FULL GAME NOTES

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Women's Soccer (1-7-0) wraps up the non-conference season with a pair of matches this week. The Matadors return home for the first time in 24 days when they host UC San Diego on Thursday at 5 p.m. CSUN closes the week with another road test on Sunday at USC with kickoff set for 1 p.m. Thursday's home match will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Ghizal Hasan on the call while Alex Naveja will provide play-by-play on an audio stream at GoMatadors.com/Radio. Sunday's match will air on the Pac-12 Network.

Last Monday, the Matadors ended a six-game road string with a 3-0 defeat at the hands of fourth-ranked UCLA. The Bruins would score two first-half goals to take control of the game but the Matadors did fight until the end, eventually outshooting UCLA 7-6 in the second half. The home team also added a goal after halftime to help put the game away. In net, Elizabeth Bornhauser earned her third start and posted five saves while the Matador defense collected two team saves.

CSUN's game with the Bruins was the program's third meeting against a top-25 ranked team already this season. The Matadors have also faced nationally-ranked Stanford on Aug. 26 and Arizona State on Sept. 2. Also, five of CSUN's eight opponents thus far have come from Power Five conferences.

Through the team's eight matches, CSUN has scored eight goals, all of which from different players. Brooke Mobeck became the eighth different Matador to score a goal on Sept. 10 at Portland State. Other goal scorers this season include Alyssa Aguilar, Erin Anderson, Ashley Cruz, Kacie Garrity, Sydney Gilbert, Christiane Sundstrom and Sophie Yanez. Cindy Arteaga has tallied the fifth-most assists in the Big West with two while Amanda Delgado has registered the third-most saves in the league with 31. As a team, the Matadors have averaged a goal per contest while they have posted 8.6 shots per game.

CSUN will face UC San Diego for the first time in women's soccer this Thursday. The teams will square off again on Oct. 3, this time in a Big West Conference match, in La Jolla.

USC leads CSUN 4-0-1 in the all-time series, which dates back to 1996. Three of the five meetings have taken place on USC's home field including the last contest between the two teams in 2013 where the Trojans prevailed 4-1. Chloe McDaniel registered the Matadors' goal in that contest. In the 2012 season, CSUN earned a 1-1 tie with the Trojans in Northridge.

A Closer Look at UC San Diego
The Tritons enter the week with a 1-4-1 record after falling at No. 13 Pepperdine, 4-1 last Thursday. Much like the Matadors, UCSD has played a road-heavy schedule and will wrap up a five-game trip at CSUN. The team's lone win this season came at Southern Utah, 2-1, in overtime. Before making the jump to the Division I ranks, the Tritons were a perennial NCAA Tournament team at the Division II level with five-straight postseason appearances. UCSD won seven national titles in women's soccer including three in a row from 1999-01. Head coach Kristin Jones is in her third season leading the program.

Kennedy Carter leads the team with two goals and five points while four others have scored one goal. Returners Kameryn Hoban and Michelle Baddour had three and two goals, respectively during the 2019 season for the Tritons. In net, Grace Taylor has seen the most action with 295 minutes on the field while she has 22 saves and a 2.13 goals-against-average. As a team, UCSD scores a goal per game and allows 2.17 goals through six contests.

A Closer Look at USC
USC has won three in a row to improve to 3-2-0 on the season. USC defeated Western Michigan 5-0 and Michigan 1-0 last week. USC made its seventh-straight NCAA appearances this past spring. The Trojans were picked to finish second in the Pac-12 Conference. Eighth-year head coach Keidane McAlpine led the Trojans to the 2016 National Championship. Prior to hosting CSUN, USC visits UC Santa Barbara on Thursday.

Croix Bethune has a team-high three goals and seven points while Aaliyah Farmer and Penelope Hocking have two goals apiece. Hocking is coming off a spring season where she was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-American First Team. Anna Smith has 27 saves in net for USC to go with a 1.19 GAA. USC has a 2.20 goals per game average while it allows 1.20 goals per match.

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