Cal State Northridge, George Mason agree to non-conference match in 2015

For the first time in almost a decade, George Mason and Cal State Northridge will meet in a non-conference match during the upcoming season.

Cal State Northridge as part of unveiling its regular season schedule earlier this week announced that it will play host to George Mason on Jan. 13 in the first meeting between the two teams since 2005.


This will also be the third time in the last 20 years that two teams have played each other. The Matadors have won all three home matches against the Patriots dating back to 1995, including sweeping George Mason in the most recent meeting.

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George Mason with a starting lineup primarily of freshmen and sophomores last season finished in fourth place in the EIVA and reached the conference tournament semifinals. In addition, among the starters returning to the Patriots next season includes outside attacker Radoslav Popov, who was named the 2014 EIVA Newcomer of the Year.

Cal State Northridge ended last season in 10th place in the MPSF and did not qualify for the eight-team conference tournament for the second consecutive year. However, the Matadors return three starters who earned all-conference honors last season.

The non-conference match against George Mason will be one of five EIVA opponents that Cal State Northridge will play during the upcoming season.

Cal State Northridge will play St. Francis and Princeton as part of the UC Santa Barbara Invitational in January. It will also have non-conference matches against Harvard and Penn State in March at the Active Ankle Classic.

The Matadors are on a four-match losing streak versus EIVA opponents dating back to 2010.

George Mason similarly is on an nine-match losing streak to the MPSF in non-conference play with its last win coming in 2006.