The CSUN men’s soccer team is halfway through their season; currently, they are seeking to clinch a spot in the Big West playoffs for the first time in four years, under head coach Terry Davila and first-year assistant coach Rafael Garcia.
The Matadors are currently in the fifth spot of the Big West standings with an overall record of 6-6-2. The team started the season with some back-and-forth wins and losses against strong opponents like San Diego State, Cal State Fullerton, Stanford, Grand Canyon and UC Irvine.
After their first away loss of the season against the University of Las Vegas, the Matadors opened their first home game with a dominant 5-1 win against The Masters University and a 1-0 win against Oral Roberts University. From then on, the Matadors have tallied a draw, four wins and four losses during non-conference games.
Their conference opener against the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners was a match that tested the teams’ strength and resilience and being able to watch their mistakes and find ways to challenge themselves for improvement. The Matadors came into this game fighting back from a pair of one-goal deficits before finding ways to come back and equalize.
Both forward player Enrique Pineda and midfielder Damien Baltierra scored both goals with assists from midfielder Miles Johnson and forward Kayvon Monfared. The team had many opportunities to win this match, but many fouls, yellow cards and the increased pressure from the Roadrunners gave them a 2-2 draw as the final result
The Matadors got two major wins from the Cal State Fullerton Titans and the UC Riverside Highlanders, with forward Monfared scoring two crucial goals in both games that came at a much-needed time for the team to be in the fifth spot behind Bakersfield.
This season has had many standout players for the Matadors; as the season progresses, the team will look to lean more on these players late in the season. Forward Monfared leads the team with 14 points, 26 shots, 6 goals, and 12 shots on goal. Forward player Pineda has scored 8 points, 4 goals and 8 shots on goal. Pineda was also named the Big West offensive player of the week for his performance against San Diego State, scoring two goals to lead the team to a 3-0 victory.
On or off the field, Monfared and Pineda play huge roles for the team by making assists, providing offensive pressure, giving the team energy and finding strategic and communicative ways to push the Matadors for success.
The Matadors had a major win against UC San Diego beating the Tritons 3-2 at home on Wednesday, Oct. 21. Giving them even more momentum and potential for a playoff push.
As the season comes to a close, the Matadors have one more home game and one away to end the season strong. They will host Sacramento State at home later this week before hitting the road against UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, Oct. 31. They will wait to hear back from their other opponents to determine if CSUN reaches a spot in the Big West Conference. These games will be the most crucial moment for the team to determine their final position in the postseason.
