Cal State Northridge junior Edwin Rivas and UC Santa Barbara freshman Josh McNeely sparked their teams to 2-0 conference starts as the Big West Men's Soccer Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week.
Rivas Scores Twice In Pair Of Matador Victories
Junior Edwin Rivas (Los Angeles, Calif./Santee Educational Complex) led Cal State Northridge on a successful trip to northern California, scoring twice in a pair of wins and earning the Big West Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week award.
The forward notched his second and third goals of the season as the Matadors upended Sacramento State (3-0) and defending North Division champion UC Davis (2-0). CSUN improved to 10-1-0 on the year and 2-0 in the Big West. The Matadors are just the third Big West squad since 2001 to win 10 games in their first 11 contests.
Rivas scored the eventual game-winning goal against the Hornets in the 23rd minute and he deposited a low shot into the net. On Sunday against the Aggies, he slipped a one-timer past the goalkeeper in the 82nd minute, an insurance goal that allowed CSUN to win the rematch of last year's BIg West Tournament championship game.
Two of the three shots Rivas took on the week found the back of the net.
Others nominated: Ari Lassiter (Cal Poly); Cameron Iwasa (UC Irvine); Ismaila Jome (UC Santa Barbara)
McNeely Records Back-To-Back Shutouts
Goalkeeper Josh McNeely garnered Big West Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week accolades after the UC Santa Barbara freshman notched consecutive shutouts against Cal State Fullerton and UC Riverside.
The Calabasas, Calif. native ran his shutout streak to three straight games, becoming the first UCSB keeper since 2010 to go 270:00 minutes without allowing a goal.
McNeely faced 11 shots and made four saves in the 3-0 blanking of the Titans on Friday. He parried five Highlander shots in Sunday's 2-0 triumph.
He is tied for first in the Big West with four shots and has allowed just six goals in 828:37 for a league-low 0.65 goals against average.
Others nominated: Bryan Escalante (Cal State Fullerton); Adam Hobbs (Cal State Northridge); Brian Ford (UC Davis); Tarek Morad (UC Irvine)