Cal Poly Women’s Soccer played to a 0-0 draw against the San Jose State Spartans in a home exhibition game Saturday, Aug.13 at Spanos Stadium.
The matchup with the Spartans was the first official competition for the Mustangs for the upcoming season.
The 2022-2023 Big West regular season champion Mustangs maintained possession of the ball 59% of the game compared to 41% from the Spartans.
The Mustangs also had 12 shots and four on goal compared to the Spartans four total shots and one on goal, which was saved by 2022 Big West Goalkeeper of the Year junior Mackenzie Samuel.
The game started as a proper warmup for both teams trying to contend in their respective conferences. The Spartans are coming off a Mountain West title, and the Mustangs will look to repeat as regular-season champions in the Big West.
The Mustangs nearly had a score in the 40th minute of the first half. Sophomore forward Emily Lieber crossed the ball into the right side of the box to senior McKenna Carbon. However, Carbon’s shot went over the goalpost.
In the second half, the Mustangs had two chances to score in back-to-back minutes. Redshirt freshman Sophia Minnite’s shot went over the crossbar in the 69th minute.
Senior Kate Reedy had another shot on target in the 70th minute after freshman Jaycee DeFazio crossed the ball into the box, but Reedy missed the header.
Despite the 0-0 draw, junior team captain and member of the All-Big West Preseason team Emma Brown had positive takeaways from the opening game.
“I felt like we had a lot of chemistry going into our first game,” she said. “There’s so much depth in every position like the level of play never dropped off.”
The Mustangs’ next game takes place Thursday, Aug. 17 at 7 p.m. against Fresno State at Bulldog Soccer Stadium.
Following a matchup with the Bulldogs, the Mustangs will play their final exhibition on Sunday, Aug. 20 against Cal State Monterey Bay.