It was a bitter Saturday night in Northridge for the Sacramento State men’s soccer team after conceding late and drawing with Cal State Northridge by a score of 1-1.

The Hornets looked as if they were going to put an end to their winless streak, but a Matadors’ goal with nine minutes left in the game extended the winless streak to eight games.

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The good news is that Sac State scored in this game, putting an end to their goalless drought at 305 minutes of game time.

In recent games, Sac State has struggled to win possession and make things difficult for their opponents whenever they had the ball, but that changed on Saturday.

Northridge was content with letting Sac State hold a majority of possession in the first half. The Matadors played with five defenders in their back line, so that made it tough for the Hornets to create any good goal-scoring chances.

Prior to the game against Sac State, Northridge had failed to score in five of their last six games. The Matadors play with a defensive mindset, with most of their offense coming through counter-attacks.

The Matadors were efficient on the counter-attack against the Hornets. Northridge had three shots on target within the first 45 minutes, while Sac State had one shot on target.

The Hornets came out strong in the second half. In the 51st minute, senior defender Genaro Alfaro crossed the ball into the box and senior forward Austin Wehner was there to head the ball into the back of the net.

Alfaro and Wehner connecting on a goal against Northridge is not something new for the pair. In Sac State’s game against Northridge during the 2022 season, Wehner scored and Alfaro picked up the assist.

“We kind of talked about it before the game,” Wehner said. “I think we talked it into existence this time again.”

Wehner has been the Hornets’ most consistent attacker this season, so it was no surprise to see him on the scoresheet Saturday. Wehner has four goals this season and leads the team with 12 points.

For Alfaro, he picked up his third assist of the season in his first start since sustaining a groin injury in training that forced him out of action for two weeks.

“It was a better feeling knowing I was able to come back and help the team get that goal,” Alfaro said. “Coming back from injury and getting my first start again and being able to get an assist, it was something more special than any regular assist.”

It was looking like the Hornets were finally going to put an end to their winless streak after grabbing the lead, but they let their foot off the gas. After Wehner’s goal, the Hornets only had one shot on target in the remaining 39 minutes of the game.

Northridge was able to take control of the game after conceding. The Matadors took a total of six shots after the Hornets’ goal.

Sac State’s complacency after taking the lead played a big role in their failure to win this game. In the 81st minute, Northridge senior midfielder AJ Johnson was in the right spot at the right time and scored the equalizer after the ball deflected off Sac State junior goalkeeper Mac Learned.

“A lot of the time, when you get a point on the road you’re okay with it, but I thought we earned the three points today,” Sac State head coach Michael Linenberger said. “As far as the result goes, a little disappointing.”

With five games left in the season, the Hornets still control their own destiny, but if they want to make a run at the playoffs, they’re going to need to start winning games. Sac State currently sits in 9th place in the Big West Conference, just three places shy of a playoff spot.

Sac State will now return home to face Cal Poly on Wednesday at 4 p.m.