NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - With Cal State Fullerton and CSUN tied at 1-1 after the halftime break, a 73rd minute strike from freshman wingback Kaylin Raibon gave the Titans the go-ahead goal in a 2-1 win at CSUN to start Big West Play.
Raibon beat her defender down the right sideline and sent in an opportunistic shot that sailed off the keeper's gloves into the net to score her first goal of the season.
73' | GOALLLLLLL RAIBON!!! BANGERS ONLY!! The Titans take a 2-1 lead over CSUN#TusksUp pic.twitter.com/RaeN0QCkGj
— Titans Women's Soccer (@FullertonWSOC) September 23, 2022
"This is a fantastic way to start our Big West Conference campaign," said Head Coach Demian Brown. "CSUN was great tonight and is exactly what we expected. We're really proud of our ladies for battling back for a hard fought win."
The Titans were displaying their attacking prowess from the start but they actually had to play from behind early in the game.
Ashley Cruz's 12th minute strike gave the Matadors the lead after a counter attack against the Titans outstretched defensive line.
However, the CSUN lead was short lived after the Titans found the equalizer in the 18th minute.
Hailey Gough made a move past the Matador defender and had an open dribble into the box from the left side and sent a cross to Kaytlin Brinkman who one-timed it past the keeper for her second goal of the season.
18' | GOALLLLLLLLLL! BRINKMAN with the equalizer!!! #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/OinCmXrSTN
— Titans Women's Soccer (@FullertonWSOC) September 23, 2022
The Titans held possession for most of the game and were finally rewarded with Raibon's game-winning goal in the second half. The Titans outshot their opponent 21-to-15 but the shots on goal tally was closer with the Titans edging CSUN 9-to-8. The Titans did earn 12 corner kicks to the Matadors 1 corner. The Titans also were flagged for seven offsides.
Mia Ranson made 7 saves for the game along with her counterpart, Hayden Mauldin.
The Titans return home on Sunday, September 25th for their conference home opener against UC San Diego. Kick-off is set for 5:00 p.m.
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