Despite falling short 2-0 in their latest game to Cal Poly on Oct. 17 and sitting with a record of 4-10-2 (2-3-2), the CSUN women’s soccer program is trending upward.
That’s exactly what CSUN women’s soccer head coach Gina Brewer is trying to build here in Northridge.
A program. One with culture and development and that’s what happened over the course of Brewer’s first season at the helm of the Matadors program.
The Matadors have kicked off their 2024 Big West campaign with matches against Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State and UC Irvine. In those three matches, CSUN managed to get some positive results, including a draw vs. CSUF, the reigning Big West regular season champions.
“We started off with challenging opponents…we were happy to get the draw against Fullerton and having that win against Long Beach State at Long Beach was huge,” Brewer said. “That was a really big turning point for the team in terms of confidence.”
Sprinkle in a win against UC San Diego, one of the worst teams in all of Division I, as well as a draw vs. UC Riverside, the Matadors have put themselves squarely in the conversation for a spot in the Big West Women’s Soccer Championships.
With three games left in the regular season, CSUN did not do themselves any favor by dropping easy points in their loss to the Mustangs in their most recent match, especially considering that Cal Poly is going through a down year and as of Oct. 19, is sitting behind the Matadors in the table.
The Matadors have made significant progress since the beginning of the season, and yet through the growing pains, it feels like the team has still left results on the table.
“We’re seeing a lot of improvement, we’re really excited about where the team is going,” Brewer said. “I think there is some results that you would hope for that could’ve been ties or wins and you’re not quite getting the results you want but we’re still seeing the progress from this team especially in year one, we’re excited about it”
Relatively speaking, Brewer has done a great job. She has the Matadors playing hard and more importantly, they are playing competitive. Looking beyond the box scores and their record, it’s easy to see that CSUN has had a significant improvement on the pitch.
The first year is the most important year in terms of setting the culture and expectations. Despite not having the most positive results on the field, Brewer preaches to her team a simple message, progress over outcome.
“We talk a lot about the process over the outcomes. It’s a lot about what we’re doing, how we’re performing, what we’re able to control,” she said. “Instead of speaking in terms of wins or things like that, it’s more about us performing to the level we know we’re capable of.”
One of the most impressive things Brewer has done so far has been developing the talent that she inherited. Brewer wasn’t able to go out and recruit her own recruiting class as she got hired late in the hiring cycle.
Instead she took in the class and roster that was recruited by former head coach Christine Johnson and made lemonade with lemons.
Brewer described the team this year as good vibes and good energy, something that visually translates to the pitch.
The Matadors will need to play their best if they want a spot in the championships, and it won’t be easy. UC Santa Barbara, Cal State Bakersfield, and UC Davis, the Matadors’ next three opponents, all sit inside the top five of the table.
“We’re excited about our opportunities and still fighting to get into that top six and make playoffs,” Brewer finished with.
