Mustangs Top Sacramento State 4-2; Secure Second in Big West North

Saturday, October 31

Sacramento, CA

2 pm

10-3-5, 5-1-4BWC

Sacramento State

6-10-2, 3-6-1BWC

Cal Poly

Sacramento State

Mustangs Top Sacramento State 4-2; Secure Second in Big West North

10/31/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Senior midfielder Chase Minter scored twice, senior midfielder Matt LaGrassa added the eventual game-winner and sophomore forward Ismail Seremba (top) scored his first goal as a Mustang as the No. 20 Cal Poly men's soccer team closed its 2015 regular season schedule and cemented second place in the Big West North Division standings with a 4-2 triumph versus Sacramento State on Saturday afternoon at Hornet Soccer Field.

Senior goalkeeper Wade Hamilton recorded a season high eight saves for Cal Poly (10-3-5, 5-1-4), which finished the regular season on 19 points in the Big West North Division and three points behind first-place UC Santa Barbara (12-5-2, 7-2-1). The Mustangs had a chance to still clinch a share of the divisional title, but those aspirations were dashed after UC Santa Barbara topped third-place UC Davis (7-9-3, 3-4-3) 1-0 minutes before Cal Poly's result went final.

Guaranteed a top-two finish in the Big West North Division standings entering play on Saturday, Cal Poly will host a conference tournament opening-round game for the first time in six years on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 12 noon inside Alex G. Spanos Stadium. The Mustangs will host the third-place finisher from the Big West South Division, UC Irvine (5-10-4, 3-5-2). The winner of that opening-round match will visit South Division champion Cal State Fullerton in a semifinal matchup on Wednesday, Nov. 11.

UC Santa Barbara, as North Division titlist, earned an opening-round bye and will host a Wednesday, Nov. 11 semifinal. UC Davis will visit either CSUN or UC Irvine in the other Saturday, Nov. 7 opening-round match. Sacramento State, which finished bottom in the North Division on 10 points, required a victory versus Cal Poly on Saturday to get into the Big West Tournament picture.

With Saturday's victory, Cal Poly secured its highest finish in the Big West North Division and highest point total since 2012 and, for the first time as a Big West member program, the Mustangs sustained just one conference defeat.

Additionally, Cal Poly's four-goal haul was its highest total of the season and highest in 34 matches after topping Northern Illinois 4-1 on Sept. 5, 2014.

With his two goals, Minter now ranks fifth in Cal Poly program history with 53 points and seventh with 16 career goals.

LaGrassa, meanwhile, moved into fourth place all-time at Cal Poly with his 18th career goal.

During Saturday's action, Cal Poly produced four shot attempts inside 15 minutes, but Sacramento State found of the back of the net first with forward Isaac Flores slipping a pass through the Mustang defense for forward Brad Bumgarner, who outdueled Hamilton in a one-on-one situation.

Eventually outshooting Sacramento State 9-4 during the first half, Cal Poly equalized matters in the 34th minute as Minter latched on to a loose passback from the Hornet defense in the direction of goalkeeper James Del Curto.

Minter then placed Cal Poly in the lead 97 seconds before the break after a foul in the penalty area led to his third penalty conversion as a Mustang.

Sacramento State, however, resquared matters just a minute later after a Mustang defender was whistled for a handball in the Hornet penalty area. Forward Cylus Sandoval converted his penalty attempt past Hamilton and into the low right corner.

Cal Poly, which forced Del Curto into four saves, eventually produced the decisive goal 29 minutes from full time as freshman forward George Grote collected a loose ball in the Hornet penalty area and played a touch pass to LaGrassa, who slotted goal No. 6 of 2015 into the low left corner.

Seremba, an offseason transfer from Akron, then placed the finishing touches on Cal Poly's 10th victory of 2015 with four minutes remaining. Mustang junior defender Ruben Duran earned the assist with a 60-yard pass finding Seremba, who ran onto the ball, outraced his defenders and scored with a shot off of Del Curto.