Saturday, October 14
Irvine, Calif.
6:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
1
at
0
UC Irvine
Photo by: Chuck Marvel
Ricketts' Goal in the 89th Lifts CSUN to 1-0 Win at UC Irvine
10/14/2023 8:37:00 PM | Men's Soccer
IRVINE, Calif.---Playing a man down for most of the night, CSUN defeated UC Irvine 1-0 on Saturday evening at Anteater Stadium. Jamar Ricketts hit the game winner with a strike in the 89th minute while freshman Merrick Cook notched his first career shutout.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
CSUN gave UC Irvine a battle for 90 minutes in a defensive struggle. The Matadors recorded one shot on goal in the first half on an attempt from Jorge Solorzano in the 33rd minute. Merrick Cook would see four attempts from the Anteaters, saving one ball in the opening 45 minutes. Near the end of the half, CSUN would receive a red card, forcing the Matadors to play a man down for the final 47-plus minutes.
Despite the circumstances, CSUN returned into the second half ready to take the lead. Facing 11 shots, Cook picked up two of his four saves early in the second half and would come up big down the stretch. CSUN's defense blocked three UCI shots in the final minutes of the contest while Cook made an impressive two-handed save in the 84th minute. Finally, in the 88th minute, Jamar Ricketts flew through the Anteater defense, going half of the length of the field, and sunk the ball into the center of the net to break the scoreless tie. CSUN blocked one final shot with 11 seconds left to secure the win.
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NOTES OF THE GAME
"Going down a man and getting the result end of game, shows the perseverance of this team. We've been close the last two games and I'm proud to get this result. We worked very hard, and we earned it, not all games are beautiful, not all games are won with beautiful offense. This is a gritty game and with a team that just executed at the end of the game and fought out three points. I'm very proud to get our first three points in the Big West."
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JAMAR RICKETTS ON HIS GAME WINNER
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MERRICK COOK ON HIS FIRST CAREER SHUTOUT
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UP NEXT
CSUN comes home for its next conference match against UC San Diego on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m.
#GoMatadors
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ÂJamar Ricketts flies through UC Irvine's defense and scores!
— CSUN Men's Soccer (@CSUNMensSoccer) October 15, 2023
The Matadors take the lead, 1-0! #gomatadors pic.twitter.com/wWWEmzaTPN
HOW IT HAPPENED
CSUN gave UC Irvine a battle for 90 minutes in a defensive struggle. The Matadors recorded one shot on goal in the first half on an attempt from Jorge Solorzano in the 33rd minute. Merrick Cook would see four attempts from the Anteaters, saving one ball in the opening 45 minutes. Near the end of the half, CSUN would receive a red card, forcing the Matadors to play a man down for the final 47-plus minutes.
Despite the circumstances, CSUN returned into the second half ready to take the lead. Facing 11 shots, Cook picked up two of his four saves early in the second half and would come up big down the stretch. CSUN's defense blocked three UCI shots in the final minutes of the contest while Cook made an impressive two-handed save in the 84th minute. Finally, in the 88th minute, Jamar Ricketts flew through the Anteater defense, going half of the length of the field, and sunk the ball into the center of the net to break the scoreless tie. CSUN blocked one final shot with 11 seconds left to secure the win.
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NOTES OF THE GAME
- CSUN earned its first conference win of the season, improving to 3-6-6 overall and 1-3-2 in league play. UC Irvine slips to 5-6-3 overall and 2-3-1 in Big West action.
- Merrick Cook made four saves total in earning his first career shutout while Jamar Ricketts scored his sixth goal of the season.
- Ricketts and Zack Harris led the shot amount for CSUN, both having two.
- UC Irvine led CSUN 15-6 while having a 4-3 edge in shots on goal.
- UCI also led 4-2 in corner kicks.
"Going down a man and getting the result end of game, shows the perseverance of this team. We've been close the last two games and I'm proud to get this result. We worked very hard, and we earned it, not all games are beautiful, not all games are won with beautiful offense. This is a gritty game and with a team that just executed at the end of the game and fought out three points. I'm very proud to get our first three points in the Big West."
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Head coach Terry Davila on tonight's big win at UC Irvine.#GoMatadors pic.twitter.com/ujYMLKzxjf
— CSUN Men's Soccer (@CSUNMensSoccer) October 15, 2023
JAMAR RICKETTS ON HIS GAME WINNER
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Jamar Ricketts on tonight's win and his game winner.#GoMatadors pic.twitter.com/s90iokC9up
— CSUN Men's Soccer (@CSUNMensSoccer) October 15, 2023
MERRICK COOK ON HIS FIRST CAREER SHUTOUT
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Freshman Merrick Cook on his first career shutout tonight.#GoMatadors pic.twitter.com/StYYvIBh3w
— CSUN Men's Soccer (@CSUNMensSoccer) October 15, 2023
UP NEXT
CSUN comes home for its next conference match against UC San Diego on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m.
#GoMatadors
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Players Mentioned
GK
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MF
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MF
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