CSUN Returns Home to Face Cal State Bakersfield

Sunday, October 12

Northridge, Calif.

7:00 p.m.

California State University at Northridge

Cal State Bakersfield

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Photo by: Chuck Marvel

CSUN Returns Home to Face Cal State Bakersfield

10/10/2025 10:07:00 AM | Women's Soccer

WSOC Game Notes - Oct. 9

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Women's Soccer reaches the midway point of the Big West season this weekend when it hosts Cal State Bakersfield on Sunday night. Kickoff is set for 7:05 p.m. on ESPN+ with Ghizal Hasan on the call.

FOR STARTERS
The Matadors (4-6-3, 2-0-2 Big West) enter the match in fourth place in the Big West standings at eight points while UC Santa Barbara leads the league at 11 points followed by Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine at 10 points each. CSUN is unbeaten through its four Big West matches for the first time since the 2015 season while the Matadors have not allowed a goal through their first four conference matches for the first time in team history. After this week's match, CSUN will visit Hawai'i next Thursday (Oct. 16) before making the long trip back to Northridge next Sunday to host UC Davis (Oct. 19).

ABOUT LAST WEEK
Last Sunday, CSUN played to a 0-0 draw at UC San Diego to earn its fourth consecutive shutout to open Big West play. Senior Riley Liebsack finished with a season-best eight saves in earning her sixth shutout of the season. UCSD led CSUN 20-12 in shots, but the Tritons only held a slim 9-8 edge in shots on goal. Yoshi Rubalcava and Jordyn Canister had three shots each to lead CSUN. The scoreless draw was CSUN's second in Big West play.

TURNING UP THE DEFENSE
Coming off its fourth straight shutout, CSUN has not allowed a goal through its first four conference matches for the first time in team history. Overall, CSUN has not registered four straight shutouts in any part of the season since 2016. In the last seven matches, CSUN has only yielded two goals, while prior to that stretch, CSUN had given up nine over its first six games to start 2025. Opponents have also managed one goal or fewer in nine total CSUN games this season. Particularly, CSUN has allowed only three goals in the second half of games this season and none over the past seven contests. In the Big West, CSUN ranks fourth in the league in goals-against-average (0.85) and tied for fourth place with six total shutouts.

LIEBSACK REPEATS AS BIG WEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
After earning her fourth consecutive shutout, senior goalkeeper Riley Liebsack received her second straight Big West Defensive Player of the Week award on Oct. 6. Liebsack notched eight saves and saw 20 total shots against UC San Diego on Oct. 5 as she picked up five saves in the second half to preserve a 0-0 draw. Her clean sheet against the Tritons was her sixth of the season along with her ninth overall as a Matador. On Sept. 29, Liebsack earned her first career Big West Defensive Player of the Week nod after posting a pair of shutouts and six total saves in wins over UC Irvine (1-0) and UC Riverside (2-0). Liebsack is the first CSUN repeat winner of the Big West's weekly defensive honor since Hayden Mauldin in 2023. Overall, Liebsack has won four conference defensive player of the week awards in her career as she was a two-time winner of the Mountain West's award as a member of UNLV from 2021-22.

JACKSON LEADING THE WAY
Senior Cailey Jackson has emerged as the Matadors' breakout scorer this season. She has already tied a career high in goals with four, highlighted by her scoring in three consecutive matches from Aug. 28 to Sept. 4. Jackson is currently tied for seventh place in the Big West in goals along with fourth in shots (35) and tied for fifth place in points (10). With one more goal, Jackson would become the 15th Matador in school history to record 10 career goals.

RILEY MOVING UP THE CHARTS
With her exceptional work in front of the goal, Riley Liebsack has moved her way up several all-time CSUN top-10 charts in school history. The Matador netminder is now tied for seventh in team history in both saves (151) and shutouts (9). She is also in sole possession of seventh place on the all-time minutes played in goal list (2,880) and ranks 10th in wins (9) and matches played in goal (32). On the season, Liebsack is ranked second in the Big West in shutouts (6), third in saves (51) and fourth in goals-against-average (0.85).

SCOUTING CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD
The Roadrunners are 5-6-2 overall this season with a 2-2-1 mark in Big West play. On Thursday, the Roadrunner knocked off Long Beach State by a 2-1 score. A year ago, CSUB advanced to the Big West championship game before falling on penalty kicks to UC Santa Barbara. As a team, CSUB ranks fifth in the Big West in goals-against-average (1.00) and sixth in goals scored (17). Nine 'Runners have scored this season with the quartet of Natalie O'Sullivan, Cynthia Ramirez, Isis Salazar-Ortega and Sara Ybarra scoring a team-best three times each. Goalkeeper Kamy Anaya sports a 1.00 goals-against-average with 53 saves and two shutouts on the season.

Series History: CSUN leads Bakersfield 7-3-1 in the all-time series with wins over the past two meetings. Last season, the Matadors pulled out a 2-1 win in Bakersfield after an 87th minute go-ahead goal from Cailey Jackson.

#GoMatadors