CSUN Visits Sacramento State Before Hosting UC Irvine in Key Big West Matches

GAME NOTES

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Soccer has reached the midway point of the Big West schedule as two more key matches await this week. The Matadors look to get back on the winning track when it travels to Sacramento State on Wednesday at 3 p.m. The week wraps up on Saturday night with a home meeting with UC Irvine at 7 p.m. Both matches will be broadcast on ESPN+.

CSUN's Saturday's match against UC Irvine will be Valley Night as all fans in attendance receive free admission.

FOR STARTERS
With five matches left in the regular season, CSUN (2-5-5, 0-2-2 Big West) is hoping to make a move up the Big West standings beginning this week. The Matadors are currently on the outside of the top six in the Big West as CSUN has two points in the conference standings. UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly and Cal State Bakersfield are in a three-way tie for first place with eight points while Cal State Fullerton is fourth with seven points, UC San Diego is fifth with six points and UC Riverside is sixth with five points. UC Davis has four points followed by UC Irvine and Sacramento State with three points each. After this week's matches, CSUN will face the top of the league over the final two weeks as the Matadors square off with UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly and Cal State Fullerton.

ABOUT LAST WEEK
CSUN played in two more close battles last week with the Matadors picking up a point in the Big West standings. On Wednesday at Matador Soccer Field, the Matadors dug a 2-0 hole to UC Davis before roaring back to even the game on goals from Marley Edwards and Jorge Solorzano to pick up a 2-2 draw. Edwards' goal came in the 43rd minute off a free kick while Solorzano hit the equalizer in the 65th minute following a pass from Zack Harris. The Matadors nearly came away with the game winner with less than 10 seconds left to play as Michael Blevins put a last second shot on frame, but the attempt was saved.

The team returned to the road last Saturday with the Matadors dropping a 2-1 heartbreaker at Cal State Bakersfield. Once again, CSUN fell behind 2-0 on a pair of Bakersfield first-half goals. Zion Wagoner finally put the Matadors on the scoreboard in the 60th minute following a corner kick. However, the Matadors could not find the equalizer down the stretch. CSUN outshot CSUB 22-12 in the match and held a 5-4 edge in shots on goal while the Matadors produced 10 of the 12 corner kicks in the match.

MATADOR LEADERS
Jorge Solorzano netted his third goal of the season last Thursday to move into a tie for the team lead with Michael Blevins. Solorzano and Blevins also have seven points to lead CSUN. Marley Edwards and Zion Wagoner became the fourth and fifth Matadors to score multiple times this season, joining Solorzano, Blevins and Deryk Jones, Jr. In all, seven Matadors have scored at least once this season. In the assists department, the quartet of Edwards, Jones, Arturo Reveles and Zack Harris have two helpers apiece. On defense, Jake Shaked is the only Matador field player to see every minute on the field with 1,080. In goal, Merrick Cook has played every minute at goalkeeper, racking up 38 saves with a 1.42 goals-against-average and two shutouts.

RANKINGS IN THE BIG WEST
The Matadors enter the week ranked second in the Big West in corner kicks (72) along with 24th in the nation in corner kicks per game (6.00). CSUN is also third in shots with 170 on the campaign. The team has moved into a sixth-place tie in goals scored with 14. On the defensive side, CSUN ranks fifth in goals allowed (17), saves (51) and goals-against-average (1.42). Individually, Jorge Solorzano checks in at third in shots with 29 while Merrick Cook ranks fifth in saves (38), saves per game (3.17) and goals-against-average (1.42).

WE PLAY CLOSE GAMES HERE
CSUN continues to play in nail biters this season with all 12 of the team's matches finishing as one-goal decisions or in a draw. Overall, CSUN holds a 2-5 record in one-goal matches, dropping its last three decisions. In addition to the seven decisions on the year, CSUN has played in five draws, two of which being scoreless draws. Going back to last season, CSUN's last 18 games have finished as a draw or by a one-goal outcome.

SCOUTING SACRAMENTO STATE
The Hornets are 4-7-2 overall with a 1-3 record in Big West play. Sacramento State is coming off a pair of road losses last week to Cal Poly (3-1) and UC San Diego (2-0). The team has gone 2-1-1 at Hornet Field on the season including picking up 2-1 win over UC Riverside in the team's only home conference match. As a team, Sacramento State is tied with CSUN for sixth in the Big West in goals scored while the team has racked up a league-high 68 saves on the defensive end. Donovan Sessoms ranks tied for fifth in the Big West in goals with five. Fernando Venegas and Hasan Alsakati each have two goals apiece as well for the Hornets. In goal, Mac Learned has seen the most time for the Hornets, tallying 64 saves, a 1.68 GAA and one shutout.

Series History: CSUN holds a 15-9-3 edge over Sacramento State in the all-time series. The teams' last 11 meetings have either been one-goal decisions or finished as draws. Last season, CSUN and Sacramento State played to a 1-1 tie at Matador Soccer Field while the Matadors picked up a 2-1 win in their last trip to Sacramento State in 2022.

SCOUTING UC IRVINE
The Anteaters have gone 4-7-1 overall with a 1-3 mark in the Big West. UC Irvine has dropped three consecutive 1-0 decisions including two last week to UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara. The team holds a 1-4 record away from Anteater Stadium on the season. Prior to facing CSUN, UCI will host Cal State Bakersfield on Wednesday. As a team, UC Irvine has scored 14 goals on the season, tying CSUN for sixth in the Big West while the team is seventh in goals allowed (18). Agaton Pourshahidi ranks fifth in the Big West in goals (5) and sixth in points (11). A total of nine Anteaters have scored at least once this season. In goal, Alex Shields has played 540 minutes in net, racking up 24 saves and a 2.00 goals-against-average.

Series History: The Matadors lead the Anteaters 28-23-6 in the all-time series. CSUN has won seven of the last nine meetings in the series after the Matadors claimed a 1-0 victory in Irvine last year. The teams battled in a close match in Northridge two seasons ago with UC Irvine picking up a 2-1 victory.

#GoMatadors

CSUN Visits Sacramento State Before Hosting UC Irvine in Key Big West Matches

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Players Mentioned

Michael Blevins

Merrick Cook

Marley Edwards

Zack Harris

Deryk Jones, Jr.

Arturo Reveles

Jake Shaked

Jorge Solorzano

Zion Wagoner