Over the course of the 2024 season, Cal Poly men’s soccer became one of the best defenses in the nation on their way to their first Big West regular season title.
The Mustangs shut down the No. 12 ranked Cardinal in a 1-0 defensive duel at Mustang Memorial Field on Saturday in an off-season exhibition.
The two teams last matched up at the beginning of the 2024 season when Stanford, ranked No. 5 at the time, beat Cal Poly 2-0. The high-ranked matchup also had a personal connection for the Mustangs’ Head Coach Oige Kennedy, who coached at Stanford for seven seasons before he began his Cal Poly career.
“I wouldn’t have any job in America if it wasn’t for Coach Jeremy and his mentorship,” Kennedy said. “It’s fun to compete against them, but bittersweet when you know, both teams can’t win.”
The Mustangs also lost assistant coach Woo Jeon to Stanford this offseason. Jeon was an assistant coach with Cal Poly for two seasons who helped Kennedy turn the program into Big West champions.
Defensive masterclass
Kennedy won back-to-back national championships in 2016 and 2017 with Stanford. His coaching contributed to a defense that held opponents to 0.382 goals per game in 2017.
Defense was a core part of Cal Poly’s title run in 2024, in which the team conceded an average of 0.676 goals per game, ranked second-best in the nation.
The Mustangs let in four goals in Big West regular season play, their dominant defense directly leading to one of the best seasons in program history.
“He took some of the standards from Stanford, and they’ve won five or six national championships, so it goes to show that those standards are working,” senior forward Oren Stuppel said.
Throughout his career, Kennedy helped both Stanford and Cal Poly set defensive records on their way to winning conference titles.
In 2017, Stanford set a program record with only nine goals against them, resulting in a record-tying 16 shutouts that season.
Last year Cal Poly set the program record for lowest goals-against average with 0.676 and the fewest total goals conceded with 13. The Mustangs also matched their program records for fewest defeats in a season with four.
However, with the 2025 season around the corner, the team’s work has just begun.
“The goal for us is finding ways to improve and obviously just get better throughout each game,” senior defender Nico Baltazar said. “It gives us motivation to stay on top of it throughout the off season to come back in the fall and hopefully repeat another championship.”
Cal Poly vs. Stanford
The Mustangs put their record-breaking defense to the test against Stanford on Saturday, holding the Cardinal scoreless.
Late in the game, a goal from either team was set to clinch the match.
Senior midfielder Bakuena Ramakatsa lined up a half-volley from outside the box, rifling the ball into the back of the net and securing a Cal Poly win.
The Mustangs ended their spring season with a 3-1-1 record that won’t count toward their regular season. The team’s defense maintained their 2024 form, letting in four goals across their five offseason games.
Cal Poly versus Stanford is the final act for Men’s Soccer before their preseason begins in August. Winning against a top-ranked team sets a precedent for the Mustangs going into next year’s matchups.
“It’s a completely different beast to stay at the top and want to see competing on that level,” Kennedy said. “I think what the other night showed the guys is that they can go against some of the best players in the country and hold their own.”
