CSUN Hosts UC Santa Barbara to Conclude 2021 Saturday

Men's Soccer Notebook

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.—CSUN concludes the 2021 season Saturday night when the Matadors host Big West leader UC Santa Barbara at 7 p.m.

The first 100 fans will receive a free CSUN t-shirt. Coverage will be available on ESPN+ with Ghizal Hasan and Alex Naveja on GoMatadors.com/radio.

The Matador Senior Class comprised of Giovanni Aguilar, John Andersen, Esteban Camacho, Kris Fourcand, Brendan Hildreth, Khalid Hunter, David Preys, and Maximillan Yanakaev will be honored in a ceremony prior to first kick.

Aguilar was named to the 2017 Big West Conference All-Freshmen Team and was a two-time honorable mention All-Conference selection. Aguilar leads the Matadors in every major offensive category this season with three goals, three assists, and nine points.

Andersen will earn his fourth letter for the Matadors. Camacho and Fourcand will become two-time CSUN letterwinners after beginning their collegiate careers at Cerritos College (Camacho) and Loyola Marymount (Fourcand).

Hildreth and Hunter have been hampered by injuries in their career, but both will become multi-year letterwinners (Hildreth-4, Hunter-3). Preys was selected to 2019 Big West All-Freshmen Team. Yanakaev will earn his fourth letter for the Matador upon the conclusion of the 2021 campaign.

Due to the loss at UC Irvine last Saturday, the Matadors (3-13-1, 2-5-1) were eliminated from Big West Tournament contention and will miss the post season for the first time since 2014. UCSB can lock down the No. 1 seed in the Big West Tournament with a win or tie. If UCSB loses and UC Irvine wins, it will come down to the second tiebreaker which the Gauchos hold over the Anteaters.

UC Santa Barbara is the league leader with a 6-0-2 Big West mark. The Gauchos are 10-3-4 overall. UCSB is ranked 30th in the College Soccer News Top 30 and are receiving 11 votes in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25.

Finn Ballard McBride is the Big West leader in goals (8) and points (22). His six assists tied with three others for the conference lead. He is 54th in Division I in points per game (1.29). Goalie Leroy Zeller is the NCAA Division I leader in minutes played (1656:31). He is second in the Big West in goals against average (0.87). Zeller is second in the league in saves and is 17th in Division I in the category (63).

This is the 49th meeting between CSUN and UCSB with the Gauchos leading the all-time series 27-16-3. UC Santa Barbara is 5-0-1 against the Matadors dating back to Nov. 15, 2013, when CSUN defeated UCSB 3-2 in the semifinals of the Big West Tournament.

~#UniteTheValley~

CSUN Hosts UC Santa Barbara to Conclude 2021 Saturday

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Players Mentioned

Giovanni Aguilar

John Andersen

Esteban Camacho

Kris Fourcand

Brendan Hildreth

Khalid Hunter

David Preys