The second Blue-Green rivalry game of the year ended in a scoreless draw, the result pushing Cal Poly Men’s Soccer into a tie for first place in the Big West Conference.
The Mustangs secured their sixth shutout of the season at Harder Stadium in Santa Barbara, adding to a dominant run of only two goals conceded through their unbeaten run of the seven games.
Junior goalkeeper—and two-time Big West Defensive Player of the Week in 2024—Nicky McCune had five crucial saves in the match.
“My back line’s got my back, but in the moments I got to make a save, I did,” said McCune.
The second leg of the historic Blue-Green rivalry drew a crowd of 9,985—the biggest in the NCAA this year and No. 29 all-time—just outpacing the 9,657 attendants in San Luis Obispo this September, which holds the No. 2 spot for attendance in 2024.
The Gauchos have capitalized on this home-field advantage for the last five years, with the Mustangs’ last win at Harder Stadium coming in 2018.
This year’s draw sees the teams tied for first in the conference with Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Bakersfield, matchups that come later in the season for Cal Poly.
Cal Poly’s defense has been formidable in 2024, only allowing an average of 0.73 goals, ranked No. 21 in the nation and tied for first in the Big West with UC Santa Barbara.
Just three shot attempts were allowed in the first half, with only one shot on target from Gauchos forward Alexis Ledoux forcing a save from McCune.
McCune would come up with more timely saves in the second half, tipping a headed attempt onto the crossbar and blocking the following shots from the UC Santa Barbara attack. He would go on to stop the Gauchos again in the 87th minute to secure the draw.
The Mustang defense shined once again in the game, holding a high-powered Gaucho offense scoreless and netting a key point for Cal Poly.
“It’s always a physical and mental battle in that back line,” sophomore defender Parker Owens said, “Their team’s really good at getting out of the pockets, getting good crosses and looking for that back post, so it’s always a war.”
The Mustang’s core defensive squad has played nearly every minute of the 2024 season, stopping opponents from finding the back of the net and netting contributions of their own, including three assists from Owens this season to Cal Poly goals.
“I thought the guys worked really, really hard, and they deserve a result on the road, in probably one of the toughest places to come when you’ve got nearly 10,000 people,” Head Coach Oige Kennedy said.
After netting four goals on their two-game road trip, Cal Poly will return to Mustang Memorial Field for two home games against Sacramento State on Wednesday, Oct. 9 and UC Riverside on Saturday, Oct. 12.
“We’ve got a short turnaround with one day less than everybody else,” Kennedy said. “The guys have got to be back on it tomorrow in training and then we’ve got to be ready to get after it at home.”
Both matches begin at 7 p.m. and will be aired live on ESPN+.