SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento State men's soccer team hits the road for the final time in 2026, playing outside the state of California for only the third time this season with a trip to Corvallis, Ore., before trekking to Southern California for its final Big West contest away from home.

The Hornets take on No. 21 Oregon State on Wednesday (Oct. 21) at 7 p.m., before traveling to CSUN for a Saturday night (Oct. 24) kick off at 7 p.m. in Northridge, Calif. The match against the Beavers will be streamed on the Pac-12 YouTube channel while Saturday's clash will be on ESPN+

THIS WEEK…
MATCH #15
WHAT: Sacramento State (4-8-2, 0-2-2 Big West) at No. 21 Oregon State (7-3-4, 3-1-1 Pac-12)
WHEN: Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026
WHERE: Corvallis, Ore.
TIME: 7 PM PT
STADIUM: Paul Lorenz Field
WATCH: YouTube
LIVE STATS: OSUBeavers.com

MATCH #16
WHAT: Sacramento State (4-8-2, 0-2-2 Big West) at CSUN (6-6-2, 1-2-1 Big West)
WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026
WHERE: Northridge, Calif.
TIME: 7 PM PT
STADIUM: Matador Soccer Field
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: GoMatadors.com

GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Oregon State | CSUN | The Big West

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAINS!
• Seniors Zac Giles and Nick Strangio have been named captains for the 2026 season

THAT'S RANK
• Since 1996, Sacramento State is 8-54-5 against opponents ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25, having lost its last eight such contests
• Wednesday is the Hornets' second match against a nationally-ranked foe this season after falling at home to then-No. 21 Grand Canyon, 1-0, on Aug. 23
• Sacramento State's last win over a top 25 opponent came on Sept. 6, 2019, when they shutout then-No. 25 Air Force, 2-0, at home
• That preceded a 2-1 road win over a receiving votes San Diego squad nine days later and were among a group of six opponents either ranked or receiving votes that year
• The last Hornet result against a school either ranked or receiving votes came on Oct. 19, 2024, when they handed UC Santa Barbara a 3-1 defeat at home

CRISS-CROSS(OVER) APPLESAUCE
• Wednesday's match against Oregon State will be the Hornets' third and final Pac-12 "crossover" match of the year after hosting both Gonzaga and UC San Diego earlier this year
• Sacramento State fell to the Bulldogs, 3-1, at home on Oct. 7, but edged out the Tritons, 3-2, on Oct. 14
• With only three soccer playing members on the men's side in the Pac-12, The Big West entered into a scheduling agreement designed to strengthen Division I men's soccer opportunities across the region
• As part of the partnership, Big West members California Baptist, Cal Poly, UC Riverside, and UC San Diego compete as affiliate members of the Pac-12 alongside Oregon State, San Diego State, and Gonzaga
• The Big West features the Hornets, Utah Valley, Cal State Bakersfield, Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, UC Irvine, and UC Santa Barbara
• The crossover games do not count toward the league standings with the top four schools qualifying for The Big West Championship at the end of the year

SCOUTING OREGON STATE
• The Beavers enter the week with a 7-3-4 overall record and a 3-1-1 mark in Pac-12 play
• Oregon State is tied for the top spot in the Pac-12 alongside California Baptist, four points ahead of San Diego State
• The Beavers had been unbeaten in eight straight (5-0-3) until suffering back-to-back losses to Cal State Bakersfield (1-0) and Cal Poly (4-3) last week
• Wednesday marks only the sixth home match for Oregon State this season, posting a 3-1-1 mark in its previous five
• Senior forward Wyatt Borso leads the team with 11 goals (ranked No. 4 in the NCAA) and 22 points overall (No. 10 in the NCAA), standing as one of four Beavers with 10-or-more points on the season
• Sophomore midfielder Oliver Hernandez Parra leads the team with seven assists while two other teammates have six assists apiece
• Junior goalkeeper John Nicholson has played every minute in net for the Beavers, posting a 1.50 goals against average, 47 saves, and three shutouts
• Oregon State ranks among the top 15 in the NCAA in assists per game (No. 11), points per game (No. 12), assists (No. 10), goals (No. 12), and points (No. 9)

SERIES NOTABLES
• Oregon State leads the all-time series with Sacramento State, 13-3-2
• The Beavers have won the last five consecutive meetings with the Hornets, but the two schools haven't met in men's soccer since 2018
• Both schools used to be rivals in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation from 1993-99
• Wednesday marks the third straight match between the two schools played in Corvallis
• Oregon State is 7-1-1 at home in the series against Sacramento State
• The Hornets' last win in the series came on Sept. 5, 2005, with a 2-1 victory at home
• Sacramento State's only in Oregon came on Oct. 21, 1994, with a 1-0 victory
• Four of the last six meetings between the two have been decided by a single goal

SCOUTING CSUN
• The Matadors enter with a 6-6-2 overall record and a 1-2-1 mark in the Big West
• CSUN is tied with Cal State Bakersfield for the fourth and final playoff spot for the Big West Championship
• Prior to hosting Sacramento State, CSUN faces UC San Diego on Wednesday at home in its final crossover match of the year
• The Matadors split their two matches last week, defeating UC Riverside, 2-1, on the road before falling 1-0 at Utah Valley
• Senior forward Kayvon Monfared leads the team with six goals and 14 points, standing as the only CSUN player with 10-or-more points
• Senior midfielder Jorge Solorzano is tops on the team with five assists
• The Matadors are tied for the top spot in The Big West with 24 goals along with UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara, while the 20 goals allowed are the third-most
• Senior goalkeepers Dorian Drucks and Bryan Castaneda have split time in net, with the latter posting a team-low 1.12 goals against average and the former leading the team with 23 saves 

SERIES NOTABLES
• CSUN leads the all-time series with Sacramento State by a 15-9-4 count
• The Hornets are unbeaten in their last three meetings (1-0-2) with the Matadors, posting a 5-0 win in 2024 and draws in 2023 (1-1) and 2025 (2-2), and are 4-2-4 in the last 10 head-to-head matches
• Since both have been members of The Big West, Sacramento State leads the series, 6-5-4
• CSUN is 8-4-4 at home against the Hornets, but Sacramento State is unbeaten in its last four trips (1-0-3) to Northridge dating back to 2019
• The Hornets' last win in Southern California against the Matadors was in 2019 (2-1)
• Sacramento State's 5-0 win in 2024 at home are tied for the most goals scored by either team in the history of the series, matching CSUN's five goals in a 5-3 win in 1993

GETTING GREEDY
• Sacramento State has scored multiple goals in each of its last 11 victories following last week's 3-2 win over UC San Diego
• The Hornets' last win with only one goal scored came in a 1-0 triumph over San Francisco on Sept. 12, 2024
• Sacramento State has scored three-or-more goals in all four of its wins in 2026 -- the first time that has happened since the 2017 campaign when they also did so four times in its eight wins

NET POSITIVE
• Sacramento State has scored 19 goals entering this week's matches, standing tied for fourth in the league and posting the program's highest total since 2024 (26)
• With one more goal, the Hornets will reach 20 goals as a team for the fifth time in the last eight seasons (not counting the pandemic year of 2020)

CAN'T WE PLAY AT HOME?
• All four of Sacramento State's wins this year have come within the friendly confines of Hornet Soccer Field as the Hornets have struggled away from home
• Sacramento State is winless in its last 11 road matches (0-9-2) dating back to a 2-1 victory at Pacific on Sept. 11 of last season

SIX OF ONE, HALF DOZEN OF ANOTHER
• Senior Zac Giles and junior Sean Battistessa each netted their sixth goals of the year in the Hornets' 3-2 win over UC San Diego last week
• They are the first Hornet teammates to score at least six in the same year since Chris Bettencourt and Ernesto Carranza finished with 11 and seven, respectively, in 2010

HE CAN DO BOTH
• Thanks to his sixth goal of the year against the Tritons, Giles grew his team-high total to 17 points this year when you add in his five assists in 2026 -- sharing or leading the team in all three categories
• Giles is the first Hornet to score at least six goals and assist on at least five others in a single season since the aforementioned duo of Bettencourt (11 goals, five assists) and Carranza (7 goals, eight assists) in 2010
• Giles' five assists tied his single-season career high set in 2024, while a sixth helper this year would be the most by a Sacramento State player since Tyler Moss (six) in 2021

STAY HOT, ZAC GILES
• The two-time Big West Offensive Player of the Week has at least one point in five of the team's last eight matches, eight of the nine matches in which the Hornets have scored a goal, and eight of the team's 14 matches overall
• Giles' 11 career assists rank in a six-way tie for eighth on the school's all-time list along with Kevin Baena (1992-93), Chris Bettencourt (2007-11), Brad Bumgarner (2014-18), David Fraser (2000-02, 2004), and Tim Gaither (1986-89)
• His five assists this season are just one shy of a spot in the single-season top 10 and are four shy of Fernando Cabadas' record of nine helpers in 2009
• Giles' 57 shot attempts rank fourth on the school's single-season chart -- standing seven shy of Bettencourt and Patrick Nelle totals in 2010 and 2004, respectively, for a tie for second and nine back of Max Alvarez's single-season record of 66 set in 2009
• His 30 shots on goal are also one back of a spot in the single-season top 10
• Meanwhile, on the career list, Giles' 109 shots rank seventh in school history, while his 54 shots on goal are tied for 10th all time

SEAN STARS
• In addition to his sixth goal of the year -- and second career game-winner (both coming this season) -- against UC San Diego, Battistessa tallied his second career match with three-or-more points when he assisted on Gio Ceja's opener against the Tritons
• The performance is second only to his hat trick against CSUN back on Oct. 16, 2024
• Battistessa's assist was his first of the year and his first since he tallied his first against UC Riverside on Oct. 5, 2024
• The six goals are a single-season career high for the Fair Oaks, Calif., native while his 12 career goals are the most among active Hornets -- four ahead of Giles and his eight career scores
• Battistessa needs five more goals to move into a four-way tie on the school's all-time top 10 list

GIO THE FIRST
• It took three years in a Hornet uniform, but senior midfielder Gio Ceja is finally in the scoring column for Sacramento State, netting his first career goal in the win over UC San Diego
• Ceja put the Hornets ahead 1-0 with his curling shot from distance in the first half, giving him three points on the year after his assist against UC Riverside on Sept. 23
• He entered the year with two assists to his name, helping on goals against Saint Mary's and UC Davis in his first season as a Hornet in 2024

TEN POINTS TO GRYFFINDOR!
• Sacramento State boasts three players who have accumulated at least 10 points on the year: Giles (17), Battistessa (13), and junior midfielder Hiroshi Yang (11)
• It marks the first time since 2022 that the Hornets have had at least three players with 10-or-more points after Francisco Magaña (12 points), Dominic Vegaalban (11), and Austin Wehner (11) accomplished the feat
• Sacramento State enters the week as one of two schools in The Big West with three players at 10-or-more points along with UC Santa Barbara

1-2-3 PUNCH
• The Hornets' go-to goal-scoring trio of Giles, junior Sean Battistessa, and junior Hiroshi Yang have combined to score 16 of the team's 19 goals this season -- sporting the highest percentage of goals scored by a trio (84.2 percent) on any team in the Big West entering the week
• Only the UC Santa Barbara threesome of Steinar Bjornsson (eight), Donovan Sessoms (four), and Kaden Standish (five) have combined to score more goals than Sacramento State's threesome this year

WE DON'T WANT TO BOST
• Senior goalkeeper Lucas Bost has been busy in net in 2026, entering the week leading The Big West with 52 total saves and standing second at 3.71 saves per match
• Bost tied his career high with eight saves in the 1-1 draw at UC Santa Barbara (Sept. 30), matching his effort in the season opener against UC Davis (Aug. 20) when he stopped eight attempts sent his way in a 3-1 victory over the Aggies en route to his first win as a Hornet
• The Rocklin, Calif., native holds two of the top five single-match save totals in The Big West this year with those two eight-save performances

WELCOME TO THE CLUB
• Goalkeeper AJ Bengds made his Sacramento State debut in relief last week against UC Irvine, playing the final 16 minutes and making his first save as a Hornet

HORNET HONOR ROLL
• Senior Zac Giles has been named the Big West Conference Offensive Player of the Week twice this season on Aug. 24 following the Hornets' opening week matches against UC Davis and No. 21 Grand Canyon and, again, on Sept. 21 following his five-point match against Pacific
• Giles is only the third Sacramento State player to earn offensive player of the week honors twice in a career and only the second to do it in the same season, joining Donovan Sessoms on Sept. 16 and Oct. 21, 2024
• Ivan Ramirez also won two in his career: his first on Oct. 19, 2015 and a second on Sept. 26, 2016
• Giles was also named to the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week on Sept. 22 -- the first to be so honored since Sessoms was named to the team and Sean Battistessa was an honorable mention pick in 2024
• Junior Hiroshi Yang was named the Big West Offensive Player of the Week, while freshman Adrian Alvarenga was named the league's Rookie of the Week on Sept. 28 following their efforts in the team's win over UC Riverside
• Both awards were the first of their respective careers
• Yang also earned a spot on the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week a day later

AMONG THE BIG WEST'S BEST
• Giles enters the week leading The Big West in shots (57), shots per match (4.07), and shots on goal (30), shares the lead in assists, and stands third in points and tied for third in goals
• He owns the top four single-match shot totals in the league: his nine shots against San Diego State (Sept. 11) and Pacific (Sept. 17) are the most in a match by a Big West player this year, while his eight shots against Gonzaga (Oct. 7) are third, and his seven shots against both Saint Mary's (Aug. 27) and UC Riverside (Sept. 23) are tied for fourth
• Giles' five points against Pacific (Sept. 17) are tied for the most in a match among Big West players
• Yang is eighth in shots (34), 10th in shots per match (2.33), tied for eighth in goals (4), fifth in shots on goal (16), tied for eighth in goals (4), tied for ninth in assists (3), and tied for ninth in points (11)
• His two assists against UC Riverside make him one of six players in The Big West this year with multiple assists in a match
• Battistessa is tied for third in the league along with Giles in goals (6) and is 11th in shots on goal (12) while standing tied for fifth with 13 points
• His two game-winning goals are tied for fifth