On Sunday afternoon, Cal Poly Women’s Soccer (6-6-5, 3-3-3 Big West) fell 1-0 to UC Irvine as it tries to earn a spot in the Big West Championship.
This marks only the third loss at Spanos Stadium since Head Coach Bernardo Silva joined Cal Poly in 2025. His first loss came earlier this season against Stanford.
The Mustangs started the match strong, getting off six shots and keeping the Anteaters (5-8-3, 3-5-1 BW) at bay.
The first half was a “false sense of domination,” as described by Silva.
“I didn’t feel like we were that dangerous. I didn’t feel like we tested their goalkeeper enough,” Silva said.
The team has struggled with consistency throughout the season. The match against Irvine was an important one for the Mustangs at this critical point in the season. The team was coming off a rivalry win over UC Santa Barbara that boosted their push for a playoff spot and tried to replicate that performance.
They fell short, and the Anteaters scored the lone goal in the 75th minute.
The Cal Poly offense had 10 shots, only two on goal, and nothing to show for it.
“It has to do with the fact that the services aren’t as good as they need to be. The final pass isn’t as good as it needs to be. It’s not for a lack of trying… because we’ve been working on it in training,” Silva said. “We need our offense to get going. Somebody needs to take responsibility and put the ball in the back of the net.”
The loss keeps the team in a five-way tie for fourth place in the Big West standings with only two regular season games left to play. To advance to the playoffs, Cal Poly must rank in the top six in the conference.
If a tie persists at the end of the regular season, the tied teams will enter a “mini conference,” where head-to-head records will determine their final standings.
Next, Cal Poly faces off against UC Riverside on Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. at UCR Soccer Stadium.