On Thursday, Aug. 27, Cal Poly Women’s Soccer (2-1-1, 0-0-0 Big West) tied 1-1 against the University of San Diego, marking their second draw with the Toreros in the teams’ four meetings.
Tale of Two Halves
The Toreros came out in the first half and established early dominance over the Mustangs. Their offense outshot Cal Poly’s 6-2, and kept steady possession of the ball.
Despite this, Cal Poly was the first to get on the board with an own goal by San Diego. A free kick by Cal Poly defender Siena Urzua was deflected into the goal after a San Diego player misdirected their attempt to block the shot, resulting in an own goal.
Cal Poly’s luck in the first half quickly ran out when forward and captain Annika Smith was removed from the game following a hamstring injury.
During the 18th minute, the senior took a stride at the back line and fell to the ground in pain, requiring help from a trainer to walk off the field.
Head coach Bernardo Silva said Smith will need to undergo further evaluation by a team trainer to determine the severity of the injury.
“Hopefully she can travel with us on Sunday, and we can work her back into what we’re doing because she’s a special player,” Silva said.
A long injury stint for Smith could be detrimental to an already-struggling Mustang offense. The reigning Big West Offensive Player of the Year is a key part of Cal Poly’s ability to generate offense.
Seven minutes after the injury, San Diego scored with a shot of their own to even the score 1-1, and it remained this way through the end of the first half.
Cal Poly kicks it into high gear
The Mustangs came out in the second half trying to turn the tide. They more than doubled their shots taken and put more pressure on San Diego to turn the ball over.
“I didn’t think we executed the scout and the game plan well enough in the first half, so we had to come into the second half and tweak some things,” Silva said. “I thought we put a ton of effort in that second half, so I think the result is probably the fairest result.”
While the offense has been struggling, the defense is a different story. Despite the Torero offense’s 9 shots, the Mustang defense held them to only the one goal.
The Big West looms
Now, the Mustangs will hit the road for four non-conference away games against Arizona State, Cal, the University of the Pacific and the University of Seattle. When they return, they will begin Big West conference play against California Baptist on Sept. 23.
Their upcoming match is against Arizona State on Aug. 30 at 7 p.m. at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium.