The Matadors had it. They were 10 minutes away from scoring a huge upset at No. 10 UC Davis, but it got away. Now, they’re forced to win to remain among the top Big West teams. In comes Cal Poly, a team that heading into last night’s game at UC Irvine, was ahead of Northridge in the standings. The Mustangs are a top contender in the conference and their visit finds them in need of not giving up any more points to their direct rivals. They already dropped games to the Aggies and UC Santa Barbara and, as the season winds down, this could be their last chance to make a statement to the rest of the Big West. The Matadors have a sense of urgency. They’re home and coming off a heartbreaking loss. Something’s got to give.

Matadors vs. Cal Poly Mustangs

Date: Saturday
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Place: Matador Field, Northridge
Series: Matadors lead 24-13-6
Last Meeting: Northridge 0 @ Cal Poly 1 (2007)
Fact: The Matadors lead the all-time series against the Mustangs, but the last time they beat them was three years ago.

Matador to watch: Sophomore Camilo Rojas, forward

Rojas started the game at UC Davis in the way Head Coach Terry Davila has said he’s capable of: being one of the deadliest players in the box. He scored within five minutes of the game’s start. The Matadors need more of that from Rojas against Cal Poly, specially without Cameron Sims, who’s suspended for this game. Moy Gomez could still be out.

Mustang to watch: Sophomore David Zamora, forward

Originally from Costa Rica, Zamora possesses as much soccer pedigree as anyone in the Big West. He played for Club Saprissa in his home country, where he was a scoring machine. He moved on to college last year and won Big West Freshman of the Year. As a sophomore, he keeps on improving. He’s scored five goals so far. The sky is the limit for Zamora.

What did he say?

Terry Davila, Head Coach on injured scoring leader Moy Gomez’ chances at coming back soon:

‘We hope (he comes back). We’ll see. We’ve got to make sure that his knee is all right. He says it’s a go, so we’ll’ have a good practice (to test him) and we’ll see if we give him a chance (in a game).’