The Cal State Northridge Matadors (3-1-0) erased a 1-0 deficit at halftime and scored twice in the second half and edged the Milwaukee Panthers (1-4-0) by a score of 2-1 on day two of the Matador Invitational Sunday afternoon.

Coming off consecutive shutouts, the Matadors fell behind moments into the game when Milwaukee midfielder Ross Van Osdol found the back of the net in the second minute of the game. Despite the quick score, the Matadors would quickly regain their composure, continued to battle throughout the remainder of the half and even managed to outshoot Milwaukee 9-8 going into the locker room at halftime.

Twelve minutes into the second half, the Matadors tied the game at 1-1 when midfielder Sunghyun Kim capitalized on the Matadors’ first penalty kick of the season

It was an untimely Panther handball violation inside the penalty area initially drew the referee’s whistle. Once Kim was selected to take the penalty shot, he would not disappoint. Panther goalkeeper John Shakon dove to his right in attempt to block the shot but he guessed incorrectly, as the Matador senior kicked the ball to the opposite side of the goal to score his first goal of the season.

Kim’s shot seemed to inspire the Matadors, as Northridge continued their attack on the Panthers’ side of the field most of the second half, often times coming inches away from scoring.

Finally in the 79th minute, Cameron Sims would cash in a score off a long ball from Rene Anguiano. Sims took advantage of the helper and scored ten yards out on the right hand side of the goal putting his team ahead 2-1.

CSUN would preserve the advantage for the final 11 minutes, insuring their third straight victory and a 2-0 record in their own Matador Invitational.

Sims’ goal not only was the decisive goal on Sunday, but he made it consecutive games with game-winning goals. The Matador senior scored in the 65th minute on Friday that broke a scoreless tie with Fairleigh-Dickinson; CSUN would win the game by a 2-0 score.

With Sunday’s game, the Matadors have outshot their opponent for the fourth straight time, outshooting the Panthers 22-14, including by a wide 13-6 margin in the all important second half.

Kim and Sims each added to their respective goals by totaling four shots on goal each. In addition, eight Matadors combined to rack up 22 shots, with Sims (7), Kim (5) and Devin Deldo (3) among the leaders.

Goalkeeper Brandon Ibarra continues to impress in his first season in net, as he saved four shots and held the Panthers scoreless for the final 88 minutes of the game.

Earlier in the day, Cal State Fullerton (3-1-0) defeated the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (2-2) by a 3-0 score, for their second straight win this weekend at Matador Field.

Celso Alvarez had a big day on the field, as he found the back of the net twice.

Alavarez capitalized off a cross from teammate Johnathan Brit in the fifth minute, scoring from three yards out on the ride side of the goal, giving the Titans a 1-0 advantage. In the second half, he would score his second goal on a breakaway shot on the left of the goal about five yards out in the 53rd minute that gave his team a 2-0 lead. Shay Spitz would add another goal in the 75th minute that put the game out of reach.

The Matadors and Titans each went 2-0 during tournament play and finished as co-champions.

2009 Matador Invitational All-Tournament Team (In alphabetical order)

Celso Alvarez, Cal State Fullerton
Cody Banks, Milwaukee
Chad Borak, Cal State Northridge
Mike Denny, Cal State Fullerton
Sunghyun Kim, Cal State Northridge
Vin Reinecke, Fairleigh-Dickinson
Bobby Reiss, Cal State Fullerton
Dylan Riley, Cal State Northridge
Cameron Sims, Cal State Northridge
Ross Van Osdol, Milwaukee
Jason Wells, Fairleigh-Dickinson
Andrew Wiedabach, Milwaukee
Trevor Whiddon, Cal State Fullerton

Offensive MVP – Celso Alvarez, Cal State Fullerton
Defensive MVP – Chad Borak, Cal State Northridge