Matadors to Host San Jose State in Men's Soccer Showdown

GAME NOTES
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. --- The CSUN men's soccer team (3-2-1) returns home to take on the San José State Spartans (2-3-1) on Thursday night. Kick-off at Matador Soccer Field is slated for 7:00 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+. Ghizal Hasan and Gio Galvez will be on the call.

FOR STARTERS
CSUN's record of 3-2-1 places it third in the Big West. The Matadors have wins over Pacific, The Master's University and Oral Roberts University, while earning a 2-2 draw with Houston Christian. The Matadors have two wins at home and won their first game on the road last Sunday, a 3-1 victory over the Pacific Tigers.

San José State is the opening game of the longest homestand of the year for CSUN. After SJSU, CSUN plays host to a team who made the NCAA tournament last season in Grand Canyon on Sept. 20. Then, CSUN will open up Big West play with a contest against Cal State Bakersfield on Sept. 30.

The Matadors will round out the four-game homestand with a game against San Diego State on Oct. 3

LAST TIME OUT
The Matadors defeated the Pacific Tigers, 3-1 Sunday night at Knoles Field. Justin Sosa, Damien Baltierra and Enrique Pineda all found the back of the net for the Matadors. CSUN built a two-goal halftime advantage and answered a second-half Pacific push with a late insurance goal by Pineda.

CSUN struck early, netting its first goal in the 12th minute. A Jorge Solorzano long distance kick was headed in by Sosa, as he found the upper-right corner of the net.

The Matadors doubled the lead when they added a goal just before halftime when Damien Baltierra found the back of the net in the 44th minute, giving CSUN a 2-0 cushion heading into the break. It was Baltierra's first Matador goal as well.

After Pacific scored in the second half, CSUN weathered the pressure before restoring its two-goal cushion in the 80th minute. Pineda scored on a low shot to the left side of the net off an assist from Adrian Jones, putting the Matadors ahead 3-1.

MONFARED MAY BE THE MISSING PIECE
Kayvon Monfared has been stellar at the attack for the Matadors, providing a spark on the offense that has made the team a huge threat when getting the ball in the attacking third.

He is currently tied with all Big West players with the most goals on the season with three. He had a brace in his home debut against The Master's University on Aug. 27. It was the first time a Matador has registered two goals in one night since Deryk Jones Jr. scored two at UCSB on Oct. 23, 2024.

The senior from Anaheim Hills has played and started in all five games this season. Not only does he lead the team in goals, he leads the team in points and shots as well.

DORIAN IS THE STAR GOALKEEPER
Dorian Drucks continues to be a menace in between the posts for the Matadors. The senior from Essen, Germany tied for second in CSUN's single-season history with eight shutouts in 2025. That mark was also good enough for sixth best among all Division-I schools. His 69 saves led the Big West to go with a save percentage of .852. He averaged 4.31 saves per contest in 2025.

He also has one shutout already on the season, as he helped secure the 1-0 win against ORU on Sunday, Sep. 30. He was one-of-11 placed on the Big West Preseason Coaches' Team, announced on Aug. 13.

SCOUTING SAN JOSÉ STATE
The Spartans are currently 2-3-1 on the season. They have wins against Saint Mary's and Sacramento State and a tie against Pacific. SJSU's losses have come against UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly, and Stanford.

SJSU has scored eight goals this season while allowing 12. The Spartans have 65 shots total, 22 of them being on goal.

Jordi Tortell Daly and Amir Anwary lead the team in goals with two each. Daniel Fregoso Bautista and Anwary lead the team in points with six each.

Their goalkeeper, Ronin Axelson has started in all six games and has 25 saves on the year.

SERIES HISTORY: CSUN is 6-8-2 all-time against SJSU. The most recent match between the two teams came in 2025, as the teams played to a scoreless tie in San José.

Matadors to Host San Jose State in Men's Soccer Showdown

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Players Mentioned

Damien Baltierra

Dorian Drucks

Adrian Jones

Kayvon Monfared

Enrique Pineda

Jorge Solorzano

Justin Sosa

California State University Northridge Athletics