NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - The Cal State Northridge Matadors (1-1) earned their first win of the season in their 2009 home opener with a 1-0 win over the Loyola Marymount Lions (1-1) on Sunday.

Both teams played to a standstill throughout the first half, as neither team was able to break through for the first 45 minutes.  Once the second half got underway, Moy Gomez put the Matadors on the board after a shot from Sunghyun Kim was blocked by LMU goalkeeper Patrick Sampson.

Sampson was unable to cleanly control Kim’s shot, enabling Gomez, who was hovering in front of the goal to score on the rebound in the 47th minute. The goal was Gomez’s first of the young season.

That goal was all the offense the Matadors needed, as they stifled LMU throughout the remainder of the second half, only allowing six shots to their opponent.

Goalkeeper Brandon Ibarra, making only his second career start for the Matadors in net, kept the Lions off the scoreboard with three saves. By preserving the CSUN 1-0 win, he earned his first career shutout.

Despite the close score, the Matadors pressured LMU throughout the game, outshooting their counterparts 21-11, including 12-6 in the second half. Northridge also racked up six shots on goal, while the Lions were only able to fire away at Ibarra three times.

This is the second consecutive game the Matadors have outshot their opponent.

Cameron Sims, Gomez and Sunghyun Kim each had two shots on goal for CSUN, with Kim leading the way with seven total shots.

The win for the Matadors was their first victory over the Lions since a 6-1 triumph at Matador Field in 1997.

Starting Friday, the Matadors will host the Big West Challenge at Matador Field, as they welcome in the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights, UW-Milwaukee Panthers and the Cal State Fullerton Titans for a four-team invitational tournament.

Northridge will host the Knights next Friday at 4:30 p.m., following the inaugural match of the tournament between the Titans and the Panthers at 1:30 p.m. On Sunday, the tournament will conclude with CSU Fullerton squaring off against Fairleigh Dickinson at 11:00 a.m. followed by the Matadors taking on UW-Milwaukee at 1:30 p.m.