Cal Poly Women’s Soccer sit second in the Big West Conference after notching their second straight shutout with a dominant defensive performance against UC Davis on Sunday.
The Mustangs (4-1-7, 2-1-0 Big West) rolled past the Aggies (2-5-4, 0-1-1 Big West) with a 1-0 victory on the road.
Cal Poly had a strong offensive showing, keeping the majority of the possession during the game and outshooting UC Davis 13 shots to nine.
Junior forward Annika Smith continued her hot streak as she scored in her second consecutive match off of a cross from senior forward Emily Lieber and a touch from sophomore midfielder Kiki Vostermans.
This was Smith’s fifth goal this season, putting her in a three-way tie for second for the most goals scored in the Big West. Her teammate, senior forward Jessie Halladay, is still leading the way with six goals on the season.
Halladay, along with Smith and Vostermans, all had three shots during the match. Senior defender Camryn Penn followed closely behind with two shots.
However, it was not just offense that left the Mustangs victorious.
On defense, Cal Poly showed why they have only lost one match all year. The defensive unit worked to hold UC Davis to only three shots on target for the entirety of the match and allowed just one corner kick in the second half.
54 minutes into the game, redshirt freshman goalkeeper Shannon Porubski had two huge saves at the goal line to prevent the Aggies from getting on the board. She ended the match with three saves.
This was Porubski’s seventh straight start for the Mustangs, she has been the starting goalkeeper for all four of Cal Poly’s wins so far this season.
Porubuski took over as the Mustangs starting goalkeeper after starting the non-conference season behind redshirt junior Alyssa Szarlacki, who was a part of ties in all five of her starts this year.
The Mustangs’ confidence is continuing to build as they’re hitting their stride during conference play, having two straight shutout wins and outshooting their opponents 28 to 22 over the last two games.
Head coach Bernardo Silva will look to keep their momentum going as Cal Poly takes on his former university, Cal State Bakersfield, on Oct. 2 in Spanos Stadium.