In a historic season, Cal Poly Men’s Soccer secured four out of six individual awards in the Big West Conference, with young talent and one of the best defenses in the nation leading the way to the team’s first regular-season conference title in program history.
Cal Poly’s dominant defense swept the awards, with junior goalkeeper Nicky McCune taking home Big West Goalkeeper of the Year for his dominant season in net and sophomore defender Parker Owens earning Big West Defender of the Year.
Redshirt freshman midfielder Quinn Mahoney took home Big West Freshman of the Year for his breakout season as Cal Poly’s leader in goals (four) and assists (five) in 2024.
In his second year with the Mustangs, head coach Oige Kennedy led Cal Poly to its first Big West regular season title and became the program’s first Big West Coach of the Year.
Alongside McCune and Owens, sophomore midfielder Diego Guerra slotted into the All-Big West First team.
As the best freshman in the conference, Mahoney won second-team All-Big West and all-freshman team honors, with junior defender Nico Baltazar rounding out Cal Poly’s awards with a Big West honorable mention.
“It’s a reward for all of their hard work,” Kennedy said. “I think these guys, student athletes, commit so much of the process. I’m just so happy that they get a reward.”
Kennedy’s Standard of Success
In his second season with the Mustangs, Kennedy has created a stifling defense and an all-in mentality, helping Cal Poly win its first regular-season conference title with a 7-4-7 overall record.
The Mustangs sustained just one loss in conference play, tying a program record. After a slow start to the season, they rattled off a nine-game unbeaten streak, the largest since a run of 11 unbeaten games in 2007.
This dominance, in part, stemmed from a season of dominance at home, with Cal Poly going unbeaten (5-0-2) at Mustang Memorial Field, scoring 11 times and only giving up two goals in their seven home games.
“We have to always come out with the mindset that this should be the hardest trip for people to come and play, and the guys have really embraced that.” Kennedy said.
McCune: Impenetrable
McCune is second in goals-against-average in the NCAA with 0.62, third in shutouts with eigth, fifth in save percentage at .833, and leading the Big West in all of these categories.
His goals-against-average mark of 0.62 is the best in program history and is over .4 below the next-best goalkeeper in the conference.
A four-time Big West Defensive Player of the Week and Goalkeeper of the Year, McCune’s dominance in 2024 has been the key to Cal Poly’s success.
“All the hard work that me and my teams are putting in is finally paying off,” McCune said. “But it’s not done yet. We’ve still got conference to win.”
Owens and Baltazar Hold Down the Back Line
Owens and Baltazar, both key members of an elite defense, received Big West honors for their efforts this season.
Owens, one of the team captains and one of five Mustangs to start in all 18 matches, received Big West Defender of the Year. He is the first Mustang to do so since 2001.
With a 6-foot 4-inch frame, Owens also provided pressure in the opposing box during corners and free kicks, contributing three assists this season and netting his first career goal against Sacramento State.
Baltazar was also named All-Big West honorable mention. In his first season with Cal Poly after spending two years at El Camino College, he played all 90 minutes in all 18 games.
In his 1,620 minutes on the field, he helped Cal Poly give up just 12 goals all season long, the second-fewest goals allowed out of all 205 Division I teams.
Both defenders helped hold Big West opponents to just four goals in all conference games, a feat that was key to the Mustangs’ regular-season title.
The Future of the Mustang Franchise
The Mustang’s youth shined bright throughout the season and were recognized with their awards.
Mahoney was named Big West Freshman of the Year after leading the Mustangs in goal scoring with four, ranked second in the conference with 43 shot attempts, and fourth with five assists.
Mahoney became the first to be awarded Big West Freshman of the Year for Cal Poly since Christian Enriquez in 2016.
The Mustangs’ young core is strengthened by Guerra, winning All-Big West first-team honors after being named to the all-freshman team last season.
“We’ve improved so much as a team,” Guerra said. “All credit to my coach, he’s been a huge, huge part in our success this year.”
A force on both sides of the ball, Guerra ranks second on the team with three goals, including a crucial penalty against at-the-time No. 22 ranked UC Santa Barbara in the Blue-Green rivalry game.
Both in their first two years with the team, Guerra and Mahoney will remain staples of the Mustang squad for years to come.
Despite the awards, the Big West challenge is not over. Cal Poly will host the Big West championship semi-final on Sunday, Nov. 10, at 2 p.m. at Mustang Memorial Field.
