Last season, Long Beach State ousted the Mustangs in the second round of the Big West playoffs.
The 2022 Big West regular season champions Mustangs were unable to avenge their earlier-than-expected exit last season as the game ended in a scoreless draw with Long Beach State on Thursday, Oct. 5 in a 7 p.m. match at George Allen Field.
The Mustangs (4-5-3, 2-1-1 Big West) were unable to get any offense on the road coming off a dominant 3-1 win against UC Riverside on Sunday, Oct. 1, including a hat trick from freshman forward Annika Smith
Going into the season, the Beach (6-5-3, 1-2-2 BW) had been projected to finish first in the Big West, with Cal Poly projected just behind them at second.
With the tie, the Mustangs remain tied with Hawaii and UC San Diego for second in the Big West standings, with a total of seven points on the season. The Beach have had a slow start, sliding to last in the standings following Thursday’s game.
The Beach started off aggressively, threatening junior goalkeeper Mackenzie Samuel with seven shots before the 25-minute mark, all of which were saved.
The Mustangs’ best opportunity of the first half was a shot by senior midfielder Kate Reedy that was blocked by junior goalkeeper Zora Standifer off the crossbar 35 minutes into the game.
Smith, who was named the Big West Offensive Player and Freshman of the Week for her hat trick against UC Riverside, tallied three shots in the effort.
Neither team was able to gain momentum coming out of the half, with each team battling for possession in the middle of the field.
Two last-minute shots by redshirt freshman forward Sophia Minnite and graduate student midfielder/forward Whitney Wiley in a desperation push were unsuccessful.
Despite the Beach taking a shot advantage of 15 to 11, the 2022 Big West Goalkeeper of the Year Samuel kept the Mustangs in the game with another dominant performance, stopping all seven shots on goal.
The Mustangs’ offense will look to get back on the board in their next match, another away game this Sunday, Oct. 8, facing UC Irvine at 2 p.m. in Anteater Stadium.