Oct. 1, 2011

Box Score

Northridge, Calif. - Carlos Benavides assisted on three goals and Christian Gonzalez Diaz scored once and added an assist of his own as the Cal State Northridge Matadors (5-4-1, 2-0-0) rolled to a 3-0 victory over the \#19 Cal State Fullerton Titans (6-2-2, 0-1-0) on Saturday night at Matador Soccer Field. The win, accompanied by a loss by UC Riverside, puts the Matadors in sole possession of first place in the Big West Conference after one week of competition.

"We are obviously disappointed with the result," said Fullerton Head Coach Bob Ammann. "I thought we started real well and were the better team for the first half hour. The game had a few critical moments that didn't go our way.

"This group of players understands this type of result happens at all levels of the game and will put it behind them.

"We are very aware there are no easy games in the Big West Conference as one can attest from the results this first week. It will be a battle until the final week and I'm looking forward to it."

The Matadors were able to break onto the scoreboard first in the 35th minute as Benavides sent a through ball into the right corner of the box to Gonzalez Diaz, who crossed the ball to Yarden Azulay. Azulay, making a run from the left of the pitch, took a shot that skipped off a defender and into the bottom right corner of the goal for his third score of the season.

Just over four minutes later, the Matadors were celebrating another goal as Benavides set things in motion a second time. Working from the left side of the box, he passed the ball to Chris Smith, whose cross found Gonzalez Diaz on the right side. The freshman then smacked a low shot back across the goal and into the lower left corner for his second goal of the year.

Northridge took a 2-0 lead into halftime as goalkeeper Michael Abalos made three saves in the first 45 minutes to blank Fullerton.

The Matadors increased the intensity to begin the second half and the match got noticeably more physical. After forward Edwin Rivas chased down a ball in the box and was whistled for a foul, he and Titan defender Bobby Reiss were shown a yellow card following their getting tangled up in the 50th minute..

The Matadors were able to keep control of the match and added a final goal to seal the night in the 81st minute as Benavides yet again earned an assist. After a long run up the left side of the field, he left the ball to defender Yuval Barak, who crossed it to Rivas in front of the net. Rivas was able to get a foot to the ball and Titan goalkeeper Trevor Whiddon could only watch as it went into the goal.

Cal State Fullerton midfielder Kevin Venegas was issued a caution in the 79th minute for dissent and was subsequently sent off for a challenge from behind in the 82nd.

Northridge played out the final minutes of the match for their third consecutive 3-0 victory. The Matadors have held opponents scoreless for 270 straight minutes, a stretch of three matches.

Abalos needed just four saves in net to earn his 10th career shutout.

Both teams play UC Irvine next week. The Titans host the Anteaters on Wednesday while the Matadors visit Irvine on Saturday.