The Versailles Sampler Plate ($16.95) with ham croquettes, stuffed fried yucca served with garlic, and a pork tamale. Photo Credit: Yazmin Cruz/ Staff Reporter

As the door opened, a sensual aroma of citrus and garlic called my name. We were welcomed by two gentleman dressed in typical Cuban shirts, Guayaveras, who lead us to our table. They were as authentically charismatic and welcoming as the food.

To start the evening, I ordered a Jupiña, an authentic pineapple soda, to quench my thirst. Sodas are not my favorite, but this one was fruity, lightly sweetened and tickled by tongue.

As an appetizer, the Versailles Sampler Plate ($16.95) gave us an opportunity to try the many tastes of Cuba. The dish came with ham croquettes, fried and stuffed yucca served with garlic, a pork tamale and fried chucks of pork.

The ham croquettes had a texture like mozzarella sticks, but were far superior in taste. They had a crunchy outside while the inside was soft. The fried yucca was one of my favorites. The flavor is similar to that of a fried potato, but the texture is a bit different. The yucca is more fibrous, but just as tasty.

The stuffed yucca was even more delectable. It looked like a small tamale and the aroma from the pork filling permeated through the yucca.

The fried chucks of pork tasted like Mexican carnitas. The meat was crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside and they were even better when combined with the complimentary warm buttered bread.

The Cuban tamale is not your typical tamale. This is a tamale with an attitude. The outside masa has the consistency of a Salvadorian tamale, but the inside adds a tangy kick to it. It is stuffed with pork marinated in Versailles’ famous garlic-citrus sauce.

Be forewarned. the sauce is divine but it is a total kiss-killer with its pungent garlic flavor. The sauce is used in almost all their popular dishes, which include Versailles Famous Garlic Chicken ($10.95) and Lechon Asado ($10.95).

I was not very fond of the combination of citrus and pork in the tamale and in the Cuban Style Roast Pork (Lechon Asado). The citrus at times overshadowed the delicate taste of the pork. However, the combination of garlic and citrus with chicken was finger-licking good.

Like most other entrees, Versailles’ Famous Garlic Chicken is served with white rice, black beans and fried plantain. The white rice had a delicate flavor while the beans were infused with the taste of flavorful herbs. The plantain was sweet and crispy.

Another popular Versailles dish is Ropa Vieja ($12.95), and it did not disappoint. Shredded beef with thin slices of bell pepper and onion were smothered in a tomato and wine sauce that enhanced the flavor of the white rice.

Versailles also has a variety of sandwiches but they are not your typical sandwiches. They are big enough that two people can share them. The chicken sandwich, El Sandwich de Pollo ($7.50), comes with a side of fries.

The thin grilled chicken breast was moist and was complimented by the fresh lettuce and tomato, and grilled onions.

Versailles does not have an extensive vegetarian menu. The two dishes they consider vegetarian include rice and beans, and fried plain. They do have salads but this is not the place you go to have a salad.

To end the meal, a Flan Cubano ($2.95), a custardy flan topped with guava and drizzled with a caramel sauce with a hint of cinnamon, was brought to the table. You must try the flan.

Cascos de Guayaba ($2.95), guava shells with cream cheese, is for those with a strong sweet tooth. The guava shells are drenched in syrup that when combined with the rich cream cheese becomes more palatable enough to taste.

At the time of our arrival to the Culver City location, the restaurant was not as full as I expected. The line, which I was warned about, began to form as we were leaving.

Because the food is not as expensive as other sit down restaurants, there tends to be a wait time to get in but once inside the food will be at the table in no time.

The Cuban music playing in the background and the wall full of black and white headshots of celebrities meshes into a casual yet boisterous ambiance that aims to welcome everyone from college students to native Cubans.

To enjoy a home cooked meal experience and a delectable taste of Cuba, head over to Versailles location near you.

CULVER CITY LOCATION
10319 Venice Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 558-3168
www.versaillescuban.com
Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Photo Illustration by Sami Eshaghi / Assistant Photo Editor

California is finally taking the constant abuse of disabled placards more seriously as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a law implementing higher consequences for violators. This is only the first step toward eliminating the problem though.

The truth is, searching for an open disabled parking spot takes patience and persistence today as so many people abuse this privilege on a regular basis. The problem has not improved in many areas of Los Angeles County. It is right in front of us, yet no one takes notice.

Pull into Target and not one space will be available, yet it is beyond difficult to find a disabled person anywhere. The truly disabled have to circle around the parking lot waiting for that much needed space to become available. The problem stems from doctors writing prescriptions for people who don’t need them and from people stealing placards.

Currently, the fine for misusing a disabled placard starts at $250. The new law, which will be enforced starting Jan. 1, 2010 increases the fine to $1,000 for people who are repeat offenders. This move is key simply because it will make people think twice.

CSUN is no exception to this issue as healthy students and teachers pull their cars into these spots, but this semester there has been a noticeable shift. There seems to be a bit of relief as there are open disabled parking spaces within the many parking structures at CSUN.

This is quite a difference compared to the last three years when not one disabled parking spot was available in the B3 Parking Structure at 9 a.m. or 2 p.m. or any other time during the day. This trend is something we can only hope will continue for those in need of disabled parking on our campus.

CSUN’s Department of Parking Services did take a stand when they teamed up with the Department of Motor Vehicles in 2007, ticketing drivers in a sting operation. Such an operation brings relief and there should be more planned on our campus.

Most of the disabled parking spaces are still full throughout the day, but up to five spots are open at any given time. A few open spots might not seem like a big deal, but it really is. These spots give the disabled a chance to function like the rest of society.

There needs to be more awareness and a willingness to take on this issue if it is ever going to get better. It starts with tougher laws, and local parking officials willing to question drivers and ticket those who abuse the blue placard. But a one-week sting operation just isn’t enough.

There should be an active team on the lookout for people using a family member’s placard or using an expired temporary placard.

The same amount of focus that is put on ticketing people at CSUN for a missing parking pass should be devoted to this much bigger issue affecting disabled students who can’t get to class because they can’t find a spot.

More awareness from police officers is needed because it can help one disabled person if one abuser is ticketed and loses the placard he/she stole.

Another side of the issue is that there doesn’t seem to be an understanding as to why these parking spaces are so sacred to the disabled. And so many people just don’t think twice anymore. Without these wide spaces someone who uses a wheelchair would be stuck in his/her car.

The close proximity of these spaces to classrooms, for example, allows someone who has weak legs due to muscular dystrophy or any other disease to make it to class. Less people would abuse these spots if they had this in mind.

California has been in desperate need of this law. The struggle it takes able-bodied people to find a parking spot is magnified 10 times for the disabled because people don’t think twice.

In his first two games as a Matador forward Lenny Daniel has scored 37 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Photo Credit: Jesus Esquivel / Contributing Photographer

The Mustangs couldn’t get anything going offensively for them in the paint, given the fact they only had two players over 6-foot-5 going up against a taller Matador team. The Mustangs then decided to utilize their speed to run around screens for open jump shots, mainly from three-point range. They were able to put up 33 three pointers in the game.

“There real good scrappy group and they did a good job running their motion,” CSUN head coach Bobby Braswell said about The Masters College playing style. “They wanted to just get us moving around defensively as much as they could. Hold the ball as much as they could and then try to penetrate and find their shooters.”

Luckily for Northridge The Masters College was only able to knock down eight three point shots and for the game shot a dismal 24.2 percent from long range.

In their final exhibition game the Matadors defeated the Mustangs 78-61, Saturday night at the Matadome. CSUN was led in points by first year Matador Lenny Daniel with 19.

To start the game senior Kenny Daniels had the hot hand scoring 16 points. He was able to penetrate in the paint and get to the free throw line. As a team the Matadors scored 18 points inside and went to the line 19 times in the first half.

In the second half with 8:39 left the Mustangs were able to cut CSUN’s led to single digits. The score was 61-52 but soon after the Matadors went on a 10-2 run. The Masters College closed out the game only managing to get nine points.

One of the big concerns for the Matadors this season is who is going to fill the void of Tremaine Townsend, last season’s leading rebounder. Townsend who graduated was also Northridge second leading scorer with 11.

The perfect player to replace Townsend could be Daniel. He scored 37 points and recorded 13 rebounds in two exhibition games.

“He is not quite as big and strong as (Townsend) yet but eventually he will be there,” Braswell said. “He’s really good around the basket…scoring around the basket. He is a good athlete…he has a nose for the ball.”

After finishing exhibition play Northridge should be worried about making three point shots, only being able to make four in two games. Also senior guard Mark Hill was held scoreless in both games and didn’t seem to be attacking the basket.

“I’m not really caring about my numbers or anything right now, basically I just wanna win,” Hill said. “As long as we winning and executing and we play hard that’s what is all about.”

The Matadors now get to focus on their season opener on Friday at No. 7 Purdue.

“We will have to spend the next four or five days getting our game plan together and getting our guys to execute the things we need to do to beat a good Purdue team, “ Braswell said.

Senior Tela Burnett (12), seen here in a game against Pacific, and the Matadors lost two games on the road this weekend. Photo Credit: Camille Hislop / Staff Photographer

It was an all too familiar weekend on the road for the Northridge women’s volleyball team as they went winless against UC Riverside Friday night and again Saturday night against UC Irvine.

The Matadors dropped their seventh of the last nine five-set matches against the Highlanders after taking a two-set advantage. UC Riverside closed the match by scores of 21-25, 20-25, 31-29, 25-23, 15-12.

“We played very well,” CSUN head coach Jeff Stork said. “We had the highest side out percentage we’ve had all year. Volleyball is a three out of five sport. Riverside played just well enough in set three and set four to turn things around.”

Northridge was able to take the first two sets by comfortable point margins but the team’s inability to produce kills at critical times proved to be the match-deciding factor.

In the first two sets the Matadors hit .344 and .306, respectively, as a team, but in the later matches would not hit higher than .278, hitting an embarrassing .087 clip in the fifth set.

Four seniors led the Highlanders for the win. Outside hitter Tonbara Youpele had 21 kills and 10 digs, Dominique Cowling chipped in 15 kills and 18 digs.

Libero Amanda Nilsson led the team with 20 digs, and setter Brittney Murrey dished out 57 assists.

“We played real hard,” said CSUN team captain Angela Hupp. “We made errors at critical times.”

Britney Graff had her seventh double-double of the season with 14 kills and 14 digs, while juniors Lynda Morales (12) and Brittany Williams (17) helped to lead Northridge’s offense in kills.

Making her solo setting debut of the season Hupp notched 57 assists while junior Karina Woerhstein and Monica McFarland each had 12 digs, McFarland also had two of the team’s three aces.

Stork recently made the decision to make Hupp the lone setter over sophomore Sam Orlandini in order to allow Morales back into the middle blocking position. Northridge previously ran a 6-2 offense that would have Hupp hitting half the time, but setting the other half.

“I’m a setter at heart, but I love hitting … I never get bored,” Hupp said. “I told Jeff (Stork) I’ll do whatever the team needs me to do.”

Saturday night at UC Irvine Northridge would be given the opportunity on a few occasions to take the first two sets, but was unable to capitalize losing in three straight sets by scores of 26-24, 26-24, 25-17.

“Northridge is a very good team,” UCI head coach Paula Weishoff said prior to the match. “We know what they’re going to bring and they know what we’re going to bring. We’ll see who can execute better.”

In the first set Northridge would rally a 17-22 to give the Matadors the set’s first set point at 24-22, but two Irvine blocks and a Northridge four-contact violation would give the Anteaters the match at 26-24.

Late in the first set Williams was injured after coming off a crucial kill and would sit out the rest of the match.

The second set looked identical to the first, only the first set point was for the Anteaters. A kill by CSUN middle blocker Chelsea Johnson would tie the score at 24, but back-to-back Irvine kills closed the set at 26-24.

Irvine controlled much of set three and with the score at 16-13 the Matadors would only score four more points and the Anteaters would run away with the game 25-17.

“We’re playing very good volleyball,” Stork said. “Like tonight pushing it to two deux points … I’m proud of what they did.”

Morales had 11 kills and Hupp had seven kills, 17 assists and nine digs. Graff added six kills and eight digs, while Orlandini had 11 assists.

Juliane Piggot led Irvine with 18 kills, and Larissa Nordyke added 11. Taryn Robertson had 38 assists.

Northridge will host Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State next weekend at the Matadome in its last home conference games of the season.

Pan African Studies (PAS) Chair Dr. Tom Spencer-Walters gives a speech during the opening ceremony of the PAS department's 40th anniversary celebration in the Grand Salon Saturday. Photo Credit: Alan Fassonaki / Staff Photographer

The celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Pan African Studies Department ended on Saturday with a gala to honor the founding of the department.

Dr. Tom Spencer-Walters, Chair of the Pan African Studies department said this year’s celebration was a combination of the annual Africa Week and PAS week celebration and a commemoration 40 years of the PAS department at CSUN.

“It is a chance for us to understand the value and struggles that went into the founding of the department,” Spencer-Walters said.

At the time, there were only 23 black students, out of 18,000 students, who demanded a black studies department with black professors, Spencer-Walters added.

The department, was founded in 1969 after students protested and locked themselves into administrative buildings in what is today called the “Storm at Valley State.”

It was among one of the first founded in the country and remains one of the largest black studies departments.

“The students demanded that they have relevance in their education and courses that reflect the history, culture and contributions of African Americans,” Spencer-Walters said.

Jayme Wilson, a graduate student majoring in music who attended the gala with her mother Valerie Wilson, described Saturday’s event as “dynamic and informative.”

“It helps you realize the sense of entitlement we have today. Many see the PAS department as an easy way to a degree but when you listen to the founding you realize how much we have here,” Wilson said.

She said that it was important that people continue to honor and respect what people sacrificed for the department.

“It is important that we continue to fight for it (PAS department) and cherish it so that it does not slip through our fingers,” Wilson said.

Valerie Wilson, also a graduate student at CSUN, majoring in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis in Pan African Studies said that she felt honored and privileged to have attended the gala.

“I was born in the 50s during the Civil Rights era and when I hear about the resistance to this program at that time, I get emotional,” Wilson said.

Wilson said she was touched by the first-hand accounts of the department’s founding provided by speakers like Rev. Bill Burwell.

“I felt like the current students were not fully represented here today. They really needed to hear this. If I had one wish it would be that more students recognize what we have here,” Wilson said.

Devin O’Neal, chief justice of the Black Student Union and Associated Student’s Senator-at-Large, said that the 40th anniversary was an important milestone to celebrate.

“We need to continue to remember the founding. If it wasn’t for the sacrifice of many students, some of who were expelled and are still banned from entering this campus, there would be this strong department today that provides so gives so much to our students,” O’Neal said.

The most important thing, Spencer-Walters said, was that students make the connection with what they learn now with the struggle that took place in the past and that they respect the education they receive.

“It is gratifying to see students here. There is an increasing resurgence of students’ interest in issues that affect the African American community,” Spencer-Walters said.

The week-long celebration included a “Know your rights seminar hosted by the Black Student Union (BSU) and the Annual African Culture Show hosted by the African Students Organization (ASO).

Photo Credit: Jonathan Pobre / Executive Editor

Pedestrian Safety at CSUN Part 3 of 5

This article was reported by :

Megan Blumenthal

Danielle Directo

Brittany Glover

Alexis Lipnicki

Sandra Parada

Mike Tersigni

Alex Viray

Tade Williams

Written by:

Danielle Directo

Devonshire Valley Traffic Det. William Bustos said the department conducts enforcement in specific areas after analyzing their statistics to determine where pedestrian accidents and fatalities are on the rise.

“We found out that most pedestrians are abiding by the law and they’re crossing the intersections and the marked crosswalks, and the drivers are just not paying attention or they’re looking at the pedestrians and not yielding,” he said.

Police also conducted a similar safety sting at Ranchito Boulevard and Victory Avenue in Van Nuys, Bustos added.

“The location does play a role because there are a lot of pedestrians,” Bustos said. “In this particular case, it happens to be a university.”

Bustos said he often hears many complaints from the community.

“Sometimes people say, ‘We need a light here,’ and that’s a common (complaint),” Bustos said. “The engineers from the city of L.A. and (Department of Transportation)…do their own studies and projects and so on,” he said, and the police department is responsible for enforcement of the law, not street maintenance.

“Unfortunately…if people would just cross the street the way they’re supposed to, they wouldn’t need a light,” he added.

Seventeen-year-old Andreas Karras-Lazaris, the son of Intensive English Program (IEP) Academic Director Bessie Karras-Lazaris, heard a similar explanation in his efforts to make CSUN-area sidewalks safer.

Andreas became friends with Yao Lu, the Chinese exchange student who was struck by a car on Reseda Boulevard and Vincennes Street last November, when he would stop by his mother’s office at CSUN’s IEP.

The Chaminade College Preparatory High senior had been in contact with city officials and police to bring attention to the dangerous crosswalks around the university.

“He’s a little frustrated,” because he felt his concerns were falling on deaf ears, said Karras-Lazaris, as she sat in her office. Her son was told by authorities that “they were ‘working on it’.” Finally, “a case number was opened for him,” said Karras-Lazaris, but her son hasn’t heard much else.

Pedestrian safety – or lack thereof – isn’t just an issue off-campus.

David Arias, a 22-year-old journalism student from Sherman Oaks, was running late to class when he was hit on Etiwanda Avenue, which runs through the university, eight months ago.

He suffered a bruised knee, Arias said in a phone interview, but he didn’t report the incident or seek help. He described the driver of the sports utility vehicle as a woman who was talking on her cell phone and failed to observe the stop sign and proceeded to run her vehicle through additional crossings without stopping as required.

Since he was running late, he continued on his way to class and planned on filing a report later, Arias said.

That incident, however, was not his first. Arias was also struck last November while crossing the intersection of Plummer Street and Zelzah Avenue when a driver made a right turn and failed to see him. His right foot was run over, but fortunately, he said, he sustained no major injuries.

Ultimately, Arias said he ended up not filing the reports, saying too much time had passed and he was no longer certain about the details of the accidents. Arias said he didn’t think he had a chance filing an accurate report because the SUV in the last incident had run several stop signs and was long gone.

Research by student journalists shows the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Devonshire division’s CSUN-area accidents aren’t simply touch-and-go incidents where pedestrians like Arias were lucky enough not to sustain major injuries.

Of the 2006-08 accidents involving motor vehicles and pedestrians or bicyclists that occurred around the university, about 45 percent of people showed visible injuries, 41 percent suffered pain and eight percent suffered broken bones. Only about 4 percent of those in the accidents walked away without injuries or reported feeling no pain, and one accident victim, 19-year-old CSUN student Johoney Lobos, died.

But motorists and pedestrians alike are at fault for accidents, research found. Half of the motor vehicle and pedestrian or bicycle accidents reported near CSUN last year were determined to be the fault of drivers, student journalists found.

In 2007, 44 percent of accidents near the university reported to police were the fault of drivers.

According to CSUN police records, out of the seven motor vehicle and pedestrian or bicycle accidents that occurred on campus in 2007 and 2008, four were the result of drivers either failing to yield or stop at the crosswalk. One was determined to be the fault of a cyclist who crossed while conditions were unsafe, and two incidents were undetermined.

The university launched its own program aimed at addressing pedestrian safety. During a sting in mid-March, 80 citations were issued on the college campus for offenses including violations in using cell phones, not obeying stop signs or ‘no turn’ signs or disregarding crosswalks, said Christina Villalobos, special assistant to the CSUN chief of police.

But CSUN police have a limited jurisdiction, said Villalobos, and major streets surrounding the university, such as Nordhoff Street and Reseda Boulevard, are patrolled by the LAPD’s Valley Bureau, which includes the Devonshire division.

One of those LAPD-patrolled major streets includes Zelzah Avenue.

Despite the opposition from neighborhood councils and residents, The Los Angeles City Council approved a motion to raise speed limits on Zelzah Avenue between Chatsworth and Nordhoff streets, a busy intersection that borders CSUN’s east side and on which Northridge Academy High School and Granada Hills High School sit. The speed limit was raised by 5 mph to 40 mph.

Rita Robinson, general manager of LADOT – the agency that conducts surveys to determine what needs to be changed on city streets – said at a Transportation Committee meeting that she recognized the system doesn’t require the agency to inform or present the projects and proposals to neighborhood councils.

Current laws dictate that in order to use radar or laser traffic enforcement, the speed limits must be updated to reflect drivers’ average speeds.

Anne Glavin, chief of CSUN police, calls the process “a double-edged sword.”

“It’s…one of those catch-22 situations, where we really don’t want the speed to go up,” said Glavin in a phone interview.

She added that the Northridge East Neighborhood Council (NENC), of which CSUN and the area of Northridge east of Reseda Boulevard are included in its boundaries, did endorse the speed limit increase, though “they said it was not their preference to do it.”

In their April 7 meeting, despite their almost yearlong effort to fight the Zelzah speed limit increase, the council said it was “prepared to accept, with reservation, the LADOT’s recommendations” provided that local law enforcement “work diligently with NENC and other neighborhood councils and community members…and minimize excessive speed, traffic, injuries and fatalities” in the area, according to meeting records.

Glavin said in a phone interview that the NENC was worried “that if the speed (increased), more people will go faster.” Residents were concerned that “not only will (drivers) go the speed limit, but they’ll go over it.”

Neighborhood councils merely serve as advisory boards to the city, and ultimately, the Transportation Committee, which receives the LADOT’s surveys, has the final say in determining speed limits.

Senior Devin Deldo (21) helped the Matadors advance into the Big West Tournament by scoring two goals in Saturday's win over No. 20 UC Irvine. Photo Credit: Raspina Jannesar / Staff Photographer

At last count going into Saturday night’s season finale, there were about seven different tie-breaker scenarios that would determine which school would clinch the fourth and final spot in the Big West Conference’s men’s soccer tournament.

In the end, there was no need for any hypothetical scenarios.

Cal State Northridge (10-7-2, 5-4-1 BW) bypassed all the variations and emphatically claimed its fourth-place finish with a 3-0 bombardment of No. 20 UC Irvine at Anteater Stadium.

The dominant victory will now match CSUN, the fourth-seeded team, at regular season conference champion and No. 3-ranked UC Santa Barbara (14-3-2, 8-1-1) Wednesday.

From the start of the season, CSUN Coach Terry Davila said his team’s number one goal was to reach the postseason. And after navigating the Matador ship for the 11th season, he steered his senior-laden team through smooth and rough waters: from the team’s early peek as No. 24 in the nation and five-game winning streak, to the their near elimination from playoff contention two weeks ago.

“[The season] is a journey,” Davila said after the game. “You never know what your destiny is going to be. Some teams go left or right. We just came through and persevered and came out swinging.”

Literally, both sides played the game as though they were swinging, as nearly 40 fouls were called in the match, including five cards shown.

The Matadors were in the driver’s seat coming into the match with 13 points, and needed at least a tie to clinch. Both UC Davis and Cal State Fullerton were still in contention for the final spot, but they needed help outside of their own matches to advance.

After Saturday’s first-half explosion, CSUN extended its winning streak to three games and recorded its seventh shutout of the season against an Irvine team that with a win, would have secured the No. 2 seed in next week’s tournament, and hosted at least its first match.

Instead, the Anteaters (13-6, 6-4) will come in as the third seed and will travel to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (8-9-2, 6-3-1), which finished second in Big West play.

“The game was decided in the first 20 minutes,” Davila said. “We now have an opportunity to play Santa Barbara, the best program in the West. They set the standard, and there is no other place I would want to go play.”

The Matadors had scored a first-half goal in just two games all year, but knocked in three against Irvine in the first 20 minutes of the match, including fifth-year senior Devin Deldo’s first of two goals in the second minute of play.

His second of the game – and of the season – came in the 19th minute off an assist from senior Dylan Riley.

The season has at times been challenging for Deldo, who had seen his minutes reduced because of nagging injuries. On Saturday, however, the forward’s performance helped extend the Matadors’ season, and gave them a chance to possibly be invited to the NCAA’s big tournament.

Fellow senior Sunghyun Kim knocked in his fourth goal of the season in the 10th minute and recorded his team-leading seventh assist.

Despite only taking six shots the entire game and no corner kicks, CSUN matched its largest margin of victory, which came in its 4-1 win against last place UC Riverside. The shutout also gave freshman goalie Michael Abalos the fifth of his career

CSUN and UCSB split the season series, with each team winning at home. Should the Matadors knock off the Gauchos once more, they would be one win away from being crowned Big West Tournament champs, and be guaranteed an invitation to college soccer’s big dance.

Last season CSUN was eliminated on the final game by Irvine at Matador Field. Saturday, the Matadors exercised a bit of revenge and a lot of euphoria.

“Join the art and tie a green knot for Iran”

Art student Sara Alavikia displays her art and shows support for Iran on the steps of the Oviatt Library, Nov. 3 and 4.  Photo Credit: Zara Aleksanyan / Staff Photographer

Photo by Yazmin Cruz

It was a typical Wednesday evening on the corner of Reseda Boulevard and Nordhoff Street, where red and white lights filled the streets as traffic moved along.  Motorists, pedestrians and bicyclist were trying to go places when all of the sudden time stood still for a bicyclist.

A distracted driver nearly ran the beach cruiser bicyclist over as he was trying to make a right turn on Nordhoff Street.

The bicyclist, who was wearing a CSUN hoodie and was not wearing a helmet, managed to swerve to avoid getting hit. After a few seconds of panic she was able to pedal away unharmed.

There seems to be an increase of bicyclists on campus and on the roads these days. It can be argued that it is due to the recession and people trying to spend less on gas or people just being green. But what I have failed to see is the use of helmets.

In California, by law, bicycle riders under 18 years of age must wear a helmet while riding on a public road. If the bicyclist would have gotten hit, she may have ended up with a head injury or worst.

I can understand students not wearing helmets on campus grounds when they are riding from class to class but once on the streets helmets must be worn. Consider this, what’s more important your “coolness factor” or your brain?

Both teams played extremely well, creating an exciting game with an abundance of scoring chances. Despite the tough loss, CSUN has already began looking into next season

“We’re starting a tradition, starting something special…We are not a one-hit wonder, we are going to make it back here again,” head coach Keith West said. 

The difference in the game came in the 84th minute, with UCSB leading 1-0, when a Gaucho forward streaked up field and pushed the ball ahead of her.

Northridge goalkeeper Cynthia Jacobo made the decision to go after the ball instead of staying back. The forward got to the ball just before Jacobo and popped it over her head. 

Matador senior defenseman Sydney Vermillion raced past Jacobo to try and kick the ball out, but could not get the right angle and kicked it into her goal, making it 2-0.

Less than a minute later the Matadors responded with a goal of their own off transition. Sophomore defender Brielle Slepicoff carried the ball up the left side and made a great move getting around the Gaucho defender, forcing their goalie to attack.

She sent a beautiful cross to junior forward Farryn Townley, who put it into the open net from three yards out on the right side, making the score 2-1.

“Every year is different with personnel, and this year’s personnel were very good off the counter,” West said.

Northridge applied consistent pressure over the game’s final six minutes, but could not get another past the UCSB goalkeeper. It appeared as though the Gauchos happened to have the breaks fall on their side.

“We had a lot of opportunities, and they had a few opportunities and did put them away,” junior defender Jasmine Pratt said. “That’s the way the game goes, the way the cookie crumbles. Tough break for our team, it could have gone either way.”

For Townley, it was her ninth goal of the year, tying a single-season school record with Kristy Krohn (2005) and Brianna Monka (2005). She also finished the year with 20 points, which is third most in school history.

In goal, freshman goalkeeper Cynthia Jacobo had her shutout streak snapped to begin her career at 574 minutes. She finished the year with a 5-1 record, including five shutouts and 0.30 goals against average, the best in school history for a single season.

CSUN will lose three players to graduation, defender Sydney Vermillion, midfielder Kelley Ross and forward Niki Connolly.

However, most of the offense this season came from juniors and sophomores, so the team can build off this year and look to go deeper into next season.