CSUN Opens Exhibition Play on Friday - CSUN Athletics (2024)

Connor Clark

Men's Soccer 8/8/2024 12:56:00 PM

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Soccer opens exhibition play on Friday night when the Matadors host The Master's at 7 p.m. Free admission will be available to all fans while live stats will be provided for the match.

CSUN will play three exhibition games before opening up the 2024 regular season later in the month. Following Friday's home game with The Master's, CSUN will travel to San Diego on Tuesday at 5 p.m. before concluding the exhibition slate on Saturday, Aug. 17 against UCLA at Matador Soccer Field. The 2024 season opener is set for Aug. 22 at home against James Madison.

TEAM OUTLOOK
CSUN brings back 15 letterwinners and four redshirts from the 2023 roster while 13 newcomers have joined the ranks including eight transfers and five true freshmen. The team's returning group accounted for seven goals and 18 points last season while three returners started 10 or more times last season.

Among the returners, forward Jorge Solorzano looks to build on his outstanding freshman season where he was named Big West Freshman of the Year. Solorzano scored five goals and added three assists in 18 matches in 2023. Another sophom*ore, midfielder Zack Harris netted two goals last season as a true freshman while other key returners include seniors Marley Edwards, Matthieu Fiadjoe, Matthieu Mayindu, Theom Samba, Odin Rosten and Zion Wagoner, junior Enrique Pineda and sophom*ores Michael Blevins, JT Danks, Sebastian Fuentes and Robert Kaemmerer.

In goal, sophom*ore Merrick Cook returns after assuming starting goalkeeping duties during Big West play. Cook posted 18 saves and a 0.81 goals-against-average over seven matches as a freshman in 2023.

CSUN will also return forward Arturo Reveles after he missed all of 2023 along with returning redshirts in defender Tobias Brucher, goalkeeper Ryan Chu, midfielder Carlo Kettig and forward Jack Sherlock.

Joining the team this season will be three junior college All-Americans in forward David Garcia (Blinn College), Jake Shaked (Tyler Junior College) and Siddiq Lezzar (LSU Eunice). On defense, Deryk Jones, Jr. joins CSUN from the University of Portland along with goalkeeper Dorian Drucks from California Baptist. Adding to the goalkeeping crop is Jose Mendiola from Los Angeles Mission College. In the midfield, Eyifehn Forfor transferred from Iowa Western CC and Finn Werner from Division II West Florida.

Adding to the depth are five true freshmen, which include defenders Ian Boras (Oaks Christian School/LAFC So Cal Youth), Samahj Oyewo (Hart High School/LAFC So Cal Youth), Demitrious Tanks (Los Alamitos High School) and Emanuele Susi (Union Fossacesia Calcio in Italy) as well as midfielder Boniface Fatohou (Westminster School in Conn.).

2023 SEASON REWIND
CSUN finished the 2023 season at 4-6-8 overall and 2-3-4 in Big West play as the Matadors set a school record with eight draws on the year. The team battled back from an 0-3 start to Big West play to go 2-0-4 over its final six conference games, but CSUN fell two points shy of qualifying for the Big West Championship. Among the team's notable wins on the year was an impressive 3-1 road win at No. 12 San Diego along with a 1-0 victory at future Big West champion UC Irvine. The Matadors were led offensively by Jamar Ricketts who scored a team-high eight goals with 21 points en route to earning All-Big West First Team honors. Ricketts would be drafted 13th overall by the San Jose Earthquakes in the MLS SuperDraft.

SCOUTING THE MASTER'S
The Master's University competes in NAIA out of the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC). The Mustangs went 9-6-3 overall last season and finished as GSAC runners-up in the conference championship tournament. Kai Terentieff, who led the team with eight goals in 2023, has returned to the squad along with all-conference players in Tyrik Trotman (seven goals) and Prince Chingancheke (five goals).

SERIES HISTORY: CSUN had played The Master's 17 times in regular season action with the Matadors holding a 14-1-2 record. The teams last played a regular season game in 1999 with CSUN coming out on top 1-0 in overtime.

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