Thursday, August 21
Northridge, Calif.
7:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
1-1-1, 0-0-0
0
vs
1
Grand Canyon
1-1-0, 0-0-0
1
2
F
Grand Canyon
0
1
1
CSUN
0
0
0
Photo by: Bella A Enriquez
CSUN Drops 1-0 Decision to GCU in Home Opener
8/21/2025 9:30:00 PM | Women's Soccer
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---A goal in the 55th minute proved to be the difference in CSUN Women's Soccer's 1-0 defeat to Grand Canyon on Thursday at Matador Soccer Field. Senior Riley Liebsack finished with three saves in front of the goal while senior Yoshi Rubalcava led the way with four shots.Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
GCU started out quickly, putting a shot on frame off the kickoff from midfield. From there, the Lopes had a shot blocked from inside the box, leading to a near goal from Ellie Johannes that hit the crossbar, all of which in the first 90 seconds of the match. Moments later, Rubalcava deposited a shot that was saved by Emma Knack in the third minute. GCU would earn four of its eight total corner kicks in the first 10 minutes of action, but CSUN withstood each chance. Shortly after Jordyn Canister recorded a shot on goal, CSUN had a great look from the center of the box with Keilani Claiborne finding room from about 12 yards, however, Knack made a two-handed save. Lia Peterson also picked up a shot on goal late in the half as the score remained 0-0 heading to intermission.Â
The Lopes would finally break through in the 55th minute, benefiting from a corner kick. Off the set piece, Madison Hamm was able to get a header on the ball from the left. A Reese Clem touch went to the left post where Kennedy Chambers finished the play on the doorstep for a 1-0 lead. CSUN quickly looked for the equalizer, earning a pair of corner kicks, but neither resulted in shots. The Matadors received a strong attempt from Rubalcava atop the box, which was saved in the 70th minute. In the final stages of the contest, the Lopes controlled the clock by playing the ball in the corners, but Jackson gained possession in the waning seconds leading to a last-second shot attempt. Her shot though was saved by Knack cleanly as time expired.Â
NOTES OF THE GAME
ACCORDING TO COACH GINA BREWER
"I think overall, we didn't perform at our best, which was disappointing because every single game we play in is a tough game and very competitive. If you want to get the result, you have to be ready to play the second the whistle blows. We had a bit of a slow start, but we weathered the storm in that first half and gave ourselves some opportunities to score goals. We just weren't that clinical as we needed to be today. Hopefully we'll bounce back and be ready to go for our next game against another tough opponent in California Baptist on Sunday."
UP NEXT
CSUN will continue its season-long three-game homestand on Sunday against California Baptist on Sunday evening at 7 p.m.Â
#GoMatadors
Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
GCU started out quickly, putting a shot on frame off the kickoff from midfield. From there, the Lopes had a shot blocked from inside the box, leading to a near goal from Ellie Johannes that hit the crossbar, all of which in the first 90 seconds of the match. Moments later, Rubalcava deposited a shot that was saved by Emma Knack in the third minute. GCU would earn four of its eight total corner kicks in the first 10 minutes of action, but CSUN withstood each chance. Shortly after Jordyn Canister recorded a shot on goal, CSUN had a great look from the center of the box with Keilani Claiborne finding room from about 12 yards, however, Knack made a two-handed save. Lia Peterson also picked up a shot on goal late in the half as the score remained 0-0 heading to intermission.Â
The Lopes would finally break through in the 55th minute, benefiting from a corner kick. Off the set piece, Madison Hamm was able to get a header on the ball from the left. A Reese Clem touch went to the left post where Kennedy Chambers finished the play on the doorstep for a 1-0 lead. CSUN quickly looked for the equalizer, earning a pair of corner kicks, but neither resulted in shots. The Matadors received a strong attempt from Rubalcava atop the box, which was saved in the 70th minute. In the final stages of the contest, the Lopes controlled the clock by playing the ball in the corners, but Jackson gained possession in the waning seconds leading to a last-second shot attempt. Her shot though was saved by Knack cleanly as time expired.Â
NOTES OF THE GAME
- CSUN drops to 1-1-1 overall this season while Grand Canyon improves to 1-1-0.Â
- The Lopes finished with a 12-10 edge in shots while the Matadors led 6-4 in shots on goal.Â
- GCU held a 8-3 advantage in corner kicks.Â
- A total of 20 fouls were committed with CSUN whistled for 11. The Matadors' Ariana Lopez-Angel and Cailey Jackson and GCU's Grace Bartlett were shown yellow cards.Â
- Rubalcava had two of her four shots reach the frame while Jackson had three total shots with two on goal.Â
- The group of Siena Navarra, Sydney Lipkin, Alex Valente and Paige Califf played the full 90 minutes for CSUN on defense.Â
ACCORDING TO COACH GINA BREWER
"I think overall, we didn't perform at our best, which was disappointing because every single game we play in is a tough game and very competitive. If you want to get the result, you have to be ready to play the second the whistle blows. We had a bit of a slow start, but we weathered the storm in that first half and gave ourselves some opportunities to score goals. We just weren't that clinical as we needed to be today. Hopefully we'll bounce back and be ready to go for our next game against another tough opponent in California Baptist on Sunday."
UP NEXT
CSUN will continue its season-long three-game homestand on Sunday against California Baptist on Sunday evening at 7 p.m.Â
#GoMatadors
Â
Team Stats
GCU
CSUN
Goals
1
0
Shots
12
10
Shots on Goal
4
6
Saves
6
3
Corners
8
3
Fouls
9
11
Scoring Plays
Kennedy Chambers (1)
Assisted By: Reese Clem , Madison Hamm
Off corner kick, 8 with touch on far side, 18 header to left. 12 finishes at left post.
54:11
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
4
SOG
2
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
3
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
D
/ Women's SoccerF
/ Women's SoccerMF
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/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
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/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's SoccerMF
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