Men’s Soccer Looking to Keep Unbeaten Streak Going Against Grand Canyon

PHOENIX, Ariz --- CSUN Men's Soccer (5-0-3) is set to kick-off a two-game road trip on Friday when the Matadors will head to the desert to take on the Grand Canyon University Lopes Friday at 7:00 p.m. at GCU Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

LAST TIME OUT
CSUN went undefeated with two victories at Matador Soccer Field last week. First, the Matadors came on top against LMU, 1-0 on Sept. 18. Freshman Daniel Garcia scored his first career goal in the 42nd minute and the defense held the Lions to no goals. Garcia capitalized on a deflection inside the box, finishing with a one-touch strike into the top of the net off a setup from Zack Harris. Goalkeeper Dorian Drucks added six saves,

In the second game of the week, versus UNLV, CSUN played another 1-0 match, with the game winner coming off the foot of Eyifehn Forfor, as he broke a scoreless tie in the 77th minute. It was Forfor's first career Matador goal. Drucks was once again masterful in the net, stopping four potential goals and setting the tone for the rest of the defense to follow.

Both games marked the best start for CSUN since 2013, when that team began the season 7-0. The Matadors have only allowed one goal all season long. The highly successful defensive backline of the Matadors include Luke Lawrence and Siddiq Lezzar, both of whom have played all eight games and have tallied 681 and 697 minutes played, respectively.

GOALS BEING SPREAD AROUND
Throughout the 2025 campaign, there has been a variety of players scoring goals for the Matadors. Six different Matadors have scored so far with only player notching more than a goal, that being Jorge Solorzano with two. Eyifehn Forfor, Daniel Garcia, Sebastian Fuentes, Zack Harris, Enrique Pineda have all scored one goal.

BIG WEST ACCOLADES
CSUN's goalkeeper Dorian Drucks earned Big West Defensive Player of the Week and defender Daniel Garcia received Big West Freshman of the Week, as announced by the league office on Monday.

Drucks, the 6'3 junior from Essen, Germany, anchored the Matadors' defense in a pair of home shutouts against LMU and UNLV. He recorded six saves in a 1-0 win over LMU on Sept. 18 and added four more stops in Sunday's 1-0 victory over UNLV.

Garcia, a freshman defender from Huntington Beach, delivered the match winner against LMU. In the 42nd minute, he buried a one-touch shot into the top of the net off a setup from Zack Harris, securing the Matadors' fourth win of the season. Garcia is the first freshman to net a goal for the Matadors in 2025. This honor is Garcia's first of his young CSUN career.

SCOUTING GCU
The Lopes are 4-2-1 heading into Friday's showdown with the Matadors. Their four wins at home have come against Jacksonville, Cleveland State, fellow Big West competition in Sacramento State and Santa Clara.

Junior Diouf is the clear cut offensive leader of the team, as he has scored six out of the 12 goals GCU has tallied this season. He was named WAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week on August 26. Like CSUN, GCU has spread its scoring to multiple players. Six people have scored for the Lopes so far this year.

Another player to watch has been Ben Assane. He has tallied four assists and has attempted 10 shots.

Graduate goalkeeper Daniel Ibarra has 13 saves over his last two games and has moved his season mark to 21 in four GCU starts this season. Ibarra's season high of seven saves versus UC Santa Barbara is tied for second most among WAC goalies this season.

CSUN will look to hand GCU its first loss at home.

SERIES HISTORY: CSUN is 3-1-1 all-time against GCU. The last time these two played was in September 2017 when the Matadors came out on top, 4-2.

#GoMatadors

Men’s Soccer Looking to Keep Unbeaten Streak Going Against Grand Canyon

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Players Mentioned

Dorian Drucks

Eyifehn Forfor

Sebastian Fuentes

Daniel Garcia

Zack Harris

Luke Lawrence

Siddiq Lezzar

Enrique Pineda

Jorge Solorzano