CSUN Kicks Off Big West Play at Cal State Fullerton

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Women's Soccer opens Big West play on Sunday on the road at Cal State Fullerton. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. on ESPN+.

FOR STARTERS
CSUN wrapped up non-conference play last week, posting a 2-6-1 overall record. Over the nine matches this season, CSUN has played six matches decided by one goal, which have included four 1-0 defeats. The Matadors' two wins in non-conference play were a 1-0 win at San José State along with a 4-0 triumph at Portland State. After beginning Big West action this weekend, CSUN will host its first league matchups next week against UC Irvine and UC Riverside.

ABOUT LAST WEEK
CSUN is coming off a 1-0 defeat on Sept. 11 to Sacramento State at Matador Soccer Field. The Matadors recorded a season-high 25 shots in the contest but could not find the back of the net while the Hornets scored the game's deciding goal in the 29th minute. Senior Cailey Jackson had a career-high nine shots to lead CSUN and senior goalkeeper Riley Liebsack finished with one save.

JACKSON ON A ROLL
Senior Cailey Jackson emerged as the Matadors' breakout scorer during non-conference play. Jackson has already tied her career high in goals with four, highlighted by her scoring in three consecutive matches from Aug. 28 to Sept. 4. She enters play this weekend tied for third place in the Big West in goals along with fourth in shots (28) and tied for sixth in points (9). With one more goal, Jackson would become the 15th Matador in school history to record 10 career goals as well.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
CSUN has utilized a number of underclassmen in the lineup throughout non-conference action, many of whom have made major contributions. Counting redshirt sophomore Jordyn Canister, seven freshmen and sophomores have made up the Matador starting 11 for a majority of the season. Canister, who is in her second season on the field, has already surpassed her goal total from 2024 by scoring twice to go with five points. Sophomore Sydney Lipkin has played 804 of a possible 810 minutes on the backline while freshman defender Alex Valente has played 798 minutes and sophomore defender and newcomer Siena Navara has an assist in 784 minutes. Sophomore Kayden Perigo has started seven of nine games this season at forward, totaling an assist, and redshirt freshman Michelle Monroy has an assist over eight appearances on defense. Off the bench, freshmen Lia Peterson and Jo Valdez along with sophomore Yasmin Azar have each scored once this season for CSUN.

RILEY MOVING UP THE CHARTS
Senior Riley Liebsack has been a constant at goalkeeper since the start of the 2024 season. Starting every match during that span, LIebsack has entered several all-time top-10 categories in Matador history. The netminder is currently ninth in minutes in goal (2,520) and tied for ninth in shutouts (5) while she is ranked 10th in saves (132) and wins (7). In 2025, Liebsack has posted 32 saves and a 1.22 goals-against-average, which rank third and seventh in the Big West, respectively. Counting her two seasons with UNLV from 2022-23, Liebsack has recorded 13 career shutouts and 253 saves as a collegiate player.

SCOUTING CAL STATE FULLERTON
The Titans come in with an undefeated 7-0-1 record and winners of seven in a row. Fullerton has shut out four of its last five opponents after blanking San José State 1-0 this past Thursday. Picked to finish fifth in the league prior to the season, Fullerton has allowed the least amount of goals in the Big West with just three while the team is third in goals scored with 14. Isabella Cruz ranks second in the Big West with 11 points while she is tied with Cailey Jackson for third place in goals scored with four. Three other Titans have scored two goals as well on the year. Goalkeeper Isaac Ranson is off to a red-hot start to the season, leading the conference in shutouts (5) and goals-against-average (0.40).

Series History: Fullerton leads CSUN 19-8-4 in the all-time series. Over the past two seasons, the teams have played to 1-1 draws. Yoshi Rubalcava scored in the matchup last season as CSUN led until the 75th minute of action. The Matadors are looking to snap a six-match winless streak in the series with their last win coming in Oct. 2018. Overall, CSUN seeks to post its first win in Fullerton since the 2011 season.

#GoMatadors

CSUN Kicks Off Big West Play at Cal State Fullerton

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Players Mentioned

Yasmin Azar

Jordyn Canister

Cailey Jackson

Riley Liebsack

Sydney Lipkin

Michelle Monroy

Kayden Perigo

Lia Peterson

Yoshi Rubalcava

Jo Valdez

Alex Valente