Matador Men's Soccer Wrap Up
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Matador Men's Soccer Wrap Up
This Week's Matador Men's Soccer Release
2007 IN REVIEW
Cal State Northridge entered the 2007 season with their own recipe for success: upperclassmen leading the way, exceptional depth, and an infusion of new talent. With seniors Sean Franklin, Fergie Agwu, and Matt Tracy expected to take on bigger roles as seniors, and with touted new faces Bo Miller, Rafael Garcia, and Camilo Rojas on board, The Matadors were looking at returning to the top of the Big West.
Before the team had even hit the field, however, the Matadors were dealt a setback. Playing in his final game of the summer league season, Franklin had suffered a broken wrist and would miss the bulk of his senior season. Still, Northridge was confident in transfer Miller and youngster Jeremy Hohn to fill Franklin’s very big shoes. The Matadors trounced Detroit 6-1 in the season-opener but were 1-1-1 after taking a tie and loss at the Fullerton Tournament.
Northridge next traveled to Las Vegas to compete in the UNLV Tournament, where they claimed a pair of wins over UNLV and Cleveland State. After a loss to New Mexico and a landmark victory over UCLA, Northridge entered conference play at 4-2-1.
The UCLA victory was the first ever for CSUN over the Bruins and represented the season to that point- stifling defense. Despite playing the game without senior defender Matt Tracy, Northridge posted its fourth shutout and sophomore defender Robert Pate snagged Big West Athlete of the Week honors and was named to Soccer America’s Team of the Week.
The Matadors were slated to open their Big West schedule on the road with trips to Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine. Northridge had to settle for a 1-1 tie to kick off the 2007 conference season, and another 1-1 tie followed, this time at UC Irvine and CSUN was off to a 0-0-2 start in the Big West.
On the weekend of its tie in Irvine, Northridge was dealt its toughest loss of the season. While visiting his family in San Bruno, redshirt junior Jay Singh died unexpectedly. The news was a blow to the team and coaches heading in to a week that was supposed to see CSUN host rival UC Santa Barbara, a game that was postponed to the final week of the season. The Matadors had a hard time rebounding from the devastating development, treading water through much of the conference schedule.
The Matadors played their first game without Singh a week later when they hosted UC Riverside. The Matadors were satisfied to escape the emotional day with a scoreless tie. Northridge had a traveled-filled week in the next seven days, flying to UC Davis and Maryland. The Matadors posted a 1-0 loss at UC Davis and worked Maryland to a 1-1 tie.
Northridge claimed their first Big West victory of the season at home against Cal State Fullerton and, after a tie and three losses in conference play, tallied their second at UC Riverside.
The season culminated in an emotional 2-1 victory over UC Irvine on Senior Day, which sent the Matadors back to .500 at a mark of 7-7-6. This particular Senior Day saw Peter Bomar post his first start of his five-year career, and despite letting in a goal, made several spectacular plays and was paramount to the Northridge victory. Fergie Agwu, Franklin, and Tracy, who scored the game-winner, also played their final games as Matadors.
Kevin Guppy continued his assault on the Matador record books in 2007, claiming the top spot in career shutouts (21.5) and wins (29) and moving into second with 207 saves and 61 matches in goal. His 76 saves this season is the best total of his career and is tenth-best all-time. Guppy missed the first start of his career Saturday with good reason, making room for Bomar in the season-closing victory over UC Irvine.
THANKS
The Northridge men's soccer team and the CSUN Department of Athletics thanks all of you for your patronage throughout the 2007 season. We'd also like to extend our thanks to Scott Stark, the voice of the Matadors on GoMatadors.com.
We look forward to seeing all of you next season, and Go Matadors! |
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