90-degree temperatures, persistent injuries, and dangerous counterattacks proved to be too much for the Mustangs to handle, as they continue to search for their first win in Pac-12 Conference play.
Cal Baptist (8-2, 2-1 Pac-12) came into the game with a 5-match winning streak and did not show any signs of slowing down as they handed the Mustangs (4-3-4, 0-1-1 Pac-12) their third of the season, and first in conference play. Cal Poly lost 3-1 as it struggled to find chemistry with a rotating lineup and a dominant Lancer defense.
The most notable absence from the Cal Poly lineup was junior midfielder Colin Pearce. Pearce, who scored the lone goal in Cal Poly’s 1-1 tie with UC San Diego on Sept. 30, currently leads the team in goals and assists, with four each.
Redshirt junior Diego Guerra and graduate transfer Brandon Newman split time to fill the gaps that Pearce had left in the midfield. Both Mustangs played season-high minutes against the Lancers, with Guerra recording 28 and Newman with 56.
“With me coming back, I have slowly been picking up more minutes,” Guerra said. “We go up from here, and I am excited to keep getting minutes and being back on the field with my teammates.”
However, neither player was able to fill the relentless attack that Pearce brings to the Mustang offense, as it was Cal Baptist who scored first early in the match. A ball that was played over the heads of sophomore Michael Baumgaertel and redshirt freshman Marlow Buettner left a Lancer one-on-one with goalkeeper Mathew Guerra, and the ball was slotted into the bottom corner.
For Mathew Guerra, it was one of three goals the Lancers scored that afternoon, matching the most goals he has ever given up in a single game, the other being a 3-2 loss to Cal State Bakersfield back on Sept. 16.
Cal Baptist’s other two goals came in the second half, one being an unmarked volley at the back post and the other an unfortunate own goal from sophomore Michael Vick. Vick was unable to get out of the way of a Lancer cross and tapped the ball into the far side of the goal.
Cal Poly’s afternoon continued to dim as both Baumgaertel and redshirt junior Rylan Firouznam both had to exit the game with injuries.
However, Baumgaertel’s replacement, junior transfer Devin Rosas, brought one back and notched his first goal as a Mustang in the 85th minute, with a header off of a throw-in by freshman Peyton Marmion. For Marmion, it was his second assist coming off the bench this season.
“I am fighting for minutes, so I’m always trying to make an impact if I get those minutes,” Rosas said. “I feel really good about it [the goal], but obviously not the result we wanted.”
While Rosas gave the Mustangs a late surge of energy, it was not enough to counteract the success of the Lancer offense, leading to Cal Poly’s first loss of conference play.
“It was a tough match. They were a good side, and they capitalized on some mistakes that we had, and it was an unfortunate result, but we move on to the next game,” Diego Guerra said.
Rotating the roster allowed certain Mustangs to see more minutes than usual, with junior midfielder Mariodavid Vega and redshirt freshman forward Alex Westberry getting their first and second appearances of the year, respectively. It’s notable that multiple players returning from injury, including Guerra, Vick, and junior Quinn Mahoney, who played a season-high 53 minutes, saw more minutes against Cal Baptist than in any prior match this season.
The new and returning faces for Cal Poly demonstrated some gaps in on-field chemistry and experience against a well-oiled machine in Cal Baptist, something they will need to improve as conference play continues.
The Mustangs are not back at Mustang Memorial Field for 10 days, travelling for two road games, first at San Diego State on Oct. 7 and then meeting up with Central Coast rival UC Santa Barbara on Oct. 10.