CSUN Set to Host UC San Diego, Sacramento State in Final Homestand

NORTHRIDGE, Calif. --- The CSUN men's soccer team (6-6-2, 1-2-1 Big West) is back in Northridge for its final homestand of the season as it takes on UC San Diego on Wednesday, Oct. 21 and Sacramento State on Saturday, Oct. 24. Both games are at 7:00 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+.

FOR STARTERS
CSUN's record of 6-6-2, 1-1-1 Big West places it tied fourth in the Big West. The Matadors have wins over UC Riverside, Cal State Fullerton, San Diego State, Pacific, The Master's University and Oral Roberts University, while earning draws with Houston Christian and Cal State Bakersfield. The Matadors have four wins at home and two wins on the road.

Wednesday's game against the Tritons is the third game on the Matadors' schedule showcasing the new Pac-12-Big West partnership. In CSUN's first two games with the Pac-12 earlier this season, CSUN won 3-0 against San Diego State at home on Oct. 3., and 2-1 against UC Riverside on the road on Oct. 14.

Saturday's contest against Sacramento State is pivotal for CSUN's potential playoff hopes. As of right now, the Matadors are tied for fourth place as the top four teams advance to the playoffs. With only two Big West games remaining, Saturday is shaping up to be the most important game of the season.

IMPROVED SCORING IN 2026
CSUN had trouble finding the back of the net in 2025, netting only 11 goals throughout the entire season. With three games left to play, CSUN has already flown past the 11 goals bar set last year, as the Matadors have 24 goals through the team's first 14 games. The Matadors are tied for first in the Big West in goals scored.

A big reason why is newcomer forward Kayvon Monfared who is currently tied for third in the conference with six goals scored on the year. He had a brace in his home debut against The Master's University on Aug. 27. It was the first time a Matador had registered two goals in one match since Deryk Jones Jr. scored two at UCSB on Oct. 23, 2024. The senior from Anaheim Hills leads the team in points and shots as well.

Second on the team with four goals scored on the year is Enrique Pineda. 11 different Matadors have found the back of the net and six different Matadors have multiple goals so far this season.

Jorge Solorzano has done a good job setting up the scorers as well. He is tied for first in the Big West in assists with five.

BACK TO BACK HONORS FOR PINEDA AND TANKOU
For the week of Sept. 27 - Oct. 4, Pineda had a stellar showcase of his talents. Pineda was named the Big West Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. The senior from Sylmar, Calif., tallied his first career brace in the win against San Diego State. He had two out of the three goals scored in CSUN's 3-0 victory. Pineda also tallied a goal in CSUN's 2-2 draw with Cal State Bakersfield during the first Big West contest of the season on Sept. 30.

On Monday, Oct. 12., freshman midfielder Dave-Ryan Tankou took home Big West Rookie of the Week honors.

Tankou had back-to-back games where he was an impact player on the pitch. In the Oct. 7th 2-1 loss at UC Irvine, Tankou had an assist on the goal by the Matadors in the 77th minute while he had a game-tying goal against Cal State Fullerton in the 11th minute that jumpstarted the CSUN offense in a 3-1 win on Oct. 10.

SCOUTING UC SAN DIEGO
The Tritons enter Wednesday's game with a 7-5-2 overall record and a 1-1-2 record in the Pac-12. UCSD has scored 24 goals on the year and allowed 15 goals on the defensive end.

The leading goal scorer is Ryan Namdar. He has tallied seven goals on the season despite not starting in any game. Namdar also leads the team in points with 15.

On the goalkeeping side of things. The main stopper for UCSD is Nic Tiele. He has started in 14 games and has 45 saves.

SERIES HISTORY: CSUN is 5-1-1 all-time against UCSD. The teams played to a scoreless draw last season. CSUN won the first five matches in the series from 1980-2023.

SCOUTING SACRAMENTO STATE
The Hornets enter this week's action with a 4-8-2 record and a 0-2-2 record in Big West play. Sac State has wins against UC Davis, Pacific, UC Riverside and UC San Diego.

The Hornets have 19 goals scored on the season but have conceded 26 on the defensive end. 75 of their 157 shots have been on goal.

Their leading scorers are Zac Giles and Sean Battistessa. They both have six goals each. Only six players have tallied a goal this season for the Hornets.

The main goalkeeper is Lucas Bost who has 52 saves.

SERIES HISTORY: CSUN is 14-8-4 all-time against Sac State. The teams played to a tie last time out, a 2-2 game in Northridge on Oct. 8, 2025.

#GoMatadors

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kayvon Monfared

Enrique Pineda

Jorge Solorzano

Dave-Ryan Tankou

California State University Northridge Athletics