CSUN Blanks San Diego State, 3-0

Saturday, October 3

Northridge, Calif

7:00 p.m.

California State University at Northridge

4-4-2, 0-0-1

San Diego State

2-6-4, 0-0-1

Team	1	2	Final F
San Diego St.	0	0	0
CSUN	1	2	3

Photo by: Bella A Enriquez

CSUN Blanks San Diego State, 3-0

10/3/2026 11:14:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

NORTHRIDGE, Calif. --- The CSUN men's soccer team (4-4-2, 0-0-1 Big West) shut out the San Diego State Aztecs by a score of 3-0, Saturday night at Matador Soccer Field. Enrique Pineda tallied his first career brace in the win while Kayvon Monfared netted his fourth goal of the season in the second half. CSUN held SDSU to just three shots on goal in the entire match.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Pineda opened the scoring in the fifth minute, capitalizing on a turnover to put the Matadors ahead. Pineda took advantage of a San Diego State turnover to put the Matadors ahead 1-0, scoring from midfield and catching the Aztecs' goalkeeper off guard. The unassisted goal gave CSUN an early advantage and set the tone for the evening.

The Matadors maintained their one-goal lead through halftime, limiting San Diego State to three shots in the opening 45 while looking to build on their early advantage. In those three shots, only one of them was on goal as SDSU struggled to find a rhythm.

CSUN doubled its advantage in the 62nd minute when Monfared capitalized on another turnover. Miles Johnson applied pressure in the attacking third and forced San Diego State into a mistake before Monfared finished the opportunity from the center of the field. The goal gave the Matadors some breathing room at 2-0.

Pineda put the match out of reach in the 73rd minute, completing his brace with a well-placed header. Dave-Ryan Tankou sent a cross in from the right side, finding Pineda in the middle of the attacking area. Pineda directed the ball into the net as he capped the scoring and gave CSUN a three-goal cushion.

All three of CSUN's goals came on unique plays. Pineda's opening goal was long-distance, high-arching lob that caught the goalkeeper off balance, Monfared found room in the box off a nice feed from Johnson, and Pineda's second goal came off the connection of Tankou, who has been a staple in running the offense all season long.

Goalkeeper Bryan Castaneda made three saves to help preserve the shutout, and the Matadors held San Diego State to six shots total. CSUN also controlled 60% of possession and limited the Aztecs to two corner kicks.

NOTES OF THE GAME

CSUN wins its first game in the new partnership between the Big West and the Pac-12.
Pineda now has nine career goals.
Monfared scored his first goal since August 30 versus Oral Roberts
21 different Matadors saw the field in the win.
Dominick Wicks played all 90 minutes.
CSUN had 17 shots total.
There were 25 fouls in between both teams. SDSU had 15 of them.
SDSU had four yellow cards. CSUN had none.

ACCORDING TO HEAD COACH TERRY DAVILA
"With the early goal, we forced them to come out of their shape a little bit. San Diego State also had a tough game Wednesday. They played Oregon State on the road and got a tremendous draw, so they may have had some tired legs. We took advantage of the opportunity we had and did well. But we've got to tip our hat to San Diego State. They're typically a perennial powerhouse, and we're honored to have the opportunity to play them."

On Enrique Pineda's Performance
"He works hard and does whatever the team needs. He's the ultimate team player. Even when he leads the team in goals, he's still focused on the team as a whole. We're very lucky to have him in our program."

On Dave-Ryan Tankou's Assist
"What I'm happy about is that he had a tough game last week against Bakersfield, but he got his confidence back today and had a nice game. That's part of the process. Freshmen are going to have ups and downs, and I'm glad he bounced back quickly. Hopefully, he can carry that into the next game."

On Carrying Momentum Into the Road Trip
"You go to Irvine, and that's a tough place to play. They're the defending Big West champions, so we have a daunting task on Wednesday. We're very excited about the opportunity."

ACCORDING TO ENRIQUE PINEDA
"Overall, it was a great team win. We're building toward what we want in the Big West, and getting a win at home feels great. The team feels good at where we are at right now. On the first goal, I read the defender. He was about to pass the ball back, and I picked him off. Jorge [Solorzano] told me to hit it, so I trusted him and went for it."

UP NEXT
CSUN hits the road to take on UC Irvine Wednesday, Oct. 7 at Anteater Stadium. Kickoff is at 6:00 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+.