CSUN Meets UCI In The Big West Tournament Wednesday Night

Men's Soccer Notebook

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.—The sixth seed, CSUN, meets UC Irvine, the third seed, in the first round of the Big West Tournament Wednesday night.

This will be the second meeting between the two clubs in less than a week as the Matadors (7-7-3, 2-3-2 Big West) defeated the Anteaters (7-6-5, 4-2-1 Big West) 1-0 last Saturday night. The match will be streamed on BigWest.tv with all links on GoMatadors.com.

UC Irvine concluded the regular season with a 7-6-5 overall record and a 4-2-1 league mark. Christian Gutierrez is third in the league in shots (48, tied with one other), seventh in goals (6, tied with two others), and tied for 10th in points (12, with one other). Ford Parker is third in the conference in goals-against average (0.99), sixth in saves (45), and seventh in save percentage (.721). His four shutouts are tied with three others for the third most in shutouts. This is the 53rd time that CSUN and UC Irvine are playing men's soccer with the Matadors leading the all-time series 25-21-6.

Cal Poly is the fourth seed and will face the fifth seed, Cal State Fullerton Wednesday night. The winner of the CSUN-UCI match will travel to UC Santa Barbara Saturday night for a 7 p.m. start. The winner of the Cal Poly-Cal State Fullerton match will head to the No. 1 seed, UC Davis, for a 2 p.m. Saturday match. The highest remaining seed will host the championship match Nov. 16 at a time to be determined.

CSUN's Paul Lewis and Marvin Arias earned a pair of Big West Conference men's soccer honors, the league announced Nov. 4.

Lewis was named Big West Defensive Player of the Week. The Bellevue, Wash. native made a season-best 10 saves against a UC Irvine squad which entered Saturday's regular-season finale tied atop the Big West standings. The 10 saves represented the most by a Matador goalie since 2015 when Adam Hobbs stopped 10 shots against UC Davis. Lewis was tested throughout the match as the Matadors needed a win to qualify for the Big West Tournament. He preserved the 1-0 lead and his first shutout of the year with a stop in the 78th minute, tipping Jose Ortiz's shot off the crossbar and into the box. CSUN was outshot 22-10 for the contest.

Arias was selected Big West Freshman of the Week. Making just his fifth appearance and second start this season, Arias registered the game-winning goal on his first shot of 2019 to topple the Anteaters. Arias delivered the Matadors the 1-0 lead in the 29th minute and the score held up as CSUN's win ensured a spot in the upcoming Big West Tournament.

~#UniteTheValley~

CSUN Meets UCI In The Big West Tournament Wednesday Night

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Players Mentioned

Marvin Arias

Paul Lewis