CSUN Faces UCSB in the Big West Semifinals on Thursday

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---No. 1 seed CSUN begins play at the Big West Women's Soccer Championship with a semifinal match against No. 5 seed UC Santa Barbara on Thursday evening at Matador Soccer Field. Kickoff is set for 7:05 p.m. with Cooper Hopkins and Darren Preston on the call on ESPN+.

The winner of the Matadors and Gauchos will advance to the Big West Championship final on Sunday at 1 p.m. In the other semifinal match on Thursday, No. 2 seed Cal Poly and No. 3 Cal State Fullerton play for a spot in championship as well, beginning at 4 p.m. inside Matador Soccer Field.

FOR STARTERS
CSUN is coming off a banner season, winning their second Big West regular season championship in team history and first since 2016. With the regular season title win, the Matadors earned a No. 1 seed and a bye into the Big West semifinals along with the opportunity to host the semifinal and championship rounds at Matador Soccer Field. This year marks the second time in school history the Matadors will host the final two rounds of the league championship, after previously hosting in 2017.

RETURN TO THE TOP OF THE BIG WEST
CSUN's drive to the top of the Big West comes two years removed from finishing in last place in the league and with one total victory in 2023. After hiring head coach Gina Brewer and her staff over that offseason, CSUN made a jump in 2024, improving on its win total by four games and nearly making the Big West Championship last season. Picked to finish ninth in the Big West prior to this season, Brewer has led CSUN to a three-win improvement from 2024 along with an impressive 6-1-3 mark in Big West play, which tied the school record for conference wins.

MATADORS AT THE BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIP
The Matadors make their return to the postseason and the Big West Championship for the first time since 2019. Overall, CSUN has earned 10 trips to the Big West Championship since joining the league in 2001, while its the first time the Matadors are playing in the tournament since the field expanded to six teams. In team history, CSUN has won the tournament title once, winning the Big West crown in 2012 and punching its first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament that season. CSUN's last trip to the Big West Championship included a berth into the championship game where they fell to Cal State Fullerton in 2019.

DEFENDING THE NET
CSUN's climb to the top of the Big West came on the back of a stifling defense that was among the best in the conference. The Matadors were fourth in the Big West in goals-against-average at 0.79 to go with nine shutouts. Seven of those nine shutouts came in Big West play and consecutively, as the Matadors tied their program record for the most clean sheets in a row. Against league foes, CSUN surrendered just four goals in 10 contests, tying Cal State Fullerton for the least amount of goals allowed. Overall, CSUN gave up one goal or fewer in 15 of 19 total games along with just five goals in the second halves of games.

ALL-BIG WEST ACCOLADES
The postseason awards poured in for the Big West regular season champion Matadors on Nov. 1. Five CSUN players were placed on the All-Big West Team, highlighted by First-Team selections for midfielder Paige Califf and defender Sydney Lipkin. The duo of goalkeeper Riley Liebsack and forward Cailey Jackson were honored with Second Team honors while defender Alex Valente earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team. Head coach Gina Brewer also received Big West Coach of the Year accolades, the first of her career.

Califf was the Matador leader in goals in Big West play, scoring three times while she finished with eight total points in the regular season. Lipkin would help anchor the Matador backline at center back, starting all 19 matches and playing the third-most minutes on the team at 1,688. Liebsack finished second in the Big West with nine shutouts and fourth in saves (68) and goals-against-average (0.79) in playing every minute in front of the net. Up front, Jackson was the Matadors' leading scorer with a career-high five goals as she ranked third in the Big West in shots (56), sixth in points (13) and eighth in goals scored. Valente played the second-most minutes on the backline as a true freshman this season, racking up 1,698 out of a possible 1,710 minutes in helping CSUN become a dominant defensive team.

LAST TIME OUT
CSUN earned the Big West regular season championship with a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Long Beach State in the regular season finale on Oct. 30 at Matador Soccer Field. The win was CSUN's first in comeback fashion this season. The Beach led 1-0 at halftime before CSUN roared back, first tying the game in the 50th minute when Lia Peterson scored off a feed from Cassidy Imperial-Pham. The Matadors then hit the go-ahead goal in the 75th minute on a Jordyn Canister strike via a pass from Yasmin Azar. CSUN's defense would hold on the rest of the way in securing the victory. Canister's goal was her third of the season while Peterson netted her second.

SCOUTING UC SANTA BARBARA
The Gauchos are 13-4-4 overall, going 5-2-3 in the Big West this season, as they look to repeat as Big West champions this season. UCSB advanced to the Big West semifinals after winning on the road last Sunday at UC Irvine, 1-0, in the first round. The team comes in tied with Cal Poly for the league lead in goals scored at 29 while the Gauchos hold the third-best goals-against-average at 0.62. Olivia Howard, a first-team all-conference selection, tops the team and ranks sixth in the Big West in goals scored with six while Hayden Halscheid has scored four goals. Emily Caughey, another first-team all-conference honoree, had the game winner last week against UCI in the Big West first round. In net, Maddie Buckley is third in the Big West in goals-against average at 0.65 to go with eight shutouts.

Series History: The Gauchos and Matadors meet for the second time this season after UCSB handed CSUN its only Big West defeat on Oct. 23 by a 2-0 score. The teams have met three times in the history of the Big West Championship with CSUN winning the last meeting in 2019 on a golden goal from Alexis White while UCSB won the first two meetings (2004 and 2009). Overall, UC Santa Barbara holds a 20-11-2 edge in the all-time series.

#GoMatadors

CSUN Faces UCSB in the Big West Semifinals on Thursday

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Players Mentioned

Yasmin Azar

Paige Califf

Jordyn Canister

Cassidy Imperial-Pham

Cailey Jackson

Riley Liebsack

Sydney Lipkin

Lia Peterson

Alex Valente