happy as I am today, I am more disappointed in Friday's result."
As a result of his two-goal performance, Usen, Jr. was named Offensive MVP of the tournament. Daron Mealing and Regitnig were selected to the All-Tournament team.
The Pioneers (3-3) outshot CSUN 19-10. Regitnig reset his season high with six saves on the six DU shots on goal. Trejo was awarded an assist on Usen, Jr.'s first goal. The Matadors (3-2) return home Thursday night when CSUN hosts San José State (2-2). Coverage for Youth Soccer Night on the CSUN Sports Network begins at 7 p.m.
~www.GoMatadors.com~