Cal Poly Women’s Soccer was shut out by a Big West opponent for the first time this season in a faceoff against Hawaii.
Cal Poly (4-2-8, 2-2-1 Big West) remains in fifth place in the Big West Conference standings despite a 1-0 loss to Hawaii (3-5-7, 1-1-3 Big West) on Oct. 9.
The Mustangs fell short offensively in comparison to Hawaii on Thursday. Cal Poly had 11 shots throughout the entire game, but were unable to capitalize on any. In the first half, Hawaii outshot Cal Poly 12 shots to three, with seven of Hawaii’s first half shots occurring in the first 22 minutes of the game.
The lone goal of the game was scored near the end of the first half by Hawaii’s Caroline Carter.
Cal Poly responded to the goal with back-to-back shots by midfielders Madelyn Dougherty and Sophia Minnite. Dougherty’s shot missed the goal, while Minnite’s was on target but saved by Hawaii’s goalkeeper.
Trailing by a single score, Cal Poly showed urgency in the second half and managed to tighten up offensively. The Mustangs generated more scoring chances than in the first, outshooting Hawaii eight to four during the period.
Coming back stronger in the second half is nothing new for Cal Poly. In seven of their 13 games this season, the Mustangs have come back following halftime and taken more shots than in the first half.
In the 71st minute senior midfielder Brennan Cole looked to put Cal Poly on the board with an attempted shot to the top center of the goal, but Hawaii’s goalkeeper managed to tip it over the net.
Mustang goalkeeper Shannon Porubski shined in her 90 minutes of playing time. She kept Hawaii to only one goal despite their 16 shot attempts, and ended the game with three saves.
Thursday’s game was Porubski’s ninth start in a row. The freshman goalkeeper was promoted to starter mid-season, replacing Alyssa Szarlacki. Since her promotion, Cal Poly has lost only two of nine games, and she has been the goalkeeper in all five Mustang wins this season.
Cal Poly remains in fifth place in the standings and is one of only six teams with multiple conference wins.