During the first Big West Conference match of the 2013 season, Sacramento State men’s soccer saw its chance to take out a nationally ranked Cal State Northridge fade away.

Sac State (2-4-3, 0-1-0) was unable to keep up with the No. 6 ranked Matadors (9-1-0, 1-0-0) as it lost 3-0 Friday at Hornet field.

Senior goalkeeper Cesar Castillo was not pleased with the performance from himself and his team in Friday’s game. He only blocked one of the four shots on goal.

Castillo said he and his teammates gave Northridge way too much respect on the soccer field.

“Northridge wasn’t a freaking professional soccer team, but it was a Division I team like us,” Castillo said. “We should have played better today and we didn’t do that.”

Sac State had its best chance in the 30th minute when junior forward Chimdum Mez collided with the Northridge goalie, Luis Ayala-Padilla. After the two collided, the net was wide open with Padilla still on the ground, but the Hornets could not put a shot on net.

“The game’s momentum would have changed if the chance that Chimdum created in the first half would have gone in,” Castillo said. “We just have to finish in the final third of the soccer field.”

The Hornets ended the first half down 1-0 after Northridge’s Edwin Rivas was able to use the screen of players to put his shot past Castillo’s diving hands in the low corner of the net.

Sac State held the advantage in the first half in corner kicks, but was out-shot in the first half, 4-2.

Hornets head coach Mike Linenberger said although his young team did not play up to its potential, there were many positives to build upon.

“I was pleased with my team’s performance in-between the goalie boxes,” Linenberger said. “But in the final third of the soccer field Northridge was the better team. They converted on their chances when they needed to.”

Seven minutes into the second half, the Matadors put in their second goal of the game from Beto Velasquez past an out of positioned Castillo in the corner of the net. Northridge would later put its third goal past Castillo off a redirected shot from Matadors’ Chris Smith.

Sac State will regroup to play its second home game of this weekend at Hornet Field against UC Irvine. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.   

Clifton can be reached on Twitter at @jonesSHsports