The Matadors hosted the UC San Diego (UCSD) Tritons Saturday night at Matador Soccer Field, where the match ended in a tie as conference play is in the final stretch.

The stalemate against the Tritons only tightens the margin for error in the Big West, pressuring the Matadors to get full points to reach a playoff-berth.

The Tritons (0-7-7 overall, 0-1-5 conference) came into the match with one loss and four draws in Big West Play. CSUN’s (6-4-5, 1-3-2 conference) hopes seem to have dwindled with only a few games left down the stretch and a home field advantage in their favor.

The Matadors have been triumphant in one conference game over UC Riverside by a score of one-nil. Since then, CSUN has failed to get positive results, with a draw at home against Sacramento State and two consecutive road defeats against UC Davis and UC Irvine as recent outcomes.

CSUN came into the match eager to get a victory in front of the home crowd. The Matadors are one of the best defensive sides in the Big West, only allowing five goals in six matches as they sit first in the goals allowed category in conference standings.

On the contrary, the Matadors have struggled offensively to find the net, only scoring three goals in five games. The lack of production on the attack are things head coach Terry Davila is tactically changing in-game-situations, rotating players from left-to-right to produce a deeper threat in the final third of the pitch.

Midfielders Zack Harris, Zion Wagner and Justin Sosa all had shots on target against UCSD goalkeeper Nic Thiele who made multiple saves during the match to keep the score even.

CSUN produced more of the offensive threat, tallying six shots on frame in 15 attempts on goal over 90 minutes, but were held scoreless in the end. In the final 10 minutes of the game, the Matadors kept going forward in transition with good ball possession, earning key corner kicks and trying to break the deadlock.

Davila spoke about the opportunity to reach a playoff-berth after the nil-nil draw against the Tritons.

“We still control our own destiny; that’s all you can ask for, ” Davila said, “This league is crazy, it is very even, and you don’t know who’s going to win and who’s going to get the results.”

Goalkeeper Dorian Drucks earned his eighth clean sheet of the season, a feat that ties him for second most shutouts in school history. The German goalkeeper has been impenetrable all season long, along with his solid backline of defenders: Jake Shaked, Siddiq Lezzar and Daniel Garcia.

Garcia spoke about the teams’ performance after the game.

“It’s difficult because this was a game we wanted to get the three points from, looking for every opportunity we could get to score,” Garcia said. “This is how the game goes. It’s hard to score goals and that’s the hardest part. Everyone has to step up and just play a bigger role every game.”

The Matadors will host Big West first-place team Cal State Fullerton on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.