CSUN Hosts Grand Canyon in Last Tuneup Before Big West Play

GAME NOTES
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. --- The CSUN men's soccer team (3-3-1) is set to play the second game of a four game homestand when it takes on the Grand Canyon Antelopes on Sunday night. Kickoff 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 3-3-1 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.

CSUN plays host to GCU on Sunday, a team that made the NCAA tournament in 2025. The Lopes won their opening round against UCLA on penalty kicks and would move on to the third round after they defeated No. 9 San Diego in an upset, 2-1. GCU's tournament run would come to an end in the third round when it was bested by No. 8 Portland, 1-0.

After the Matadors play the Antelopes, CSUN will open up Big West play with a contest against Cal State Bakersfield on Sept. 30. The Matadors will then round out the four-game homestand against San Diego State on Oct. 3

LAST TIME OUT
CSUN dropped a 1-0 decision to the San José State Spartans Thursday night at Matador Soccer Field. The Matadors dominated the shot department, 23-8, but were unable to find the back of the net in the defeat. Fernando Duarte scored the game's lone goal in the fifth minute on a penalty kick.

The Matadors controlled much of the attacking play throughout the match. To go along with their 23-8 advantage in shots, they had a 15-2 edge in the second half alone. CSUN also earned six corner kicks compared with three for San José State. Sebastian Fuentes, Justin Sosa, Dave-Ryan Tankou, and Adrian Jones all had three shots.

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 seven 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 GRAND CANYON
A season removed from making the NCAA tournament, the Antelopes have begun the 2026 season 2-5-0, and are currently riding a three game losing streak. Two of their losses have come against ranked teams in Stanford and UC Santa Barbara. They have wins against Oakland and Sacramento State.

Arnau Camaño leads the team in goals with three. Seven other players have scored for GCU as well. Jorge Lopez leads the team with 18 shots and Alhassan Alhassan has 16.

GCU's goalkeeper Beltran Fernandez has 11 saves on the season with seven goals allowed.

Earlier this season, GCU defeated Oakland 7-2 on Sept. 3. It was a victory that set a program record for goals against a Division I opponent.

SERIES HISTORY: CSUN is 3-2-1 all-time against GCU. Both teams met in Phoenix in 2025, where GCU got the upper hand, 2-0.

CSUN Hosts Grand Canyon in Last Tuneup Before Big West Play

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Players Mentioned

Dorian Drucks

Sebastian Fuentes

Adrian Jones

Kayvon Monfared

Justin Sosa

Dave-Ryan Tankou

California State University Northridge Athletics