The Matadors (1-2-3) defeated Santa Clara University (3-3-1) at home on Sunday. CSUN notched a much needed 2-1 win against the Broncos, and bounced back after the 0-1 loss last weekend to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. This victory marks the first win for CSUN since their upset against Loyola Marymount University on Aug. 25.
Thanks to stellar offensive performances by Michael Blevins and Jake Shaked, and clutch goalkeeping by Merrick Cook, the Matadors held their own against the Broncos and controlled the tempo for most of the contest.
The first half was nearly perfect for the Matadors. Defensively, they didn’t allow Santa Clara any shots on goal, and were able to stop most of the runs made by the Broncos.
Offensively, they were cooking early as Blevins scored in the 12th minute off an assist from Deryk Jones Jr. and Zion Wagoner, which was then followed up by a goal from Shaked in the 25th minute off a corner by Jorge Solorzano.
During half-time, the Matadors walked onto the field with their favorite professors to honor them as their Most Valuable Professor, and thank them for the inspirational service they provide to their students.
CSUN started off the second half a bit slow and allowed an unassisted goal from Will Wiersdorf directly up the middle of the defense less than a minute into the period. However, they quickly rallied and stopped a few dangerous runs by the Broncos.
The Matadors came up big and responded well to the early goal by Santa Clara, and their ability to stay calm as a unit carried them through the remainder of the game.
CSUN head coach Terry Davila acknowledged his team needed to find their identity after allowing the goal.
“We’ve just got to stick to who we are, you know? They rattled us a bit with that quick score, but we stayed together, hung together, and got the victory,” Davila said.
Everything ultimately came down to the five incredible second-half saves made by Cook, including one save on a penalty kick by Wiersdorf.
The Matadors’ coaching staff did what they could to help Cook anticipate how the shooter might approach the crucial penalty.
“I got a note from my goalie coach Marlon that the player waits, he stutters before he shoots, so it was me just kind of baiting him, showing him that I’m going right and forcing him to go left,” Cook said.
He also stated how the team was extra motivated to win because of an injury to Enrique Pineda, who broke his leg earlier in the week and is now recovering from surgery.
The home team put together a strong offensive performance in the match with nine shots and seven corners taken. The ball was moving around well for the Matadors, who also put up four assists on the two goals scored.
Davila was pleased with the offensive production compared to prior matches.
“When we create opportunities, we’ve got to just keep going forward with it, [we’ve] got to keep putting the ball in the box and keep trying to find the process,” said Davila.
With this win in the books, the Matadors look to Sept. 25, when they will face the Redhawks of Seattle University.
