The CSUN women’s soccer team returned home after a two game road trip and pulled off a 2-0 win over the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
In the first half, the Matadors took control of the ball and forced much of the game to be played in the Mavericks side of the field. The Matadors defenders and midfielders took control of the game and showed an impressive ability in recovering the ball when they made a mistake.
The Matadors continued to pressure the Mavericks defense but it seemed they would not be able to score on a well-placed back line.
The Matadors saw their chances come from shots outside the box, inside the box, and even on set plays such as two corner kicks. Each time however, a Maverick defender was able to get in front of the ball and deflect it away, or the Matadors inaccuracy caused them to send it wide or high
In the 40th minute, the Matadors were able to break through the Mavericks defense when senior midfielder Taylor Hobson sent the ball above the defenders into the box for senior forward Camille Watson who sent her shot under the keeper’s arm and into the back of the net for a 1-0 advantage.
Watson said they need to execute them more, especially since they get so many corners.
“So it was nice to score off a corner today, that was well deserved but for the amount that we get I think we should capitalize on them more than we do,” Watson said.
In the second half, the Mavericks came out with a different look in their back-end hoping to get back into the game and find an equalizer without giving up a second goal. Their defense moved up taking away one fourth of the field from the Matadors forwards.
The Matadors had multiple opportunities to score, but were unable to take advantage.
In the 63rd minute the Matadors almost saw their lead end when Mavericks sophomore midfielder Emily Romero took a shot outside the box, but junior goalkeeper Jovani McCaskill was able to punch the ball over her crossbar.
In the 81st minute, the Matadors ended any chance the Mavericks had at tying the game. A corner kick, by senior midfielder Breanna McCallum, found senior midfielder Sylvia Trinh in the box where she sent a header into the right corner of the net for a 2-0 lead.
After the game, junior forward Cynthia Sanchez said that Omaha’s defense was pretty tough, but their system seemed to be able to break them.
“Our system was to find out wide to get a ball on the ground into the box so we could finish it,” Sanchez said.
Although the weather was windy, CSUN Head Coach Keith West said the Matadors were able to overcome it.
“It’s a hard time to play with wind the way it is,” West said. “Anytime it’s windy the way it is anything can happen. I thought they came out today and did some really good things.”
The Matadors will open Big West Conference play on Friday, Sept. 30 at home against UC Davis. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m.
