Cal Poly Women’s Soccer (4-4-3, 1-1-1 Big West) suffered a 1-0 loss to Cal State Fullerton, dropping to a four-way tie for third place in the Big West standings.
The Titans struck early in the match with a goal in the seventh minute, following a corner kick and cross by a Fullerton player.
Fullerton now sits atop the Big West standings along with Utah Valley.
Cal Poly was offensively chasing Fullerton for the remainder of the match. Fullerton outshot the Mustangs in both halves, 15-7.
Earlier in the season, during non-conference play, head coach Bernardo Silva expressed his concerns about the lack of offense being generated by the team. His hopes were that the Mustangs would find their stride by the time conference play rolled around.
Reigning Big West Offensive Player of the Year, Annika Smith, is facing her own set of offensive struggles, a stark contrast to her production last season.
Smith has two assists and zero goals on 11 shots. She had a short injury stint in August, missing one game after a hamstring injury suffered during a 2-0 loss to Arizona State.
While Smith is physically present on the pitch, her usually dominant presence is missing.
Senior midfielder Sophia Minnite was also missing from today’s game, physically. Minnite was removed from the field on Sept. 26 during a game against Long Beach State following a non-contact left knee injury. Her status for the season remains unknown.
Cal Poly will continue their road trip on Oct. 3 as it takes on UC San Diego at Triton Soccer Stadium at 6 p.m.