Over the past few weeks, several CSUN athletics teams have hit the ground running. Early fall sport teams have been hard at work with practices and games as they compete to try and dominate the Big West. Recently, many of these teams have begun conference play; this week we will be highlighting some of the big home games that Matadors should look forward to viewing.

Men’s Soccer VS. Cal State Bakersfield:

This Wednesday, CSUN Men’s soccer will be taking on the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners at Matador Soccer Field. The match will be the first of conference play for the Matadors and makes for a very interesting matchup between these two teams.

The Matadors are coming off of a close loss to Grand Canyon University (1-2). Because this week has Big West implications, it could be the right time for the Matadors to have a great bounceback win to boost their momentum as they advance into more difficult opponents down the stretch.

Last year the Roadrunners got the best of the Matadors, winning in a low-scoring matchup (1-0). This year the two teams seem evenly matched with CSUN’s record sitting at 3-4-1 and Bakersfield’s at 3-2-2. Each team has been a part of tough close games and that trend is expected to continue with this matchup.

The first match of Big West play for CSUN Men’s soccer will begin at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+

Women’s Volleyball VS. Cal State Long Beach:

This Saturday, Women’s Volleyball will be taking on the Cal State Long Beach Sharks at Premier America Credit Union. The Sharks have proven to be successful early into the season, posting a 10-2 record. While the Matadors may not have had the hot start the Sharks had with a 4-8 record, last season the Matadors took the Sharks the distance and managed to squeeze out a win in a five-set thriller (3-2). Due to this, there is a real possibility that the Matadors could once again pull off a major upset and shake up the conference.

The Matadors are currently on a two-game losing streak, but this weekend could be a huge turnaround for the team if they are able to pull out a massive upset win over the Sharks. Not being a favorable matchup could prove to be the Matadors’ greatest weapon as they come in as the underdog at home against the Sharks.

If the Matadors come in well prepared and with a fresh mind, they may present themselves with an opportunity to upset the deep playoff squad and wipe the loss streak clean.

Immediately after this game, the Matadors have to turn around and regroup to play the Cal State Fullerton Titans, with that matchup being more favorable for the Matadors.

This game has potential, which makes it a perfect pick for a spot in this week’s Matador home games of the week. The game will start at 6 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+