For the first time in 21 years, Cal Poly Women’s Soccer stepped foot on the turf to play in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament against top-seeded Stanford. While the final whistle signaled the end of their celebrated season, history continued to be etched into the record books for Cal Poly 2.0.
On the night of Nov. 14, the Mustangs (10-3-9, 6-2-2 Big West) were dealt just their third loss of the season by the Cardinal (17-1-2, 9-0-1 ACC) with a final score of 3-1.
Standout senior forward Jessie Halladay continued to make history in her final match at Cal Poly as she scored on the number one seed immediately after kick off. With her first shot, Halladay recorded a goal just 49 seconds into the match – the quickest a goal has ever been scored against the Cardinal.
Halladay, who was notably left off the All-Big West First Team, has been the only player to score for the Mustangs in postseason. Her goal in the 89th minute against UC Santa Barbara captured Cal Poly’s first Big West Championship since 2004.
Finishing the season as the leading goalscorer in the Big West, Halladay tallied 10 goals and four assists on the season. The All-Big West Second Team selectee had three gamewinners, with two of them coming from postseason play.
The 2025 Big West Championship MVP is leaving Cal Poly as a two-time All-Big West honoree, capping off her storied career with a historic goal against Stanford.
The Cardinal attack proved to be a lethal force against the Mustangs, capitalizing on mistakes and scoring goals that even the best would’ve struggled to save. Stanford’s second goal of the night was a left-footed shot from about 25 yards that hit the upper right corner of the net, there was very little that redshirt freshman goalkeeper Shannon Porubski could’ve done to prevent that goal.
Still, the Cal Poly defense found opportunities to hold off the intense offensive efforts from Stanford. Going into the match, Stanford had a +55 goal differential against all opponents this season. Cal Poly managed to keep the Cardinal within just two scores, something only one other non-conference team was able to do this season.
Senior defender Brennan Cole led the charge on the onslaught of the Stanford offense. Named the 2025 Big West Defensive Player of the Year, Cole has shown remarkable strength and energy for Cal Poly this season. She logged more minutes than any other Mustang this season, finishing with 1934 minutes played.
Notching a career high seven saves against the Cardinals was Porubski. In her first NCAA appearance, Porubski had several goalline saves during the match to keep the Mustangs within striking distance.
After rebuilding the defense with a former midfielder in Cole and a freshman in Porubski, the Mustangs were able to put the pieces together for one of their most successful seasons to date. The defense capped off the year with 10 shutouts, and the team finished with 10 wins.
Cal Poly may have had a short run in the NCAA Tournament, but their remarkable season is one to remember. In their first season under new head coach Bernardo Silva, they were able to finish second in the regular season, win their first Big West Championship in 21 years, and score first against the number one team in the country during the NCAA Tournament.