NORTHRIDGE, Calif. — Senior
Zac Giles finished with four goals and classmate
Eli Reyneveld assisted on four of the team's five scores Wednesday night, both setting single-match program records as part of Sacramento State's 5-1 victory over host CSUN at Matador Soccer Field.
Riding a season-high scoring output and recording the most goals in a match since defeating the Matadors, 5-0, on Oct. 16, 2024, the Hornets picked up their first Big West victory of the season, improving to 5-9-2 overall and 1-2-2 in league play.
The three points moved Sacramento State to within two points of Cal State Bakersfield and the final Big West Championship playoff spot with one regular season match remaining.
CSUN, which jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on a penalty in the 30th minute prior to the Sacramento State onslaught, but played a man down following a red card in the 31st minute, fell to 7-7-2 overall and 1-3-1 in league, one point back of the Hornets in the standings.
According to available single-match records dating back to the 1991 season, the totals for Giles and Reyneveld are the most in school history. Aside from it being his first career hat trick, Giles' four scores bested nine other Sacramento State players with hat tricks and was the most recent hat trick by a Hornet since
Donovan Sessoms outscored UC Santa Barbara in a 3-1 win on Oct. 19, 2024.
His four goals give him 10 on the year to go with five assists and 25 points overall. Giles is the first Hornet with double-digit goals since Sessoms in 2024, while his point total is the highest since Chris Bettencourt scored 11 goals to go with five helpers for 27 points in 2010.
The performance put Giles into a tie for the most goals in a match by a Division I player this season along with Western Michigan's Vitor Geromel, Portland's David Ajagbe, and Indiana's Collins Oduro.
Not to be outdone, Reyneveld's four assists are also a single-match record, breaking the previous mark of three set by Ryan Walker against UC Santa Barbara on Sept. 19, 1993. It also tied Reyneveld for the most in a match by a Division I player this year, joining South Carolina's Mika Habel, NJIT's Diogo Rebelo, Elon's Ben Madore, and Virginia Tech's Alex Perez.
Reyneveld's seven assists in 2026 are the most by a Hornet since Justin Bedig had seven to go along with three goals in 2017.
All five Hornet goals came in the second half as Sacramento State posted its highest-scoring half since putting up seven after the break in an 11-0 win against Jessup on Sept. 9, 2011.
Trailing 1-0 following the CSUN penalty make by Jorge Solorzano, Giles brought the Hornets level in the 51st minute with his first of the night. Reyneveld played a ball to Giles at the right corner of the box and the senior tucked a shot inside the far post to make it 1-1.
Nine minutes later, Giles gave his team the lead for good with his second score.
Evan Battistessa, playing his first match since suffering an injury against UC Riverside on Sept. 23, fed Reyneveld at the left post before it was flicked on to Giles, who cleaned up a loose ball for a 2-1 lead.
Senior
Nick Strangio gave Giles a break with his second goal of the year in the 65th minute as Reyneveld set a ball into the box where Strangio was in the right place at the right time, deflecting the ball into the net from close-in for the 3-1 lead.
The score stayed that way until the 80th minute when Giles completed the hat trick off another assist by Reyneveld, scoring from the left side of the box to make it a three-goal lead, then added on to his total with his fourth of the night in the 86th minute, taking a pass from
Ronan Rattigan and finishing to the top corner for the final 5-1 score.
Rattigan tallied his fourth assist of the season in the victory, while Battistessa collected his second helper of the year.
Giles finished with a match-high eight shots on the night — his fourth contest this year with at least that many in a match — putting five on frame in the victory. CSUN out-shot the Hornets, 20-17, but put only seven on goal to eight for Sacramento State. Senior goalkeeper
Lucas Bost finished with six saves in the victory.
The Hornets finish the regular season next Saturday (Oct. 31), hosting Cal State Fullerton at 3 p.m. Sacramento State will honor its departing senior class prior to kickoff.
