Saturday, November 2
Fullerton, Calif.
7:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
1
at
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Cal State Fullerton
Photo by: Connor Clark
CSUN Closes Season with 1-1 Tie at Cal State Fullerton
11/2/2024 9:48:00 PM | Men's Soccer
FULLERTON, Calif.---CSUN Men's Soccer wrapped up the 2024 season with a 1-1 draw on the road versus Cal State Fullerton at Titan Stadium. Michael Blevins netted his fourth goal of the season, tying the match in the second half.
HOW IT HAPPENED
CSUN pressured the Fullerton defense in the opening minutes of the match, producing an array of scoring opportunities out of the gate. Blevins would miss high of the net while Marley Edwards missed wide and Deryk Jones, Jr. put a shot on frame. The Matadors picked up a corner kick as well in the early going leading to an Arturo Reveles shot that was blocked. In all, CSUN took eight of the first 10 shots of the match, but the score remained deadlocked at 0-0 until late in the first half. In the key moment of the period, CSUN committed a foul above the box leading to a Fullerton free kick. The ball would be sent into a crowd inside the box where a CSUN header led to the ball finding the net for an own goal. The Matadors picked up a late corner kick but went into halftime trailing 1-0.
Cal State Fullerton led until the 63rd minute when precise passing from the Matadors produced the equalizer. Jones set up the play with a drive up the left wing before dishing off to Zion Wagoner on a give and go. Wagoner gave a touch pass back to Jones who then crossed the ball to the middle where Blevins finished with a shot from six yards that struck the netting.
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With the game tied, Fullerton quickly picked up shots from Fitz Williams and Jose de la Torre with each attempt high of the net. The teams played physical down the stretch with six yellow cards issued over the final 25-plus minutes. For CSUN, Blevins had a shot saved at the net by goalkeeper Brandon Limes while Jones missed wide right moments later. On the defensive side, Dorian Drucks stood tall defensively as he withstood a corner kick and saved two shots over the last two minutes of play. The Titans picked up a free kick with 20 seconds left above the box but could not find the net as the match finished as a draw.
NOTES OF THE GAME
ACCORDING TO COACH TERRY DAVILA
"We played the top teams in the conference at the end of the year and our team played with a lot of pride when they didn't have anything to play for. I'm very thankful for that as a coach. I'm very proud of our players and I'm thankful to the seniors for their hard work both on the field and in the classroom. This was not the year we wanted and we had unreached expectations. We'll work hard to get our team where we want it to be."
#GoMatadors
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HOW IT HAPPENED
CSUN pressured the Fullerton defense in the opening minutes of the match, producing an array of scoring opportunities out of the gate. Blevins would miss high of the net while Marley Edwards missed wide and Deryk Jones, Jr. put a shot on frame. The Matadors picked up a corner kick as well in the early going leading to an Arturo Reveles shot that was blocked. In all, CSUN took eight of the first 10 shots of the match, but the score remained deadlocked at 0-0 until late in the first half. In the key moment of the period, CSUN committed a foul above the box leading to a Fullerton free kick. The ball would be sent into a crowd inside the box where a CSUN header led to the ball finding the net for an own goal. The Matadors picked up a late corner kick but went into halftime trailing 1-0.
Cal State Fullerton led until the 63rd minute when precise passing from the Matadors produced the equalizer. Jones set up the play with a drive up the left wing before dishing off to Zion Wagoner on a give and go. Wagoner gave a touch pass back to Jones who then crossed the ball to the middle where Blevins finished with a shot from six yards that struck the netting.
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MATADOR GOOOOOOOOAAAAALLLL
— CSUN Men's Soccer (@CSUNMensSoccer) November 3, 2024
Michael Blevins finishes after the terrific passing from Deryk Jones and Zion Wagoner. All even at Fullerton. #GoMatadors pic.twitter.com/X8ZzAJXA0x
With the game tied, Fullerton quickly picked up shots from Fitz Williams and Jose de la Torre with each attempt high of the net. The teams played physical down the stretch with six yellow cards issued over the final 25-plus minutes. For CSUN, Blevins had a shot saved at the net by goalkeeper Brandon Limes while Jones missed wide right moments later. On the defensive side, Dorian Drucks stood tall defensively as he withstood a corner kick and saved two shots over the last two minutes of play. The Titans picked up a free kick with 20 seconds left above the box but could not find the net as the match finished as a draw.
NOTES OF THE GAME
- CSUN ends the season with a 2-8-7 overall record and 0-5-4 conference mark while Cal State Fullerton marches to the Big West tournament with a 7-5-7 overall record and 3-2-4 record in conference.
- Fullerton edged CSUN in shots 13-12 with a 4-3 margin in shots on goal.
- The Matadors finished with an 8-2 advantage in corner kicks.
- A total of 27 fouls and eight yellow cards were issued in the match.
- Blevins finishes the season tied with Jones for the team lead in goals. Jones and Wagoner were credited with assists on the goal.
- Drucks registered four saves in his third start in goal of the season.
ACCORDING TO COACH TERRY DAVILA
"We played the top teams in the conference at the end of the year and our team played with a lot of pride when they didn't have anything to play for. I'm very thankful for that as a coach. I'm very proud of our players and I'm thankful to the seniors for their hard work both on the field and in the classroom. This was not the year we wanted and we had unreached expectations. We'll work hard to get our team where we want it to be."
#GoMatadors
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Players Mentioned
MF
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's Soccer
F
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