In the semifinal match of the National Women’s Club Soccer Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 23, freshman center midfielder Kaelyn Kubota stepped up to the penalty spot with a chance to send Cal Poly to the championship game.
However, the stakes were unbeknownst to Kubota in their match against the University of Michigan.
“To be completely honest, I had no clue that my kick was make or break,” Kubota said. “I went up knowing that the girl in front of me missed, thinking that this was just to tie it.”
Kubota did more than tie it. When she turned around after burying the kick, an avalanche of teammates rushed toward the penalty spot, knowing they were just one step closer to winning their second national championship in three years.
The tournament took place in Round Rock, Texas, and consisted of six total games from Thursday, Nov. 21 through Saturday, Nov. 23. In their first match, the Mustangs mustered a tie against Georgia and then went on a run.
Wins against Harvard, UCSB, Colorado Gold and the thriller against Michigan set the Mustangs to a date with UCLA in the championship match.
One goal was all the Mustangs needed to secure the title, winning 1-0 to complete a storybook season. Hanna Crawford scored the lone goal.
One goal would have been enough to win in four tournament games, with junior goalkeeper Paige Rightmire tallying four clean sheets to finish the season.
“Every time I kept the ball out of the net, I not only felt good about my own performance but also felt that I was helping my team feel they can rely on me and focus more on their own roles,” Rightmire said.
Rightmire took home All-Tournament honors, along with four other teammates: Crawford, Nina Toracca, Lilly Pennington and Ella Economos.
Rightmire was also part of the team that brought home the team’s first-ever championship in 2022 when she was only a freshman.
“To experience that level of success twice was beyond anything I could have imagined,” Rightmire said. “That just really doesn’t happen and it is definitely a feeling I will never forget.”
Unlike in 2022, the Mustangs’ path to bringing home the hardware was unconventional and, at some points, unclear.
The season starts with six regular season games. Winning at least four puts a team in their regional tournament. In Cal Poly’s case, it was the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) Region 6 Soccer Tournament.
The winner of regionals gets an automatic bid to the national tournament.
After starting the season 6-0-1, the team suffered its first loss early in the regional tournament, uncertain if they would qualify for nationals.
The uncertainty was alleviated as Cal Poly was given an at-large bid to the national tournament, seeded third in its group.
“Being selected as an at-large bid really fueled us,” Rightmire said. “We were determined to show everyone that being the wild card and third seed did not correctly represent who we were as a team and that we deserved this second chance. Our team always knew we had the talent; we just needed the opportunity.”
The Mustangs took the opportunity and ran with it.
After winning the Santa Barbara tournament for the first time in club history, it was evident that this was a team of destiny. Team chemistry was strong throughout the entire year, both on and off the field with all players pushing each other to their capacity.
“I noticed the chemistry and love within this team from the start,” Kubota said. “Going into this tournament we set out with the goal of winning nationals, and that honestly just fueled our chemistry even more.”
The bond between teammates made the tournament run that much more special. After an emotional sequence of games, the championship was no different.
The Bruins applied relentless pressure on the Mustangs’ back line, who were just trying to cling on until the final whistle blew. And then it did.
“I knew we were close, but it wasn’t until the whistle blew that it truly sank in that we’d won it,” Rightmire said. “It was an unreal feeling. I was on cloud nine, and there were definitely some tears of joy.”