Despite the Cal Poly women’s soccer team taking an early 1-0 lead, they ultimately fell to the Air Force Falcons 2-1 on Thursday, Sep. 2 inside Cadet Soccer Stadium in Colorado Springs.
The Mustangs (2-3-0) couldn’t extend their winning streak to three games, while the Falcons (1-1-1) notched their first win of the season.
The game saw all three goals scored in the first half, as the second half turned into a defensive slugfest by both sides.
In the 6th minute of the match, the Mustangs took an early 1-0 lead after sophomore forward Nikki Trucco scored her team-leading third goal of the young season. Trucco followed a rebounded effort from junior forward Brooke Rubinstein with a shot past the Falcons’ goalkeeper to score the opening goal.
However, the Falcons replied with goals in the 17th and 40th minutes by Kayla Milford and Ashlie Van Cleave to give the Falcons a 2-1 lead at the end of the first half.
The Falcons’ two first-half goals proved to be just enough, as neither team scored in the second half. Despite the fact that no team scored, Cal Poly’s defense was able to keep the ball on the Air Force side of the field, recording four shots on goal while shutting out the Falcons in that department.
In total, the Mustangs outshot Air Force 18-10 but the squads had the same amount of shots on targets with six apiece.
In addition, Cal Poly was whistled offside nine times and committed more fouls than the Falcons by a margin of 8-3
The Mustangs will close their two-game road trip on Sunday, Sep. 5 at 11AM when they take on Colorado College.
