CSUN Visits UC Riverside Looking to Clinch Big West Berth

FULL GAME NOTES

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Soccer looks to secure a berth in the Big West tournament this week when the Matadors visit UC Riverside on Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

WIN OR GO HOME
CSUN (4-6-7, 2-3-3 Big West) and UC Riverside (3-9-4, 3-3-2 Big West) will battle it out for an opportunity to compete in the six-team Big West Championship scheduled to start Nov. 1. The Matadors would clinch a berth in the tournament with a victory, however a tie or loss would eliminate them from postseason contention. The Highlanders need at least a tie to clinch a postseason spot. Currently eighth in The Big West standings, CSUN cannot finish higher than sixth in the conference race.

ABOUT LAST WEEK
CSUN picked up four points in The Big West race, defeating UC San Diego, 2-1, on Thursday before drawing with UC Santa Barbara, 2-2, on Saturday last week.

Jamar Ricketts lifted CSUN to a victory over the Tritons, scoring two goals including the game winner in the 85th minute. His first goal came in the opening seconds of the second half, when he took control of the first CSUN touch and went the distance for a goal. His second strike was an acrobatic attempt at the right post where he took a pass from Jorge Solorzano and in mid-air got a foot on the ball for the score. Ricketts' brace was the first of his collegiate career.

Zack Harris led the way offensively for CSUN against UC Santa Barbara, recording his first brace. Harris gave CSUN an early lead with a goal in the ninth minute, capitalizing on passes from Sebastian Fuentes and Solorzano. His second goal would be unassisted as Harris went against multiple UCSB defenders before scoring through the teeth of the defense in the 62nd minute. CSUN though could not hold off the Gauchos in the final minutes with UCSB settling for a tie on a goal in the 79th minute. In goal, Merrick Cook came up with a clutch save in the 89th minute on a laser from Alexis Ledoux.

HARRIS NAMED FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Zack Harris' first career brace against the Gauchos helped earn him Big West Freshman of the Week honors on Monday. His goals were the first of his career and each gave CSUN separate leads. Making just his third start of the season, Harris made his first start in nearly two months against UCSB as his last starting assignment came on Aug. 27 against Dayton. Harris also played a season-high 68 minutes against the Tritons on Thursday. After Merrick Cook picked up The Big West's freshman accolade on Oct. 16, the Matadors have now had two-straight players named Big West Freshman of the Week.

SENIOR SALUTE
CSUN honored a five-member senior class prior to Saturday's Senior Night game with UC Santa Barbara. Participating in the ceremony were defenders Bryan Bustamante and Michael Arrington along with midfielders AJ Johnson and Kanata Furutani. Bustamante is the lone senior to play his entire career in a Matador uniform, playing in 39 games and posting a goal with two assists. Arrington has lettered three seasons, competing in 38 games and registering one goal and three assists. Johnson, an All-Big West First Team selection in 2022, has competed in 31 games and posted one goal with two assists. Furutani has lettered two years and picked up one goal in 25 contests.

MATADORS ON THE LEADERBOARDS
Jamar Ricketts enters the week second in goals (9) on The Big West leaderboards. Ricketts also ranks second in the conference in points (21) and fourth in assists (5). Nationally, Ricketts is seventh in Division I soccer in shot accuracy (.611) and 27th in points. Also on the Big West leaderboards, Jorge Solorzano is currently in sixth in the league in goals (5) and eighth in points (13). As a team, CSUN is ranked fourth in The Big West in goals (22). Goalkeeper Cooper Wenzel remains second in the conference in saves per game (4.50) and fourth in saves (54). Defensively, the Matadors are second in the conference in saves (71).

SCOUTING UC RIVERSIDE
The Highlanders come in with a 3-9-4 overall record and 3-3-2 league mark. UCR is unbeaten in its last three matches. In last week's action, the Highlanders earned a 1-1 draw with Cal State Fullerton before winning a thrilling 2-1 decision over Cal State Bakersfield where Wes Hastings scored the game winner with eight seconds remaining. A season ago, UCR won the Big West regular season and tournament titles. Noah Lopez and Diogo Baptista have led the team with three goals apiece on the year with Lopez topping the squad with eight points. In goal, Carlos Gonzalez is ranked second in The Big West in saves with 62 to go with a 1.50 goals-against-average.

CSUN leads UC Riverside 27-8-8 in the all-time series including holding an 11-6-5 record on the road. However, UCR would knock out CSUN of the Big West semifinals with a 4-1 home victory last season. The Matadors are winless over their last four matches in Riverside with their last win coming on Oct. 19, 2016.

#GoMatadors

CSUN Visits UC Riverside Looking to Clinch Big West Berth

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Players Mentioned

Michael Arrington

Bryan Bustamante

Merrick Cook

Sebastian Fuentes

Kanata Furutani

Zack Harris

AJ Johnson

Jamar Ricketts

Jorge Solorzano

Cooper Wenzel