CSUN Women’s Soccer takes on UC Irvine in an exciting Big West matchup

Returning to their home field after facing Big West opponent Cal State Fullerton Titans, the Matadors set their sights on another competitive conference matchup against UC Irvine Anteaters. The last...

Aiden Hinojos, Assistant Sports Editor | Wed, Sep 24, 2025

Returning to their home field after facing Big West opponent Cal State Fullerton Titans, the Matadors set their sights on another competitive conference matchup against UC Irvine Anteaters.

The last time these two teams competed against one another, it resulted in the Matadors taking home a loss (1-2). The team is looking to bounce back this year by getting a win while having the home-field advantage against the Anteaters (4-2-4).

Having home games help boost a team and their morale with more fans to rally behind them. However, the Matadors (2-6-2) have had more success on the road this season than at home.

The last two matches played at home were against Sacramento State Hornets (4-6) and Utah Tech Bisons (4-3-2), which both resulted in losses.

Coach Gina Brewer speaks to players after a game against Grand Canyon University on Aug. 21, 2025. (Benjamin Hanson)

Head coach Gina Brewer is looking forward to this game and has been preparing her team for a competitive match while searching for their first home win.

“UC Irvine is another very good quality team. They scored some great goals this season, and so we know it’ll be a challenging game,” she said.

Brewer is aware of the team’s struggles at home and looks forward to having the opportunity to change that this Thursday.

She said, “We really want to put out an exciting performance together to be able to give something for the home crowd to cheer about.”

A player to keep an eye out for this week against Irvine is senior goalkeeper Riley Liebsack. Brewer complimented Liebsack for her calming presence and her consistency within the backline.

Last week against Cal State Fullerton, Liebsack had five saves contributing heavily to their tie against the Titans.

“They have some good individual players that can attack in a multitude of ways, so I think one of the most important things is going to be similar to Fullerton. We need to be organized defensively,” Brewer said.

Brewer is focusing on the Matadors strong suit this week in their defense to attempt to flip their script and gain some momentum at home.

The Matadors will play UC Irvine in their highly anticipated conference matchup at home on Thursday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ .