The Iowa State soccer team will close out its trip to California on Sunday with a matchup against Cal State Northridge. The Cyclones will face the Matadors for the first time in school history.

Iowa State is coming off of a season-opening win against UC-Santa Barbara on Thursday evening. The Cyclones scored twice during the first half through two freshmen; first in the 18th minute off of a header by midfielder Lauren McConnell, and again in the 39th minute through forward Anna Lindgren. Both players scored their debut goals for the Cyclones, and sophomore defender Brooke Miller notched her first collegiate assist by crossing in the ball to McConnell.

Sophomore goalkeeper Cora Anderson also made her debut for Iowa State, keeping a clean sheet through 90 minutes and recording a save on either side of halftime. She was helped in the backfield by defenders Miller, seniors McKenna Schultz and Taylor Bee and freshman Tyra Shand, with Schultz and Bee both playing for the entire match.

Cal State Northridge also started off the season on Thursday, but fell to Long Beach State 2-0 in their home debut. Matadors goalkeeper Amanda Delgado was kept occupied throughout the match, as seven of Long Beach State’s 15 shots were on goal, with Delgado saving five.

Like UCSB, this was CSUN’s first match since 2019, as the Big West Conference cancelled last year’s season due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Matadors finished with an overall record of 12-7-3 in 2019, including going 6-2-2 at home. Like the Cyclones, CSUN have also only made the NCAA tournament once before, qualifying for the 2012 edition, where they lost in the first round to Long Beach State.

Iowa State and Cal State Northridge will face off at the Matador Soccer Field on Sunday at 1 pm CST. Live stats of the match can be accessed here.