SEASON OPENER AT THE CAGE

• Thursday’s season opener against Biola will be CSUSM’s first regular-season matchup since Nov. 2, 2019.
• CSUSM finished the 2019 season with an overall record of 6-8-2 and a CCAA record of 4-4-2, enough for seventh in the conference standings.
• The Cougars will have 16 players suiting up for the very first time in a CSUSM uniform to go along with 13 returners from the 2019 squad.
• CSUSM was picked to finish sixth in the 2021 CCAA Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll.
• The Cougars are 5-4-3 in their 12 prior meetings with the Eagles and are 2-1-2 when playing in San Marcos.
• CSUSM took a 2-0 loss in its last match against Biola on Sept. 11, 2019, in La Mirada.
• Returning forward Juan Camilo Salazar led the Cougars with six goals, 13 points and a season-record 64 shots in 2019.
• Biola played five games this past spring as part of the 2020 season and finished with a 1-4 record.
• Returner Lawrence Kwazema led the Eagles with three goals and seven points in the spring campaign while playing a team-high 424 minutes.
• Biola was picked to finish sixth in the 2021 PacWest Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll and earned one first-place vote.

FIRST ROAD GAME AT AZUSA PACIFIC

• The Cougars will head north to Azusa to face the other Cougars in their first road game of the new season on Saturday.
• CSUSM is 1-5 in the all-time series against APU with its lone win coming at home in 2008.
• APU currently has a four-game winning streak against CSUSM.
• APU came in at No. 14 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Division II Preseason Poll.
• CSUSM and APU last played each other in 2019 and saw APU take a 2-1 win.
• John Williamson had CSUSM’s lone shot and goal in the previous matchup at APU.
• APU will begin its season on Thursday by hosting Simon Fraser.
• Like CSUSM, APU did not have a 2020 season.
• Azusa had a nearly perfect 2019 season as it finished 18-1 overall. In the regular season, APU went 18-0 overall with an 11-0 record in PacWest play. Its lone loss was a season-ending defeat to Colorado School of Mines in the NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer Super Regionals at home.
• APU was picked to finish first in the 2021 PacWest Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll and earned six first-place votes.
• APU's James Ndubueze was picked as the Preseason PacWest Player of the Year, Orlando Lozano was named the Preseason PacWest Defender of the Year and Brendan Fix was voted the Preseason PacWest Goalkeeper of the Year.
• Of the 13 eligible to be named for Preseason All-PacWest honors, Azusa had eight named to the list.