Cal Poly Men’s Soccer suffered a 3-1 loss to UC Santa Barbara Saturday night in Santa Barbara, splitting the season’s Blue-Green Rivalry series.
The Gauchos (6-3-4, 1-0-2 Big West) seized early control, scoring all three goals in the first half.
Cal Poly (4-4-5, 0-1-2 Pac-12) struggled to contain the Gaucho offense early, conceding in the 18th and 23rd minutes before allowing a third in the 39th. The early deficit put the Mustangs in an uphill battle heading into halftime.
Despite the three-goal lead, the Mustang offense seemed in control, finishing with a 14-6 shot advantage.
Down three goals entering the second half, the Mustangs pushed hard on the gas, creating many opportunities as they outshot the Gauchos 9-1. However, Gaucho goalkeeper Owen Beninga kept Cal Poly scoreless, finishing with eight saves.
The Mustangs were finally able to put one in the back of the net in the 85th minute off the foot of Devin Bening, cutting the deficit to 3-1. Cal Poly couldn’t complete the comeback, falling to their second loss in their last three matches.
The highly anticipated rivalry match drew 11,183 fans, the largest crowd at any NCAA men’s soccer game this season, besting the attendance in San Luis Obispo a couple of weeks back.
The loss denied Cal Poly a season sweep of its Central Coast rival after the Mustangs won the first meeting 2-1 on Sept. 25.
Cal Poly returns to Mustang Memorial Field on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 7 p.m. to take on Utah Valley.