CSUN Travels to Hawai'i Before Hosting UC Davis in Big West Action

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Women's Soccer looks to stay atop the Big West standings this week as the Matadors make the trip to Hawai'i for a Thursday night matchup at 9 p.m. PT before returning to Northridge to host UC Davis on Sunday at 5 p.m. Both matches will be broadcast on ESPN+.

FOR STARTERS
Heading into the week, CSUN (5-6-3, 3-0-2 Big West) holds a share of first place in the Big West standings with UC Santa Barbara at 11 points apiece. The top five seeds in the conference are separated by just one point, as the trio of UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly each have 10 points followed by Long Beach State in sixth place with eight points. Just three games remain on the CSUN schedule after this week's matches with the Matadors set to travel to the Central Coast next week to meet UC Santa Barbara (Oct. 23) and Cal Poly (Oct. 26) -- two teams in the mix for a Big West crown.

ABOUT LAST WEEK
CSUN played just once during last week's action, defeating Cal State Bakersfield 1-0 at Matador Soccer FIeld on Sunday to stay unbeaten in Big West play. Senior Cailey Jackson led the way with eight shots including hitting the game winner in the 73rd minute off her own blocked shot. The Matador defense posted their fifth consecutive shutout in the match with senior Riley Liebsack notching three saves in the victory. The win was CSUN's third consecutive at Matador Soccer Field after the team dropped its first four home matches to begin the season.

TURNING UP THE DEFENSE
CSUN's defense has been the story through the first five matches of Big West play. The Matadors have made school history with five consecutive shutouts in conference play. Overall, CSUN has not registered five straight shutouts in any part of a season since the 2016 season when CSUN posted a team record six in a row. Over the past eight matches, CSUN has given up just two goals while opponents have managed one goal or fewer in 10 total games. In the second half of games, CSUN has been extra stingy by only allowing three all season. In the Big West, CSUN is tied for third place with seven team shutouts and fourth in goals-against-average (0.79).

JACKSON LEADING THE WAY
Senior Cailey Jackson returned back to the scoring column in CSUN's 1-0 victory over Cal State Bakersfield on Oct. 12. The goal was her first game winner of the season and third overall in her career. Jackson has now scored a career-high five goals this season while she became the 15th Matador in school history to reach 10 career goals with the strike. She currently ranks tied for third place in the Big West in goals along with fourth in shots (43) and tied for fifth in points (12). In the CSUN record book, Jackson is just two goals away from reaching the school's all-time top 10 in goals scored while she is six points away from reaching the top-10 points list.

RILEY MOVING UP THE CHARTS
Coming off her fifth consecutive shutout, senior goalkeeper Riley Liebsack has moved up to second in the Big West and 19th overall in the nation in clean sheets this season with seven total. Liebsack is also ranked fourth in the Big West in goals-against-average (0.79) and saves (54). The Matador netminder's play has moved her into several all-time CSUN top-10 charts as well. Liebsack is now ranked fifth in school history in career shutouts (10), seventh in saves (154), ninth in wins (10) and 10th in matches played in goal (33).

YOUTH MOVEMENT
CSUN has utilized a number of underclassmen in the lineup, many of whom have made major contributions. Counting redshirt sophomore Jordyn Canister, seven freshmen and sophomores have made up starting 11 for a majority of the season. Canister has already surpassed her goal total from 2024 by scoring twice. True freshman Alex Valente, sophomore Syndey Lipkin and sophomore Siena Navarra have been key members of the backline, playing the second, third and fourth-most minutes on the team. Sophomore Kayden Perigo has started 12 games, totaling an assist, and redshirt freshman Michelle Monroy has an assist over 13 games on defense. Off the bench, freshmen Lia Peterson and Jo Valdez and sophomore Yasmin Azar have each scored goals this season as well.

SCOUTING HAWAI'I
The Rainbow Wahine, the defending Big West regular season champ, are 3-5-8 overall and 1-1-4 in Big West play. In last week's games, Hawai'i knocked off Cal Poly 1-0 before playing to a 1-1 tie with UC San Diego. The Bows are currently seventh in the Big West standings with seven points, just one point back of the top six in the league. Tatum Porter tops Hawai'i with three goals, three assists and nine points followed by Amber Gilbert at two points and two assists. A total of 11 players on the team have scored goals this season. In goal, Kennedy Justin sports a 1.14 GAA with 26 saves this season. The meeting with CSUN is set to be the last conference meeting between the two teams as Hawai'i will leave the Big West next season.

Series History: CSUN leads Hawai'i 11-8-1 in the all-time series. The Rainbow Wahine have wins in three consecutive matches and five of the last six. Last season in Northridge, Hawai'i used an 81st minute goal to beat CSUN by a 1-0 score. CSUN's last win over the Bows was in 2021 by a 3-2 score.

SCOUTING UC DAVIS
The Aggies are 2-9-4 overall and 0-5-1 in Big West play. UC Davis dropped 1-0 decisions last week to UC San Diego and Long Beach State to slip into a five-game skid. Prior to meeting CSUN, UC Davis will travel to Cal State Bakersfield. Genavieve Fontes leads the Aggies with three goals and six points while Sydney Bushman has two goals and four points. Four other Aggies have also scored goals this season. Goalkeeper Cat Pieper holds a 1.08 GAA with 56 saves and three shutouts in front of the goal. This week's meeting between CSUN and UC Davis will also be their final match as Big West competitors, as the Aggies will depart the league in 2026.

Series History: CSUN and UC Davis are tied at 8-8-5 in the all-time series. The Matadors are winless over their last nine meetings with the Aggies, going 0-4-5 over that span. Last season, the Aggies eliminated the Matadors from postseason competition with a 3-0 win in Davis on the final day of the regular season. CSUN's last win in the series was a 4-0 win in 2014.

#GoMatadors

CSUN Travels to Hawai'i Before Hosting UC Davis in Big West Action

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Players Mentioned

Yasmin Azar

Jordyn Canister

Cailey Jackson

Riley Liebsack

Michelle Monroy

Siena Navarra

Kayden Perigo

Lia Peterson

Jo Valdez

Alex Valente