Injuries to key players and early foul trouble devastated the CSUN men's basketball team, as Boise State handed the Matadors their first home loss 76-68 on Dec. 9. The loss drops the Matadors to 5-4, while the Broncos even their record at 4-4. Starting center and leading-rebounder Thomas Shewmake was out due to injury and guard Jordan Noblitt sat out because of illness.

The CSUN hockey team has not been the dominant force it was last season, but at the midway point of the season, the players are confident their best hockey lies ahead. The Matadors skated their way to a 7-4 record during the first two months of the season, recording two wins apiece against Sacramento and UC Davis and suffering disappointing losses to College of the Canyons and UC San Diego.

When Lennox Lewis retired from boxing in 2003, he took the respectability of the heavyweight division with him. The future of the 200+ weight class, once the marquee division of professional boxing, is pretty bleak. The popularity of heavyweight boxing over the years has always hinged on the talent and charisma of the champion.

The CSUN men's soccer team lost a physical battle to UC Davis 2-1, despite having a one-man advantage for most of the match Oct. 21 at Aggie Field. Aggie defender Darren Hammond was red-carded and ejected from the game for dangerous play in the 37th minute to give the Matadors the advantage.

The CSUN men's soccer team out shot and out played Cal Poly on Wednesday, but still walked away from the match with their first conference loss of the season. The Matadors controlled possession for most of the game, winning the majority of loose balls at midfield and giving numerous scoring opportunities to their strikers.

The CSUN women's soccer team began their four-game home stand with a win and a loss, moving them into third place in the Big West Conference. The Matadors defeated UC Riverside 2-1 in a hard-fought game Oct. 6 and fell to Cal State Fullerton 1-0 Oct. 8, in a game in which Northridge failed to find their offensive rhythm.

Late goals by Kristy Krohn and Tessa javascript:autoSummary();Binkley helped secure the CSUN women's soccer team's first tournament championship of the year in Hawaii on Sept. 23-25. The Matadors beat Detroit and Hawaii at the Ohana Hotels and Resorts Soccer Invitational by identical scores of 2-1 last weekend.

The CSUN women's soccer team nearly played the fourth-ranked team in the nation to a scoreless tie on Sept. 15, but UCLA snuck one by in the second half to win the match 1-0. The Matadors produced their lowest shot output of the season, as they were outshot 18-4 in the game.

The CSUN women's soccer team concluded its five-game road trip with a win and a loss at the City by the Bay Classic last weekend in San Francisco. The Matadors season record stands at an even 3-3 after the tournament. The Matadors' showed the wear and tear of the long road trip in their first match, as they were throttled by the University of San Francisco 4-0 on Friday.

The CSUN women's soccer team added a win and a loss to their record at the Nike Invitational in Corvallis, Ore. Sept.1-3, to even their season record at 2-2-0. The Matadors defeated the University of Alabama at Birmingham 1-0 and fell to Northern Colorado by the same score.

Two CSUN baseball players have been given the opportunity to test their skills at the next level, being selected in the 2006 professional baseball draft. Pitchers Craig Baker and Jimmy Brettl were selected in the fourth and 39th rounds, respectively. Baker was chosen by the Colorado Rockies, Brettl by the Cleveland Indians.

The CSUN women's soccer team will have a distinctly different look this season, both on the field and on the sideline. Keith West, who has been an assistant with the men's team since 2000 has taken over the head coaching job for the women this year. West took over for Terry Davila, who is now the head coach for the men's squad.