Long Beach State Edges CSUN on Senior Night

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---A goal in the 27th minute proved to be the difference in CSUN's 1-0 defeat at the hands of Long Beach State on Senior Night on Thursday at Matador Soccer Field. The Matadors (3-14, 2-5 Big West) put six of nine shots on goal but could not find the equalizer in the match. Amanda Delgado had four saves in front of the net.

The Beach led the Matadors in the shots department, 15-9, while CSUN led in shots on goal at 6-5. Long Beach State would hold a 9-0 advantage in corner kicks. A total of 16 fouls were committed in the match with seven whistled on the Matadors.

FIRST HALF
Neither side recorded a shot until the 11th minute when Lena Silano missed a shot wide for the Beach. CSUN's first attempt came five minutes later as Kacie Garrity put a shot on frame before goalkeeper Morgan Houston-Shepherd made a clean save. The Matadors nearly took a one-goal lead in the 20th minute after an attack from Cindy Arteaga. Taking a shot above the box, Arteaga managed to hit the crossbar as the ball bounced inside the box but the Beach cleared the ball away to keep the game scoreless.

The Beach doubled up the Matadors in shots in the first half at 10-5 and their pressure on the offensive end would lead to scoring opportunities. After Delgado saved an attempt from Silano, Aleea Caceras had her shot blocked then Kaylee Ramirez missed wide. Following a Beach foul in the 27th minute, the Matadors committed a turnover, which led to a long pass from Ramirez to Silano down the left side of the field. Silano dribbled the ball and brought Delgado off her line leading to a cross to Kayla Cannon for a goal inside the six-yard line. The Matadors would get a pair of looks late in the half but Houston-Shepherd saved each attempt.

SECOND HALF
The Beach posted the first five shots of the second half with one on goal but the Matadors withstood each attempt. CSUN finally regained possession and picked up a shot in the 68th minute on a deep attempt from Christiane Sundstrom before goalkeeper Zora Standifer made a save. Managing the clock, Long Beach State continued to play the ball on the Matadors' side of the field, earning seven corner kicks in the second period.

Arteaga would miss from on top of the box in the 85th minute before CSUN earned a pair of free kicks on the Beach's side of the field late in the contest. In the final seconds, a Beach foul led to one last attempt from the Matadors from nearly 30 yards from the goal. Sydney Gilbert kicked the ball toward the net but Standifer reached up and stopped the attempt as the last remaining seconds ticked off the clock.

GAME NOTES
Delgado, Gilbert, Cora Willcot, Sophie Yanez, Kimberly Anderson, Sadie Armijo and Briana Rios all were honored in a Senior Night pre-game ceremony and each started in the match.

Arteaga finished with a team-high three shots while six other Matadors recorded a shot apiece. Gilbert, Garrity and Gabriela Robles all played the full 90 minutes.

Delgado moved into a fifth-place tie with Cynthia Tafoya (2012-15) on the career matches played list with her 43rd appearance in goal on Thursday. Currently at 3,840 minutes played in goal over her career, Delgado would also pass Tafoya for fifth on the all-time minutes played list by playing in 40 more minutes this season.

UP NEXT
CSUN concludes its homestand with a Sunday night match against UC Irvine. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. on ESPN+ with Ghizal Hasan on the call.

#UniteTheValley

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Team Stats

Cindy Arteaga

Ashley Cruz

Sydney Gilbert

Ashly Torres

Players Mentioned

Kimberly Anderson

Sadie Armijo

Cindy Arteaga

Amanda Delgado

Kacie Garrity

Sydney Gilbert

Briana Rios

Gabriela Robles

Christiane Sundstrom

Cora Willcot

Sophie Yanez