Matadors Post 2-0 Victory at Eastern Washington

NORTHRIDGE, CA---

CSUN Women's Soccer (3-1-4) got back on the winning track with a 2-0 win at Eastern Washington (4-4) on Sunday afternoon at EWU Soccer Field. Marissa Favela netted her fourth goal of the season in the first half and Amy Aquino scored her first career strike late in the contest. In net, Jovani McCaskill collected her 24th career shutout as she totaled six saves on the day. Earning their third shutout of the season, the Matadors registered four blocked shots to perserve the victory.

The Eagles outshot the Matadors 25-12 and posted a 9-3 edge in corner kicks. Despite the shot disparity, the Matadors registered seven shots on goal compared to six for Eastern Washington. Eight fouls were charged to CSUN while EWU comitted five. Both Lindsay Kutscher and Favela received yellow cards and the EWU bench saw one caution.

Shut out over the last two matches, the Matadors took the early lead in the first half on Sunday. After McCaskill made a pair of saves on the other end, the Matadors went on the attack. Earning a corner kick in the 14th minute, the Matadors advanced the ball into EWU's box. Amanda Martin delivered a pass to Favela who found room and struck the net to give the Matadors a 1-0 advantage.

Playing with the lead, the Matadors spent the rest of the half protecting their net. The Matadors faced 12 shots including eight shots after taking the lead but only one attempt reached the frame. McCaskill made her third save of the first half in the 26th minute off a shot from Chloe Williams.

In the second half, CSUN continued to hold the Eagle offense at bay. Eastern Washington took the first eights shots of the second half and earned five corner kicks but the Matadors turned away every chance. CSUN's defense blocked two shots from Alison Raniere while McCaskill stuffed two shot attempts.

Following missed shots from Sylvia Trinh and Payton Jo Armijo, Williams fired two shots high of the net and Raniere had her shot blocked by the Matador defense.

The Matadors went back on the attack in the 84th minute leading to an EWU goal kick. Goalkeeper Emily Busselman delivered a kick that was deflected off of Aquino's knee and backward towards the goal. Busselman was unable to stop the ball in time leading to the Matadors' second goal of the afternoon.

In the final minutes, CSUN completed the shutout as McCaskill made her final save of the day off another shot from Williams in the 86th minute.

Favela's fourth goal of the year moved her into a second-place tie on the Big West Conference's Top 10 scoring list. In the match, Favela led the Matadors with four shots with two on goal. Aquino put all three of her shots on goal while Cynthia Sanchez had two shots and the trio of Ariana Tran, Trinh and Armijo all had one shot apiece.

Defenders Christina Nixon, Kutscher and Martin and midfielder Tran all played the full 90 minutes in the match. Martin's helper in the first half was her first assist and point of her Matador career.

For EWU, Williams recorded a game-high eight shots while Raniere came off the bench to deliver seven shots. Busselman picked up five saves in net.

The Matadors conclude their four-match road trip next Sunday with a matchup at Texas Tech. Kick off is slated for 5 p.m. (PT).

Matadors Post 2-0 Victory at Eastern Washington

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Team Stats

Marissa Favela

Amy Aquino

Amanda Martin

Cynthia Sanchez

Players Mentioned

Amy Aquino

Payton Jo Armijo

Marissa Favela

Lindsay Kutscher

Amanda Martin

Jovani McCaskill

Christina Nixon

Cynthia Sanchez

Ariana Tran

Sylvia Trinh