In their second matchup against a ranked team this season, Cal Poly Women’s Soccer couldn’t find victory despite sophomore forward Annika Smith‘s two-goal game against the No. 12 Santa Clara Broncos on Saturday at Buck Shaw Field.
In their game last season, the Mustangs played the then-ranked No. 8 Santa Clara in an intense defensive battle.
Cal Poly took the early lead in that match but conceded a second-half goal that ended the game in a 1-1 draw. However, they proved they could hang with the best teams in the country.
This season, the Mustangs (1-4-2) again played a close match with the Broncos (6-1-0), instead by way of a first-half offensive shootout.
Santa Clara scored two quick goals in the game’s first seven minutes, but Cal Poly responded similarly.
Junior forward Emily Lieber dribbled into the box as she split two defenders and sent a pass to Smith, who tapped the ball in for the Mustangs’ first goal in the 13th minute.
Just two minutes later, junior midfielder Brennan Cole found junior defender Camryn Penn cutting into the box, who chipped the ball over the goalkeeper and leveled the game 2-2 with her first collegiate goal.
However, Santa Clara quickly regained the lead as forward Shira Elinav scored from distance in the 18th minute to make it 3-2.
Cal Poly once again equalized as freshman midfielder Kiki Vostermans found Smith, who scored her second goal of the day. Vostermans’ assist was her second of the day and her third on the season.
In just two minutes, the Broncos scored again, this time when Lauren Hunter curved a shot into the right corner to make the score 4-3.
In the first half alone, Cal Poly recorded seven shots, with Santa Clara recording 14. All of Cal Poly’s shots were on goal, but they would be the last shots of the game for the Mustangs.
The second half was much different from the flurry of back-and-forth offense of the first, as both defenses tightened up and conceded no more goals.
The Broncos found opportunities inside the box, but senior goalkeeper Mackenzie Samuel kept the Mustangs in the game by making six saves in the half. Samuel had eight total saves in the game.
Cal Poly rarely found opportunities on Santa Clara’s side of the field and had zero second-half shots compared to the Broncos’ 13.
Cal Poly has lost by just one goal in both games against ranked opponents this season, 1-0 and 4-3, respectively.
The Green and Gold have shown they can compete with the best teams in the country but must put together a complete offensive and defensive game to beat the best.
Next, the Mustangs will travel to Fort Worth, Texas, to take on TCU on Sunday, Sept. 15, at 11 a.m.