NORTHRIDGE, Calif. -

CSUN senior forward Sagi Lev-Ari scored 19 seconds into double overtime to lead the Matadors (3-3-0) past the Bradley Braves (1-4-0) 1-0 on Sunday afternoon at Matador Soccer Field. The strike was Lev-Ari's second golden goal of the season and ended a span of exactly 300 minutes, down to the second, without a goal at home for the Matadors.

"Bradley is a very good matchup for us. We beat them 1-0 in the last minute of regulation last year and in overtime this year," said CSUN head coach Terry Davila. "They are tough and they demand a lot from their opponents mentally and physically and you have to be able to excute in order to beat them."

With the temperature above 100 degrees throughout the match, the two teams played conservatively for much of the match. Due to the conditions, the referees called for official breaks in the action midway through each half for hydration and any necessary medical attention.

During the first 45 minutes of play, Bradley came away with more opportunities although both teams recorded two shots on goal in the half. Adam Hobbs made two saves for CSUN in a span of 65 seconds early on to keep the Braves at bay, and Logan Ketterer was called upon for saves on hard shots by Lev-Ari (16th minute) and Carlos Gonzalez (30th minute).

At the halftime break the Braves led the Matadors in shots (7-4) and corner kicks (2-0), but neither side was able to connect passes to create chances for the last 15 minutes or so in the first half. CSUN game out of halftime on the attack and dominated possession the rest of the way. The Matadors fired off 19 shots in the second half while limiting Bradley to one, a try that went well wide in the 53rd minute.

Edwin Rivas forced Ketterer to make a save in the 50th minute, while David Turcios and Lev-Ari also tested him in the 51st and 60th minutes. From then on, the Matadors took 12 shots and won six corner kicks but were unable to find the back of the net in regulation. Heading into overtime, CSUN had shifted the momentum into a 23-8 shot advantage and had five shots on goal.

Despite controlling the second half, the Matadors nearly lost the match in the 92nd minute. Christian Okeke took a shot in the box that squirted past Hobbs, but the goalkeeper raced back toward the net and grabbed the ball before it crossed the line. As CSUN looked to build an attack the other way, Lev-Ari hit a header that rang the bottom of the crossbar and also stayed out.

It wasn't until seconds into the second overtime that the Matadors finally found the breakthrough they were looking for.

Immediately after kicking off to open the period, the Matadors ran the ball up the left side of the field. Mynor Giron cut back toward the center and found Turcios in the middle outside the top of the box.

Rather than continuing the play to the right corner where CSUN had an open man, Turcios slotted the ball up to Lev-Ari back on the left side. Lev-Ari then hit a one-timer beyond Ketterer for his third game-winning goal this year and fifth overall in six matches.

"They had a great goalkeeper today. He faced 27 shots and made all his saves but just came up unlucky on one," said Lev-Ari. "Our whole team worked hard all day and I'm happy we scored the golden goal."

With the goal, Lev-Ari moved into a tie for fifth all-time at CSUN with 36 career goals and passed current CSUN women's soccer head coach Keith West on the all-time points list with 78.

The Matadors will go back on the road for their next match in their lone contest next week. CSUN will meet the University of Nebraska Omaha in a neutral-site match that will be played at Titan Stadium on the campus of Cal State Fullerton on Friday, Sept. 19, at 5 p.m.

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