CSUN Opens Big West Play Hosting UC Riverside, Visiting UC San Diego

Wednesday, October 2

Northridge, Calif.

7:00 p.m.

California State University at Northridge

UC Riverside

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Photo by: Chuck Marvel

CSUN Opens Big West Play Hosting UC Riverside, Visiting UC San Diego

10/1/2024 9:29:00 AM | Men's Soccer

GAME NOTES

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Soccer opens Big West play this week beginning with a Wednesday match with UC Riverside at Matador Soccer Field. The Matadors wrap up the week with a road meeting at UC San Diego on Saturday night. Both matches will start at 7 p.m. and broadcast on ESPN+.

FOR STARTERS
CSUN closed non-conference play with a 2-3-3 overall record. The team has been accustomed to close matches this season as all five of those decisions have been one-goal games. The Matadors' two wins in 2024 have come against then nationally-ranked LMU and Santa Clara, both of by 2-1 scores while CSUN's two draws have been versus NCAA Tournament teams from 2023.

BIG WEST OPENERS
Since joining the Big West in 2001, CSUN is 13-6-3 in conference openers. The Matadors dropped their Big West opener last season against Cal State Fullerton in a high-scoring 5-4 match, but two seasons ago, CSUN opened with UC Riverside and picked up a 1-0 victory. Overall, CSUN has begun league action at home in each of the past four seasons dating back to 2019, while going 2-2 in those matches.

ABOUT LAST WEEK
CSUN wrapped up non-conference play last Friday on the road in a 4-3 loss at Seattle U. The Matadors would storm out to a 2-0 lead, scoring on their first two shot attempts of the game. Zion Wagoner recorded his first career goal to open up the scoring while Deryk Jones, Jr. made it a 2-0 game in the 32nd minute. The Redhawks roared back though with a late-first half goal and three more goals to start the second half. CSUN trailed 4-2 until the 77th minute when Michael Blevins hit his second goal of the season via a header to pull the Matadors to within one. A late comeback though was not in the cards as Seattle U controlled the clock to collect the win. Goalkeeper Merrick Cook tied a career-high in saves with six in the match.

MATADOR LEADERS
After finding the back of the net last Friday at Seattle U, Deryk Jones, Jr. and Michael Blevins moved into a three-way tie with Jorge Solorzano for the team lead in goals with two. Jones has also climbed into the team lead in points with six followed closely by Solorzano and Blevins with five points apiece. Marley Edwards, who has four points, is tied with Jones for first on the team with two assists. In the shot department, Solorzano still paces the team with 16 and five shots on goal. Both key defensive additions to the lineup this season, Jake Shaked and Siddiq Lezzar are one and two in minutes played at 720 and 706, respectively.

ON DEFENSE
Despite giving up a season-high four goals last Friday against Seattle U, CSUN still remains in the top half of the conference in several defensive categories. The Matadors are tied for third in the league with two shutouts while they rank fourth in save percentage (.732) and saves (33) and fifth in goals-against-average (1.38). Merrick Cook has posted 30 saves, which ranks fourth in the Big West while he sports two clean sheets and the 1.38 GAA.

OFFENSE PICKING UP
CSUN has begun to find the net with more regularity in recent matches after beginning the season with two goals over its first four contests. Over the past two games, the Matadors have tallied five goals with four different players scoring goals. Going back two more games, CSUN has scored eight times over the past four contests to bring its season total to 10. The Matadors are currently tied for seventh in the league in the goal department.

SCOUTING UC RIVERSIDE
The Highlanders come in with a 2-4-1 overall record after beginning the season at 0-3. UCR ended non-conference play with a 0-0 tie with California Baptist. The team has played the last four matches on the road as the UCR holds a 2-2-1 mark away from home. Prior to the season, the Highlanders were picked to finish seventh in the Big West. The duo of Luka Lukic and Noah Lopez have accounted for six of UCR's seven goals this season with each player scoring three. Lukic has a slight edge in the point department with a team-high seven while Edward Castro leads the Highlanders with three assists. In goal, Carlos Gonzalez has played every minute and tallied 26 assists with a 1.86 GAA and two consecutive shutouts.

Series History: CSUN leads 27-8-9 over UC Riverside in the all-time series. The teams played to a 0-0 draw in Riverside to close the 2023 season. Two seasons ago, UCR knocked out CSUN in the Big West semifinals in a 4-1 decision. The Matadors have won the last six home meetings with UC Riverside, all of which were one-goal decisions including the last four matches by 1-0 scores.

SCOUTING UC SAN DIEGO
The Tritons are 1-4-4 on the year after playing to a 1-1 tie against Navy last week. UCSD's lone win of the season came at home in a 3-0 victory over Air Force while the team sports a 1-3-1 record at Triton Soccer Stadium. Prior to taking on CSUN, UCSD travels to UC Santa Barbara on Thursday night. Picked to finish eighth in the league prior to the season, UCSD is in its first season of postseason eligibility. The quartet of Max Carvalho, Kai Oppenheim, Andrew Valverde and Evan Wellerstein have a team-high two goals each this season while Carvalho and Oppenheim have six points apiece. As a team, UCSD is tied for fourth in the Big West with 13 goals. In net, Nolan Premack owns a 1.67 GAA with 40 saves and one shutout.

Series History: CSUN leads the all-time series with UC San Diego 5-0. The Matadors defeated the Tritons 2-1 in last season's meeting in Northridge while CSUN won the previous two matches by 1-0 decisions each.

#GoMatadors