Sunday, September 29
Irvine, Calif.
1:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
3-8-1, 1-1-1
1
at
2
UC Irvine
3-4-3, 1-0-1
1
2
F
CSUN
1
0
1
UC Irvine
2
0
2
Photo by: Connor Clark
CSUN Drops Hard-Fought 2-1 Decision at UC Irvine
9/29/2024 3:28:00 PM | Women's Soccer
IRVINE, Calif.---CSUN Women's Soccer gave the defending Big West champion UC Irvine a battle but fell just short in a 2-1 loss on Sunday afternoon and Anteater Stadium. Freshman Kayden Perigo netted her first career goal in the first half of the match.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
The Anteaters struck first in the sixth minute of play. Mihaela Perez set up the play with a pass from UCI's half of the field. The pass went up ahead to a streaking Laila El Behery who took a dribble and sent a shot past Riley Liebsack for the game's first goal. CSUN though had a quick response and secured the equalizer six minutes later. On the play, the Matadors made a drive up the left side of the field where Yoshi Rubalcava sent a pass ahead to Perigo. Goalkeeper Ashley Naylor attempted to stop Perigo's drive, but the Matador freshman made a move past Naylor and finished into an open net to even the match at 1-1.
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The game remained tied until the 30th minute when UCI capitalized on a free kick. Desiree Mendoza took the kick and found the left corner of the net from about 20 yards for a 2-1 lead. In the closing minutes of the first half, Liebsack made a pair of tough saves, one of which off her foot on a close-range shot from Chifumi Sasaki. Cailey Jackson also had a quality look for CSUN with less than 10 seconds remaining, but the UCI defense made a timely block to keep the score at 2-1.
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After intermission, Perigo was whistled for a pair of yellow yards, forcing the Matadors to continue the match a player down over the last 28:48. CSUN though continued to battle down the stretch. The Matador defense held the Anteaters off the scoreboard in the second period, only allowing four shots while blocking three of those attempts. CSUN pressured the UCI defense in the remaining minutes, eventually gaining possession in UCI's box and leading to a handball violation with 4:48 left to play. Paige Califf took the penalty shot but Naylor stopped the low shot to keep UCI ahead. In a scramble in the closing seconds, Jordyn Canister had a brief look at the goal before Naylor broke up the play to secure the Anteater win.
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NOTES OF THE GAME
ACCORDING TO COACH GINA BREWER
"Today's game was a tale of two halves. We had a slow start in the first half but played much better in the second half. The team gave everything and really battled when we went down to 10 [players]. It's unfortunate we couldn't come away with the draw, but we are happy the team gave it their all in the end. We will regroup and get ready for our next game on Thursday versus Hawai'i."
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UP NEXT
CSUN returns to Matador Soccer Field next Thursday, Oct. 3 to take on Hawai'i. Kickoff is set for 7:05 p.m. on ESPN+ with Ghizal Hasan on the call.
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#GoMatadors
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HOW IT HAPPENED
The Anteaters struck first in the sixth minute of play. Mihaela Perez set up the play with a pass from UCI's half of the field. The pass went up ahead to a streaking Laila El Behery who took a dribble and sent a shot past Riley Liebsack for the game's first goal. CSUN though had a quick response and secured the equalizer six minutes later. On the play, the Matadors made a drive up the left side of the field where Yoshi Rubalcava sent a pass ahead to Perigo. Goalkeeper Ashley Naylor attempted to stop Perigo's drive, but the Matador freshman made a move past Naylor and finished into an open net to even the match at 1-1.
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ÂCSUN GOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLL
— CSUN Women's Soccer (@CSUNWSoccer) September 29, 2024
After UCI takes the lead, Kayden Perigo hits the equalizer! 1st career goal for the freshman.#GoMatadors pic.twitter.com/Ds8BaQzJMk
The game remained tied until the 30th minute when UCI capitalized on a free kick. Desiree Mendoza took the kick and found the left corner of the net from about 20 yards for a 2-1 lead. In the closing minutes of the first half, Liebsack made a pair of tough saves, one of which off her foot on a close-range shot from Chifumi Sasaki. Cailey Jackson also had a quality look for CSUN with less than 10 seconds remaining, but the UCI defense made a timely block to keep the score at 2-1.
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After intermission, Perigo was whistled for a pair of yellow yards, forcing the Matadors to continue the match a player down over the last 28:48. CSUN though continued to battle down the stretch. The Matador defense held the Anteaters off the scoreboard in the second period, only allowing four shots while blocking three of those attempts. CSUN pressured the UCI defense in the remaining minutes, eventually gaining possession in UCI's box and leading to a handball violation with 4:48 left to play. Paige Califf took the penalty shot but Naylor stopped the low shot to keep UCI ahead. In a scramble in the closing seconds, Jordyn Canister had a brief look at the goal before Naylor broke up the play to secure the Anteater win.
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NOTES OF THE GAME
- Â CSUN drops to 3-8-1 overall with a 1-1-1 Big West record while UC Irvine improves to 3-4-3 overall and 1-0-1 in conference.
- The Anteaters led in shots 10-6 with a 6-2 edge in shots on goal.
- UCI also had a slim advantage in corner kicks, 4-3.
- Perigo is the fifth Matador to score a goal in 2024 while Rubalcava earned earned her second assist of the year.
- Liebsack finished with four saves in goal on the day.
- Califf had a team-high three shot attempts with one on goal.
ACCORDING TO COACH GINA BREWER
"Today's game was a tale of two halves. We had a slow start in the first half but played much better in the second half. The team gave everything and really battled when we went down to 10 [players]. It's unfortunate we couldn't come away with the draw, but we are happy the team gave it their all in the end. We will regroup and get ready for our next game on Thursday versus Hawai'i."
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UP NEXT
CSUN returns to Matador Soccer Field next Thursday, Oct. 3 to take on Hawai'i. Kickoff is set for 7:05 p.m. on ESPN+ with Ghizal Hasan on the call.
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#GoMatadors
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Team Stats
CSUN
UCI
Goals
1
2
Shots
6
10
Shots on Goal
2
6
Saves
4
1
Corners
3
4
Fouls
16
12
Scoring Plays
Laila El Behery (4)
Assisted By: Mihaela Perez , Ivy Williams
long ball from 21, 9 behind defender, outside of foot from 15 yards inside far post
05:16
Kayden Perigo (1)
Assisted By: Yoshi Rubalcava
16 feed ahead, 9 1v1, around keeper, into empty net
11:19
Desiree Mendoza (1)
upper 90 left corner set piece from 40 yards
29:42
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
3
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
D
/ Women's Soccer
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/ Women's SoccerF
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