The Cal State Northridge women’s soccer team will try to get its record back to .500 this weekend in their last two non-conference games of the season. The Matadors will face No. 22 University of San Diego (5-1-2) on Friday and Pepperdine University (1-4-2) on Sunday, playing both games on the road against teams they have never beat in 12 combined games.
The Matadors have won two of their last three games, including a double overtime come-from-behind 2-1 win their last time out over Hawaii on Friday, Senior midfielder Susie Mischenko scored to tie the game at one, her first goal of the season. Junior Carrie Faith Murphy scored the game winner in the 103rd minute, her first goal of the season and the fourth goal of her career.
Freshman forward Salma Tarik leads the CSUN offense with two goals and one assist. Four other Matadors have scored one goal this season. As a team, CSUN has taken 72 shots this season, with 34 of those on goal.
San Diego is 4-0 all time against Northridge with their latest victory over the Matadors, a 3-0 shutout, coming on Oct. 31, 2003 at Matador Soccer Field. With junior forward Amy Epsten and senior midfielder Leigh Ann Robinson leading the team with seven points each, the Toreros have posted a 3-0 record against Big West Conference opponents this season.
The Toreros are looking to continue their recent four-game unbeaten streak, having won three straight games. Their last victory came on Sunday, a 3-1 win at UC Riverside. After posting a 2-0-0 record last week, the Toreros moved up three spots in the Soccer America Top-25 poll to no. 22 in the nation.
Pepperdine has an unbeaten streak of its own that reached two last Friday when the Waves played to a 1-1 draw against then 6th- ranked UCLA. The Waves, in the midst of a seven-game home stand, got their first win of the season in the first game of their two-game unbeaten streak, beating Denver 3-0 on Sept. 16. Sophomore Courtney Price leads the Wave with two goals and four points.
Pepperdine holds a 6-0-2 all-time record against the Matadors, including a 3-0-1 record at home in Malibu. The last time these two teams played, the Waves walked away with a 3-1 victory in Northridge last season on Oct. 26, 2006.
Friday’s game will be played in San Diego at Torero Stadium at 7 p.m. Sunday’s game at Pepperdine will be played in Malibu at Tari Frahm Rokus Field at 1 pm.
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