The first week of conference play saw Cal State Northridge's Gustavo Villalobos and Cal Poly's Brett Finkelstein turn in performances that earned them Big West Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors, respectively.

Villalobos Leads Streaking CSUN Past CSF in Conference Opener

Gustavo Villalobos had a breakout game for Cal State Northridge last weekend, leading to Big West Offensive Player of the Week honors.

The redshirt freshman scored the first goals and recorded the first points of his career in the Matadors’ 3-1 win over conference foe Cal State Fullerton.

Villalobos scored twice against Fullerton and added an assist for a five-point game. He helped  CSUN extend their unbeaten streak in conference openers to seven and the first Matador freshman to score multiple goals in a game since Camilo Rojas accomplished the same feat against Detroit on August 31, 2007.

He is also the sixth Matador freshman to score two or more goals in a game since the program joined the Big West.

Others nominated: Patrick Sigler, Cal Poly; Amani Walker, UC Irvine; Danny Barrera, UC Santa Barbara

Finkelstein Outstanding in Goal for Cal Poly; Picks Up Two Big Wins

Backup goalkeeper Brett Finkelstein stepped into the limelight for Cal Poly last week, leading the team to two wins and the Big West Defensive Player of the Week award.

Finkelstein stood tall against a potent Cal State Bakersfield team in his first start last week, making five saves in Cal Poly’s 2-1 win over the Roadrunners.

He then picked up his first shutout of the season in the Mustangs’ conference opener, picking up six saves in the 1-0 overtime victory over UC Riverside.

Finkelstein has now started three matches on the year, posting a 1.66 goals against average and 17 saves.

Others nominated: Michael Abalos, Cal State Northridge; Gray Bailey, UC Irvine; James Kiffe, UC Santa Barbara