Matadors Close Out '07 Campaign With Visit From UC Irvine
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Matadors Close Out '07 Campaign With Visit From UC Irvine
This Week's Matador Men's Soccer Release
GAUCHOS SWEEP SEASON SERIES
The Matadors’ home-field advantage over UC Santa Barbara took a hit on Tuesday when the Gauchos claimed a 3-2 win at Matador Soccer Field.
The win was the first for the Gauchos in Northirdge since 1997.
Devin Deldo logged the first Northridge goal in the eighth minute.
Taking a Ben Cox pass, the junior forward dribbled past all-conference defender Andy Iro and beat keeper Bryant Rueckner far post. Deldo assisted on the second score, serving Sean Franklin in the box and the senior defender put it home for his first score of the season. The 22nd-minute goal gave the Matadors a two-goal lead.
The Gauchos, however, refused to go in to halftime quietly. With under a minute on the clock, Eric Avila put a ball on the head of Chris Pontius, and Pontius banged it home to narrow the Northridge lead to one heading into the intermission.
Two second-half scores put UCSB on top.
The Gauchos controlled much of the action the rest of the way, and despite close-calls from Rafael Garcia and Deldo, the Gauchos escaped Northridge with the victory and the Big West crown.
MATADORS CLOSE OUT SEASON VS. UC IRVINE
Without prospects of postseason play, the Matadors look to Friday’s matchup vs. UC Irvine as the final action of the 2007 season.
The Matadors traveled to UC Irvine in their first week of Big West competition and, after entering halftime with a one-goal deficit, worked the Anteaters to a 1-1 tie. Sunghyun Kim did the Matador damage in the 48th minute, giving both sides plenty of time to score a game-winning goal. Neither team was able to break through.
MATADORS TURN VICTORS VS. UC RIVERSIDE
Cal State Northridge earned its second victory of the Big West conference season Saturday, heading east and taking home a 1-0 win over UC Riverside.
Mattias Bonvehi, one of the fab freshman for the Matadors, broke through in the second half for Northridge, shooting over a Highlander defender and in to an unoccupied UCR net for the Matadors’ goal. The one score was all they needed, as Kevin Guppy collected his eighth shutout of the season for the Matadors.
The win brought the Matadors to 2-4-4 for the year.
SENIOR DAY LOOMS
The final home game of the season also means the arrival of Senior Day, the annual celebration in which the men’s soccer program honors its departing seniors and thanks them for their effort.
This season, midfielder Fergie Agwu, defenders Matt Tracy and Sean Franklin, and goalkeeper Peter Bomar will be honored pre-game at Matador Soccer Field.
Festivities will start at 1:30, so arrive early to thank the Northridge seniors who will be paying in their final game.
Here’s a short primer of each players’ accomplishments in their Matador careers:
FERGIE FILE
Agwu arrived from Azusa Pacific University in 2005 as a sophomore. Agwu had helped the Cougars to a conference championship in ‘04 and helped Northridge to the Big West championship in 2005, when he played in 13 games and made four starts. Agwu notched two assists for the eventual league champions. Agwu’s role was expanded for his junior season, and he played in all 19 games and started 17. His 11 points were third-best for Northridge, as were his three goals.
As a senior in 2007, Agwu has notched three assists while appearing in all 18 matches. For the second consecutive season, he collected an assist on opening day, this time part of a 6-1 victory. Agwu scored his lone goal of ‘07 in Las Vegas, dribbling through the box and scoring against Cleveland State in the UNLV Tournament.
TRACY TIMES
Matt Tracy came from Newport Harbor HS and became an immediate contributor on the back line for the Matadors. Tracy started ten of the 11 matches he played in and finished the season without a point. In 2005, Tracy started all 22 matches and earned the first of two All-Big West accolades. The second came for his 2006 campaign, when he got in to the goal column for the first time. His solid defense anchored the Northridge back line, but he also managed to score the game-winning goal over UC Santa Barbara on Sep. 27.
Tracy has made 17 starts in 2007, missing just two matches for red- and yellow-card infractions. Tracy has not collected any points in his senior outing, but did turn aggressor vs. UNLV when he managed two shots on goal.
FRANKLY FRANKLIN
Sean Franklin will likely leave Cal State Northridge regarded as one of the bets Matadors ever. An top-flight defender, Franklin missed the first part of 2007 after suffering an off-season injury.
After a celebrated career at Highland HS, Franklin started 19 matches as a redshirt freshman in 2004 en route to second-team All-Big West honors. Franklin captured all-conference honors again in 2005, this time on the first team. Franklin’s six assists were a team-high in 2005, and Franklin was selected as an all-Far West Region third-team honoree.
As a junior in 2006, Franklin broke into the goal column for the first time as a Matador. Franklin secured first-team all-conference honors again, and this time, he moved up to the all-region second team.
Franklin has played in just seven matches a senior captain, but he has been a focal point through all of them. Wearing a cast on his left arm, Franklin scored in the Matadors’ loss to UCSB on Tuesday.
BOMAR BASICS
Senior captain Peter Bomar has been a leader for the Matador throughout his career despite a lack of playing time. Coming in to the program in 2003, Bomar redshirted and hoped to succeed Joe Barton in 2004. Instead, Radames LaFourie clamed the starting gig and in 2005, Kevin Guppy was brought aboard. Bomar will likely finish his career in 2007 having never logged a start.
However, Bomar’s legacy is one of leadership and hard work, traits that have been imprinted on Kevin Guppy, who will miss Bomar’s company and competition in 2008.
Bomar served as the primary back up in 2006 and has again in 2007. He faced his first shots of his career in a 6-1 win over Detroit in 2007, collecting the first save of his career.
SCOUTING UC IRVINE
After scrambling to a 5-0 start to their season, UC Irvine has slowly witnessed their team’s collapse. The ‘Eaters have logged just one victory since Sept. 16, a win over Cal State Fullerton on October 13. Since that win, Irvine has gone 0-4-2 and slipped to 1-6-3 in conference play.
Matt Murphy has scored eight goals and has been responsible for a third of his team’s scoring effort. Three other ‘Eaters have tallied multiple goals this season, led by Spencer Thompson’s four scores.
pat Barton has started 14 of the team’s games this season and has been adequate, posting a 1.30 goals against average. Reserve keeper Greg Larson has posted a 1.69 GAA in four starts.
VERSUS THE...
Anteaters: The Matadors are 15-11-3 al-time vs. the Anteaters, including this season’s 1-1 tie. Northridge is 8-1-1 over the last ten installments of this series.
Northridge is 8-5 against UCI at Matador Soccer Field.
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