CSUN Kicks Off 30th Season of Women's Soccer This Week

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN officially opens its 30th season of women's soccer this week with a pair of road tests. The Matadors travel to Saint Mary's in the 2025 season opener on Thursday at 5 p.m. on ESPN+ before squaring off with San José State on Sunday at noon on the Mountain West Network.

FOR STARTERS
CSUN kicks off its 19-game regular season schedule this week along with a nine-game non-conference schedule. After opening week in Northern California, CSUN opens its home slate of matches, beginning with a season-high three-match homestand at Matador Soccer Field. The 2025 home opener is set versus Grand Canyon on Thursday, Aug. 21. The Matadors are also slated to face California Baptist (Aug. 24) and Utah Tech (Aug. 28) during the homestand.

LAST TIME OUT
The fall schedule began on Aug. 7 with CSUN defeating Trinity Western University (Canada) by a 2-1 score in an exhibition match at Matador Soccer Field. Cailey Jackson put the Matadors on the scoreboard in the 10th-minute of play with a second-chance goal after Yasmin Azar put a shot on frame. Minutes later, Yoshi Rubalcava scored what would be the game winner via a free kick. Riley Liebsack and Kennedy Williams had two saves each in 45 minutes apiece at goalkeeper.

RUBALCAVA EARNS PRESEASON HONORS, CSUN PICKED TO FINISH NINTH
Senior midfielder Yoshi Rubalcava earned a spot on the 11-member Big West Preseason Coaches' Team on Aug. 7. Rubalcava played a career-high 19 matches last season, making 17 starts, and topped CSUN with five goals and 12 points on 29 shots. She also earned an All-Big West Honorable Mention for the first time in her career in 2024. In the 2025 Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll, CSUN received 27 points, which tied with Cal State Bakersfield for ninth place, while Hawai'i was picked to repeat as Big West champions followed by UC Santa Barbara in second place and UC Irvine in third.

TEAM OUTLOOK

CSUN returns a good portion of its squad from last season as 16 letterwinners and two redshirts return, paired with 13 newcomers. A total of eight returners made 10 or more starts last season while six Matadors who scored at least once return to the team. In all, 14 of the team's 15 goals last season were recorded by returning players.
A total of four returning Matadors received Big West accolades last season with seniors Yoshi Rubalcava and Cailey Jackson and junior Paige Califf receiving an All-Big West Honorable Mention. Returning sophomore Kayden Perigo was placed on the Big West All-Freshman Team in 2024.
Rubalcava led CSUN and ranked seventh in the Big West with her career-best five goals last season while she added two assists. Jackson started a career-high 19 matches in 2024, posting a personal-high four goals, two assists and 10 points. Califf helped anchor the Matador backline by starting all 19 matches and picking up an assist with 20 shots. Perigo turned heads in her freshman season by playing in 18 matches, starting 17 of them, and scoring twice with one assist.
Other returning goal scorers include senior Cassidy Imperial-Pham, who has a goal scored in each of her three seasons with the team, along with sophomore Jordyn Canister, who led CSUN with 37 shots and picked up a goal with one assist in 2024. Senior Jackie Victorio also found the net last season and appeared in 18 contests.
In goal, senior Riley Liebsack played every minute last season and recorded 100 saves, becoming the first Matador to reach the century mark in saves since Cynthia Jacobo in 2012. Junior Kennedy Williams, who last played in 2023, returns as well in goal for CSUN.
On defense, senior Sami Kolin was one of five to start all 19 matches in 2024, while sophomore Syndey Lipkin started 11 of 18 matches as a true freshman.
Among the newcomers, sophomore forward Yasmin Azar looks to make an immediate impact in her first season at CSUN. Azar played in 13 matches as a true freshman with Coastal Carolina in 2024.
Sophomore defender Siena Navarra is another transfer on the team this season. Navarra played with Long Beach State last season, making 12 appearances and producing three shots.
True freshmen on the roster this season include goalkeeper Isabella Andrino, defenders Jordyn Sobczak and Alex Valente, midfielders Zaina Barakat, Ariana Lopez-Angel, Lia Peterson and Alena Ramirez, and forwards Veronica Toscano, Jo Valdez and Ariah Velazquez.

A LOOK BACK AT 2024
After they were picked to finish last in the Big West, the Matadors played for a postseason spot until the final day of the 2024 regular season, eventually finishing with a 5-11-3 overall record and a 3-4-3 Big West record. The Matadors would finish one game out of a playoff spot while showing significant progress in head coach Gina Brewer's first season at the helm. CSUN improved its win total by four games from the previous season and sported the program's most conference wins (3), conference points (12) and best save percentage (.876) since the 2019 season.

ABOUT SAINT MARY'S
The Gaels were 7-7-4 overall and 4-3-3 in the WCC last season. After the team finished tied for seventh in the WCC last season, Saint Mary's was selected to finish seventh again in the conference's preseason poll. The squad returns 25 players from last season's roster including all-conference honorees Sydney Middaugh and Savannah Schwarze. Middaugh had team's second-most goals last season with four to go with three assists while Schwarze had four assists a year ago. Goalie Kate Plachy posted 56 saves and a 1.25 goals-against-average in 17 appearances in 2024.

Series History: CSUN makes its first trip to Moraga to face Saint Mary's since 2008 when the Matadors earned a 2-1 victory. The teams have played just twice overall in women's soccer with each side posting one win.

ABOUT SAN JOSÉ STATE
The Spartans went 1-13-5 overall and 1-7-3 in the Mountain West in 2024, but San José State sports a vastly different look this season with 23 newcomers on the roster. Newcomers Taejah Aitken (Vanier College), Paige Fry (Sam Houston State) and Leilani White (Mt. SAC) were each named to the Mountain West Women's Soccer Watch List for this season. Lillyana Rodriguez is one of five returners on the team as she is coming off a 2024 season where she hit the back of the net. Prior to facing CSUN, SJSU will visit nationally-ranked Santa Clara on Thursday.

Series History: The Matadors and San José State have played four matches all-time in women's soccer with the Spartans holding a slim 2-1-1 edge. The teams last played in 2016 in a scoreless draw at Matador Soccer Field.

#GoMatadors

CSUN Kicks Off 30th Season of Women's Soccer This Week

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Players Mentioned

Isabella Andrino

Yasmin Azar

Zaina Barakat

Paige Califf

Jordyn Canister

Cassidy Imperial-Pham

Cailey Jackson

Sami Kolin

Riley Liebsack

Ariana Lopez-Angel

Siena Navarra

Kayden Perigo

Lia Peterson

Alena Ramirez

Yoshi Rubalcava

Jordyn Sobczak

Veronica Toscano

Jo Valdez

Alex Valente

Ariah Velazquez

Jackie Victorio

Kennedy Williams