Cal Poly Women’s Soccer’s scoring woes continued on Sunday, Sept. 29, as they dropped a defensive match with Cal State Fullerton by a score of 1-0.
The Mustangs (3-7-2, 1-2 Big West) put together a solid second-half effort at a comeback, but their scoring chances were shut down by Titans (3-7-2, 1-1-1 Big West), who escaped with the home win.
The win snaps the Mustangs’ two-game win streak, who were beginning to regain their footing after a shaky start to their season in non-conference play.
Junior forward Jessie Halladay led an offensive charge out of halftime with the team down a goal, but both of her two attempts were turned away.
After having just three shots in the first half, Halliday and others combined for 12 attempts on goal in the final 45 minutes but could not find the back of the net against the Titans’ defense.
Senior goalkeeper Mackenzie Samuel kept the Mustangs in the game with a season-high 10 saves, keeping the scoring difference within a goal to the end.
She moves to eighth all-time on Cal Poly’s career saves list, with 182 across 53 starts.
It was the sixth time the Mustangs have been shut out this season, a dangerous trend as the team can’t afford to fall too far behind in the Big West standings for a chance at the playoffs.
Games like their 5-1 senior day win over Nevada or 2-0 win over UC Riverside show that they can score goals, but the Mustangs have struggled to convert many opportunities in recent losses.
Their defense has remained the team’s calling card, led by veterans like Samuel and senior defender Emma Brown.
Brown played all 90 minutes in the loss and continued her streak of never receiving a card in nearly 6,000 minutes played at the collegiate level.
The Mustangs have allowed just two goals in their three conference matchups so far, yet they are just 1-2 and sit in the bottom third of the Big West standings.
They will look to get back into the scoring column over a two-game homestand next week, hosting UC Irvine and Long Beach State.
The Mustangs will celebrate Alumni Weekend and take on UC Irvine next on Thursday, Oct. 3, at 3 p.m. at Mustang Memorial Stadium.