After rallying to earn their first conference win on Saturday, CSUN (5-5-2, 1-2-1) will host the California State University, Fullerton Titans (7-5-1, 2-1-1) on Wednesday.
CSUN is back home after a two-game road trip that resulted in a draw and a comeback win after a pair of second half goals by senior midfielder David Turcios.
Turcios is second in team scoring with three goals this season but is just one of the threats that the Titans will have to prepare for.
So far, there have been seven players that have scored for CSUN, including senior midfielder Carlos Gonzalez, who leads the team with four goals.
The Matadors will need to play sound defense and control the pace of the game, as the Titans have been aggressive on offense this season.
CSUF is averaging 12.5 shots a game while their opponents are only taking 9.5 shots.
The Matadors are only averaging 8.8 shots per game while allowing 12.3 to their opponents.
The defense has been reliable for the Matadors so far this season but the offense will have to match that great play to withstand the pressure from CSUF.
Led by CSUF sophomore midfielder Diego Sanchez’s five goals, CSUF has 11 different players who have scored for a total of 18 goals.
Although the Titans have out-shot their opponents (162-124), they have not been very efficient with their shot selection as only 58 of those have been on goal for a 35.8 percentage.
The Matadors, on the other hand, head into the game allowing 1.17 goals per game while they have a 1.25 average for a total of 15 goals.
The second half looks to critical as most of the shots by both teams have come later in the game, as the Matadors have taken 51 shots to the Titans have 78.
Moreover, both teams have seen the majority of their goals come in the second half; CSUN has scored eight while CSUF has scored 15.
CSUN will have a tough task at hand and will need to be the aggressors, something that they have not been much this season.
Heading into the game, the Matadors have been outshot (106-148), given up more shots on goals (48-72) and only have a 45.3 shots on goal percent while their opponents are shooting 48.6.
Shaky offense notwithstanding, senior goalkeeper Adam Hobbs has consistently been a bright spot for the defense.
Hobbs was named the Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the second time in three weeks.
After tying a season high with 10 saves and five saves in the last two games, Hobbs is entering the game with a total of 56 saves with an 80 percent save rate.
On the other side of the field, CSUF junior goalkeeper David Elias has seven shutouts with 36 saves and has only allowed two goals in the last five games.
On paper the stats lean towards the Titans, but the Matadors have the momentum heading into the game, coming off of a win, while the Titans are looking to rebound after a loss.
CSUN will go for their second consecutive win when they host the Titans this Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Matador Soccer Field.
