Women’s soccer
Who: CSUN (10-5-1, 3-0-1 BWC)
When: Thursday at 7 p.m.
Where: Matador Soccer Field, Northridge
LBSU women’s soccer senior defender Melanie Fox (16) and company will look to shut down the Matadors and Rainbow Warriors this weekend.
Need to know: The Matadors are a one of the best teams at home in the Big West Conference. They are 6-1-0 with only four goals scored against at the Matador Soccer Field. Their only loss came against then No. 15 Texas Tech on Sept. 27 in double overtime.
Sophomore striker Cynthia Sanchez leads CSUN’s offense with 11 goals, three assists and 25 total points. Her goal tally and total points rank second in the conference behind Fullerton’s Rebecca Wilson.
The 49ers won the last matchup between them, 1-0, on senior night at George Allen Field. Striker Ashley Gonzales netted the game winner in the 33rd minute.
Who: Hawai’i (3-11-1, 0-5-0 BWC)
When: Sunday at 6 p.m.
Where: George Allen Field
Need to know: The Rainbow Warriors are not just winless in their first five conference matchups; in fact they are pointless. They’ve only managed to score three goals in those matchups, as opposed to the 17 goals they’ve received.
Hawai’i has also lost all six of its road games this year by a combined score of 15-4. Sophomore defender Dani Crawford leads UH with three goals and six total points.
The Rainbow Warriors haven’t beaten the 49ers in six straight matchups. Hawai’i’s last win against LBSU came on Sept. 13, 2004. The last time both teams met, LBSU brought back a 2-0 win from Honolulu on Oct. 16, 2014.
Men’s water polo
Who: Whittier College (12-8, 1-0 SCIAC)
When: Thursday at 7 p.m.
Where: Lindgren Aquatics Center
LBSU men’s water polo prepares for the second straight weekend matches at home, with redshirt freshman defender Austin Stevenson leading the offense with 19 total goals on the season.
Need to know: The 49ers have never lost to Division III Whittier College. In 2014, LBSU defeated the Poets 16-7 to improve the all-time series record to 6-0 against Whittier.
Sophomore attacker Massimiliano Mirarchi leads the Poets and ranks second in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with 63 goals for an average of 4.06 per game. Junior attacker Marino Fatovic and junior center Wedge Molthen round out Whittier’s offense with 30 and 24 goals, respectively.
Who: Pepperdine (10-8, 1-2 MPSF)
When: Saturday at noon
Where: Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool, Malibu
Need to know: LBSU faces Pepperdine for the second time this season. In the first matchup, the 49ers got the 15-7 win in an exhibition game on Sept. 12.
The waves own a balanced attack with five players scoring over 20 goals; senior attacker Wesley Sherburne leads the team with 29 while Mark Urban (27), Luke Hewko (26), Marko Asic (24) and Marko Madaras (24) round out the top five.
The 49ers will also need to find a way around sophomore goalie Zack Rhodes, who has 191 saves on the season.
Who: California (16-3, 2-0 MPSF)
When: Sunday at noon
Where: Lindgren Aquatics Center
Need to know: The California Golden Bears own an all-time series record of 80-7 against the 49ers. However, Cal will be looking to avenge a 9-6 defeat at the hands of LBSU in last season’s MPSF Tournament quarterfinal.
Freshmen Johnny Hooper and Odysseas Masmanidis are powering the Golden Bear offense with over 40 goals apiece. Hooper has a total of 44 and Masmanidis has 41, while senior attacker Colin Mulcahy is right behind them with 36 goals of his own.
Who: Long Beach City College (13-2, 4-0 SCC)
When: Sunday at 3 p.m.
Where: Lindgren Aquatics Center
Need to know: The 49ers played first regular-season game against LBCC last season; LBSU took a 14-3 win over the Vikings on Sept. 27.
Freshman Giorgio La Rosa leads the Viking attack; he scored four goals and totaled seven steals to lead LBCC to a 9-8 upset over Golden West College on Oct. 17.