Cal Poly rose to the challenge in their Big West season opener, taking down UC Davis on national television.
In a high-stakes rivalry matchup, the Mustangs dug deep to come back from a goal down and secure a crucial 2-1 victory.
The revenge win came after two consecutive losses against UC Davis (0-6-3, 0-1 Big West) in the 2023 and 2024 Big West Tournaments to end Cal Poly’s (4-3-3, 1-0 Big West) season two years in a row. But in tonight’s match, the Mustangs took the reins of the rivalry back, keeping the Aggies winless in 2025.
Cal Poly clinched the Big West Regular Season title last year by a singular point, so in head coach Oige Kennedy’s mind, each conference matchup is crucial.
“Every win in the Big West is really hard to get, and you’ve got to be really good at home, like we were last year,” Kennedy said. “I’m really happy that we put our best foot forward to start the conference.”
Resilient at home
Cal Poly continues a 13-game home winning streak, dating back to 2023, making Mustang Memorial Field one of the hardest trips for visiting opponents.
But despite getting the win at home and moving to the top of the conference, Kennedy believes the Mustangs have more in the tank.
“When a team wins and maybe didn’t play at its best, it’s a good sign,” Kennedy said. “The first half we were a little bit slow at times to get going, but in the second half, apart from the goal, the guys really dominated and pushed.”
Cal Poly has not trailed at home many times in the last two years. But after starting off the game slowly, the team found themselves down 1-0 in the 49th minute.
To make the comeback, a switch had to be flipped.
Senior defender Nico Baltazar stepped up just one minute later, taking his first shot of the season and scoring the equalizer for the Mustangs.
“During halftime we had a talk,” Baltazar said. “We had to lift up our intensity. We’re at home, we let them get too comfortable, so we had to come out with a strong second half.”
The talk worked, as for the rest of the match, the momentum was with the Mustangs. After coming close on multiple attempts, redshirt junior Sean McTague found the back of the net with a clinical finish in the 86th minute to send the Aggies back to Davis.
Coming on as a sub, McTague is used to making the most of his opportunities on the field. With two goals this season, both coming off the bench, the forward has become a steady offensive threat when Cal Poly needs it most.
“It’s always great to get the winner out here,” McTague said. “All the hard work we’ve put in over the summer, and the boys are ready to continue on with the conference.”
The tide shifted in the second half, as all three of senior goalkeeper Nicky McCune’s saves came early in the match. Cal Poly also out-shot UC Davis 8-5 in the second half, appearing to be the much more threatening team on the offensive side of the ball.
Much of that success comes down to the seven subs the Mustangs brought on throughout the match, as the fresh legs gave the team the boost they needed to close out UC Davis in the late stages of the game.
“You have to have a next player up mentality,” Kennedy said. “We’ve experienced that this year with injuries and different things, and guys have had to step up.”
Continuing Big West play
Cal Poly has no time to rest after the midweek matchup, as the team travels down to face UC Irvine this weekend.
The Anteaters ranked No. 20 in the nation a few weeks ago, but have since come back to earth, going on a three-game losing streak to close out their non-conference season. Still, the conference matchup is projected to be one of the Mustangs’ most difficult this year.
“They’re a really good team,” Kennedy said. “I thought their coaches have always, for years, been really well organized and play a lovely brand of soccer.”
The match will play out on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m., and will be available to watch on ESPN+.