Cal Poly Men’s Soccer took the first steps to rebuilding the fortress that Mustang Memorial Field has been in recent memory on Saturday, bouncing back in a decisive victory over UC San Diego after conceding their first match at home in nearly two years to Cal State Fullerton.
The Mustangs had not lost at home in 13 matches and had allowed only six goals in that span, but the streak had finally ended in the loss against Fullerton. With that in mind, Cal Poly looked to reinstate Mustang Memorial Field as one of the toughest fields to play on.
The Mustangs (5-4-4) nailed the Tritons (0-7-5) for three goals to lead Cal Poly to a 4-0 victory against UCSD. This was the most Cal Poly has scored against an in-conference opponent in two years.
Offensive Efficiency
The offense on both sides got off to slow starts; the first shot of the match was not taken until Cal Poly made an effort towards the net in the 15th minute of the match.
The sluggish start purged the Mustangs throughout the first half of the match. Cal Poly’s offensive opportunities were scarce – they took just two corner kicks and three shots within the opening 45 minutes – but they were efficient in their minimal amount of opportunities. The Mustangs were able to convert their chances into two scores, including one by a Triton own goal.
Cal Poly came out swinging in the second half. The Mustangs created seven more attempts at the net and were more aggressive on the field, attacking open spots and creating breakaways to put more pressure on the Tritons’ defense.
Cal Poly manufactured two more goals out of the second half efforts, extending the Mustangs’ lead to 4-0, which they would hold for the rest of the match.
Three different Cal Poly players scored Saturday night, with senior defender Nico Baltazar and junior forward Jack Civitts each scoring their second goals of the season. Freshman defender Tanner Casey scored his fourth.
Casey, with his fourth goal on the season, matched redshirt sophomore midfielder Quinn Mahoney for the team lead in goals scored. All four of Casey’s goals have been a product of set pieces, which he credits for his offensive successes.
“Being an animal in the box … that’s what I love to do,” Casey said. “I feel like I get super hyped for corners because that’s my one time I can really contribute to get on the scoreboard.”
Stifling Defense
Working in tandem with Cal Poly’s offense, the Mustangs had one of their best games of the season on the defensive side of the ball as well.
Cal Poly held UCSD to just one shot attempt in the opening half and allowed only six more efforts towards the net in the closing 45 minutes of the match. The seven shot attempts made by an opponent is tied for the lowest number of attempts Cal Poly has allowed an opponent to make all season.
Of the seven shot attempts, zero were on target. Goalkeeper Nicky McCune recorded his sixth clean sheet of the season, though the Mustangs’ defense did not force McCune to notch a single save in the 90 minutes played.
Cal Poly’s defense appeared to take a step forward in overall gameplay after suffering a setback against Fullerton, a match in which the Mustangs conceded 12 total shots, five of which were on goal, and two goals.
Junior defender Parker Owens kept note of the revitalization of the defense.
“We kind of came into this game creating our own energy and we kept that energy going into the game,” Owens said. “I think that kind of translated into Nicky being allowed to do his job and us at the same time blocking shots and opportunities.”
Surveying the Big West
After the win, Cal Poly is tied with Fullerton for third in the Big West, trailing only Cal State Bakersfield and rival UC Santa Barbara, both of whom are tied for first by one point.
Cal Poly will look to continue their push for first in the Big West in another in-conference match against Sacramento State on the road. The match will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 3 p.m.
The Mustangs will then finish off the week in a match against UCSB in the second bout of the Blue-Green rivalry this season on Saturday.
“Those are both two very good schools, so we’ve got to go in those matches and find a way to get a result,” head coach Oige Kennedy said. “Our focus this week has to be not to look past Wednesday, lock in on that, and put ourselves in a great position to play in front of hopefully nine, ten-thousand people at home.”