FULLERTON, Calif. ? Playing a man down for all but eight minutes of the match, CSUB's men's soccer team dropped a 3-0 decision to Cal State Northridge in the opener of the Cal State Fullerton Tournament Friday.

At the 8:01 mark of the first half, Bakersfield freshman Ken Taylor was sent off the field for stepping on a Matadors' defender. The red card forced the Roadrunners to play the remainder of the game with just 10 players, while Taylor will also be ineligible for Sunday's match against Cal State Fullerton.

“We had one of our better performances of the season, but being undermanned limited our attack,” said CSUB Head Coach Simon Tobin.

The ?Runners were also without the services of senior forward Towa Manda and junior outside midfielder Joe Polifroni, both sidelined with injuries.

Northridge struck for its first goal in the 19th minute when Robert Pate took a pass from Camilo Rojas and sent a 10-yard shot past the reach of CSUB keeper Steve Trojanowski.

Cameron Sims gave the Matadors a 2-0 lead at the 30:02 mark, heading home a ball crossed in by Sunghn Kim. Moy Gomez rounded out the scoring for Northridge, netting a 15-yard shot in the 51st minute of play. Milan Radovic was credited with the assist.

Despite being shorthanded, the ?Runners were able to put pressure on the Matadors' defense, taking eight shots in the match, including three by Wayne Lampart and two by Matt Shaxton. CSUB also had a 3-2 advantage on corner kicks.

In goal, Trojanowski recorded three saves while the Matadors' Kevin Guppy had one.

The ?Runners (0-3 overall) conclude tournament play Sunday, taking on host Cal State Fullerton at 7 p.m. in Titan Stadium.