The CSUN Women’s Soccer team faced the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos to break a four-way tie within the Big West. The last time these two teams faced each other, it resulted in a heartbreaking loss for the Matadors. Ending their historic run and losing their opportunity to advance to the Big West Championships for the first time since 2019, adding fuel to the fire of their next matchup.
CSUN came into this game with a chip on their shoulder and they made that point known.
Early into the match, the Gauchos faced several shots from the Matadors and defended everything that came their way.
In the last four matches, the Matadors had converted two points whilst conceding five total. Making the match a crucial turning point if they wanted to find a recipe for postseason success.
The Matadors were oppressive on offense inside of the goal area, and after being contested for a brief period, the Matadors were able to capitalize on the Gauchos’ defense with an electrifying goal in the 19th minute by CSUN midfielder Lia Peterson with an assist by forward Jordan Canister. Sending Matador Soccer Field into a roaring cheer and gave the Matadors the lead 1-0.
Santa Barbara began to pressure the Matadors, but a foul forced the Gauchos to give up possession; Santa Barbara struggled to maintain possession during the match. The Gauchos drove the ball into CSUN’s half of the field three times in a row, finding themselves unable to leave with points on the board each time.
CSUN goalkeeper Hayden Mauldin made an impressive save on a potential goal, resulting in a corner kick for the Gauchos. The Matadors’ strong defense was on full display all night, clearing their side of the field and continuing their oppressive counterattack.
The Gauchos got the ball back with little time left in the half and were able to take a few shots on goal, but Maulden’s seemingly impassable defense saved yet another goal.
Santa Barbara applied heavy pressure in the last minute but ultimately ended the half scoreless, unable to break down this strong Matador defense.
In the first two minutes of the second half, a contested ball was kicked by the Gauchos goalkeeper but, miraculously, Peterson deflected the ball, causing it to land directly into the net on a remarkable play, giving the Matadors a comfortable 2-0 lead.
The Gauchos’ offensive struggles continued as Maulden made yet another save in the 59th minute to keep the Gauchos out of the net. After three corner kicks in a row, Santa Barbara was unable to capitalize on any of them through the first three minutes of the hour mark.
After a breakaway run by Gauchos forward Delilah Vega-Aguilar, they were able to capitalize and put a dent in their deficit, leaving the score at 2-1.
Santa Barbara found themselves in a bind at the 76th minute, spending five minutes on the Matadors’ half of the field with nothing in return. Once again, Maulden had back-to-back crucial sliding saves in the 81st minute, putting the Matadors in an extremely favorable position to win the match.
A yellow card was given to Peterson, who has a total of three yellow cards this season and will carry over into the next game alongside the postseason.
An intense last-minute stand by the Gauchos took place, but due to the strong defense of the Matadors, the clock would run all the way down without a shot on goal. It gave CSUN a revenge-game win and an excellent shot at the playoffs.
“It is a big mental push; this is the time of the season where the fatigue sets in and everyone’s starting to get tired…but we have momentum as long as we go into the next game, playing our game and together, I think we can do really great things,” said Peterson.
Head Coach Gina Brewer also commended her team after they got the much-needed win and spoke about the nail-biting finish to regular-season play.
“Massive, massive home win, and we knew we could do it. We just needed to put together the quality performance that we knew we were capable of, and so I’m so happy for the team, for their fight and grit and resilience to show what we can, how we can play,” Brewer said. “It’s just such an exciting conference to play in, and it’s such a competitive, you know, women’s soccer conference. So it’s really fun. Every single game from top to bottom is just a fantastic game. Every game brings something different. “
The Matadors’ final home game before playoffs will take place against the number one team in the Big West, Utah Valley. The match will be at Matador Soccer Field at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
