CSUN Men’s Soccer Back in Action as Matadors Host California Baptist in Exhibition

Saturday, August 8

Northridge, Calif

7:00 p.m.

California State University at Northridge

California Baptist University

Photo by: Chuck Marvel

CSUN Men’s Soccer Back in Action as Matadors Host California Baptist in Exhibition

8/7/2026 10:46:00 AM | Men's Soccer

NORTHRIDGE, Calif. --- CSUN Men's Soccer takes the field for the first time this fall when it hosts the California Baptist Lancers in an exhibition match on Saturday at Matador Soccer Field. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and fans receive free admission for the contest.

California Baptist is the first of three exhibition matches on the season. After Saturday's game, CSUN takes the pitch again at Matador Soccer Field on Wednesday against CSU San Bernardino, before finishing on the road at San Diego on August 15. Then, CSUN will open the regular season at UNLV on August 20.

TEAM OUTLOOK
The Matadors are set to play their 28th season under head coach Terry Davila. A total of 18 letterwinners return to the team in 2026. CSUN has also added 13 newcomers, including 10 transfers and three incoming freshmen.

CSUN is returning its two best offensive players from a year ago in Enrique Pineda and Jorge Solorzano, who shared five goals and 10 points between them in 2025. Both Pineda and Solorzano are entering their senior seasons.

The Matadors are also coming off their best defensive season in terms of goals allowed in the division-I history of the program. CSUN only allowed 13 goals and recorded eight shutouts behind the work of goalkeeper Dorian Drucks, who is returning to the program for his senior season in 2026. Drucks etched his name into the record books in 2025, as he is tied for second for the most shutouts in a season in team history.

Other key returners are Michael Blevins, Sebastian Fuentes, Justin Sosa, Ian Boras, Hagan Cupido and Daniel Garcia. Cupido and Fuentes played in 17 out of the 18 games in 2025, while Garcia made the All-Big West Freshman Team.

A LOOK BACK AT 2025
CSUN went 6-6-6 in 2025, including an impressive start in non-conference play where the Matadors went 5-1-3 to begin the season.

The Matadors were a defensive powerhouse. CSUN was 11th in the nation in goals against average with a .722 percentage. The Matadors were No.1 in the Big West in goals allowed with 13 and fourth overall in saves with 82. CSUN didn't allow a single goal in the first five games of the season.

The Matadors ended up with a 1-5-3 conference record, a ninth-place finish.

CSUN tallied 11 goals in 2025 and were a perfect 3-for-3 in penalty kicks.

LOCAL FLAVOR
Twenty-one out of the current 31 players on the roster are from California. Fuentes, Sosa, Baldimir Coto, Dave-Ryan Tankou, Pineda, Boras, Ryan Chu, Devin Davila and Miles Johnson are all from the San Fernando Valley.

Also, Tito Oyewu, Solorzano, Erik Hernández, Adrian Jones and Messiah Antwi are all repping the 661 area code.

Garcia, Francisco Garibay, Blevins, Damien Baltierra, Kayvon Monfared, Dominik Wicks and Bryan Castaneda are all homegrown talents as well. Coach Davila has made a point of recruiting locally as the passion of soccer in the United States is perhaps no more prevalent than in The Golden State.

ABOUT CALIFORNIA BAPTIST
The Lancers were 10-4-3 in 2025 with half of their wins coming on the road. They are in the Pac-12 for men's soccer, their first year in the conference after previously playing in the WAC. CBU lost its lone playoff game to San Jose State to end its season on November 12, by a 3-2 score in overtime. Head coach Coe Michaelson enters his 11th season leading the Lancers and is coming off conference championship titles in three of the last four seasons. Michaelson features a record of 98-60-25 during his tenure.

#GoMatadors