Photo by: Alexander Bohlen Photography
Cal Poly Men’s Soccer Releases 2021 Schedule
7/21/2021 12:55:00 PM | Men's Soccer
SAN LUIS OBISPO – Featuring two non-conference opponents that qualified for the 2020 NCAA Tournament and the top four finishers from last year's West Coast Conference standings, the Cal Poly men's soccer program – returning to action for the first time in two seasons – released its 2021 schedule on Wednesday afternoon.
With no Big West Conference program competing during the 2020-21 school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cal Poly welcomes back six regular starters among its 10 returning letterwinners from a 2019 squad that posted a fifth successive winning home record at Alex G. Spanos Stadium, set a program record by allowing just 61 shots on goal in 17 games and hosted a Big West Tournament match for the first time in four seasons.
Please refer to GoPoly.com for all current kickoff times.
NON-CONFERENCE (AUG. 15-SEPT. 25)
Following the program's annual Green versus Gold intrasquad match on Sunday, Aug. 15, Cal Poly contests exhibitions versus Division II Fresno Pacific (5-1-1, 4-1-1 PacWest) on Wednesday, Aug. 18 and at UCLA (3-7-2, 2-6-2 Pac-12) on Saturday, Aug. 22 (opponent records reflect results from the relocated 2021 spring season).
Cal Poly opens the 2021 regular season at Santa Clara (4-4-0, 4-3-0 West Coast Conference) on Friday, Aug. 27. The Mustangs close their season-opening road trip on Monday, Aug. 30 versus 2021 WCC runner-up Saint Mary's (6-2-1, 4-2-1).
Cal Poly's lengthiest home stand of 2021 begins on Friday, Sept. 3 against San Diego State (1-7-2, 1-7-2 Pac-12). The Mustangs then host San Francisco (5-4-2, 3-2-2 WCC) on Monday, Sept. 6 before concluding the home stand on Thursday, Sept. 16 against defending Western Athletic Conference champion Grand Canyon (8-2-0, 7-0-0 WAC). The Lopes fell in the first round of the 2020 NCAA Tournament (branded 2020, but played in April-May 2021) to seventh-seeded Washington, 2-0.
The Mustangs complete Big West preparations at defending WCC champion Loyola Marymount (6-0-3, 5-0-2 WCC) on Monday, Sept. 20 and at UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, Sept. 25. After opening the 2020 NCAA Tournament with a scoreless draw against Marquette, Loyola Marymount was eliminated on penalties, 3-1.
BIG WEST CONFERENCE (SEPT. 29-OCT. 30)
Cal Poly's nine-match Big West slate opens at Sacramento State on Wednesday, Sept. 29. The Mustangs then play four of their net five matches at home, first facing CSUN on Sunday, Oct. 3 and UC San Diego – which joined the Big West in 2020, but makes its men's soccer debut in 2021 – on Wednesday, Oct. 6.
After visiting UC Irvine on Saturday, Oct. 9, Cal Poly returns to Spanos Stadium and welcomes Cal State Fullerton on Wednesday, Oct. 13 and Blue-Green rival UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, Oct. 16.
The best-attended sporting events annually in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties, the Cal Poly-UC Santa Barbara series has drawn 24 of the top 59 regular season crowd figures in NCAA history with all matches occurring during the previous 13 seasons. The matchup inside Spanos Stadium has sold out all 11,075 seats for the past nine seasons – a figure that marks the (14th) largest regular season crowd figure in NCAA history. The 16 combined matches between Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara during the last eight years are 16 of the 17 highest attended collegiate soccer games in the United States, outranking every NCAA Championship and College Cup contest since the beginning of the 2012 season. Since the start of the 2007 season, 273,293 total spectators and an average of 9,761 fans per match have witnessed Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara clash on 28 occasions.
Nineteen of the last 25 matches between Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara have been decided by one goal or drawn. Seven of Cal Poly's eight victories in the last 28 attempts against UC Santa Barbara have been a one-goal triumph. Eleven of those 28 matches since 2007 have gone to overtime. Just four times since 2007 has one side scored as many as three goals against the other (Cal Poly's 4-1 home victory versus the Gauchos to close 2017 marked the first time since Nov. 9, 2001 that one team had slipped four goals past the other). The Mustangs are undefeated at home against the Gauchos in eight of the last 11 years while UC Santa Barbara has lost exactly once at home to Cal Poly in the last 21 matchups at Harder Stadium.
After visiting UC Riverside on Wednesday, Oct. 20, Cal Poly hosts defending Big West titlist UC Davis – regular season and tournament winners in 2019 – on Sunday, Oct. 24.
Cal Poly closes the regular season at Cal State Bakersfield – also making its Big West men's soccer debut in 2021 – on Saturday, Oct. 30.
POSTSEASON
The top two programs in the 10-team Big West standings receive byes for the Wednesday, Nov. 3 opening round of the conference tournament before hosting semifinal matchups on Saturday, Nov. 6. The Saturday, Nov. 13 Big West Tournament championship match will be played at the highest remaining seed.
First round action for the 2021 NCAA Championship is Thursday, Nov. 18 with second and third round play scheduled for, respectively, Sunday, Nov. 21 and Sunday, Nov. 28. The four quarterfinal matchups will take place on Saturday, Dec. 4. The 2021 College Cup will be hosted at Cary, N.C. on Friday, Dec. 10 and Sunday, Dec. 12.
With no Big West Conference program competing during the 2020-21 school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cal Poly welcomes back six regular starters among its 10 returning letterwinners from a 2019 squad that posted a fifth successive winning home record at Alex G. Spanos Stadium, set a program record by allowing just 61 shots on goal in 17 games and hosted a Big West Tournament match for the first time in four seasons.
Please refer to GoPoly.com for all current kickoff times.
NON-CONFERENCE (AUG. 15-SEPT. 25)
Following the program's annual Green versus Gold intrasquad match on Sunday, Aug. 15, Cal Poly contests exhibitions versus Division II Fresno Pacific (5-1-1, 4-1-1 PacWest) on Wednesday, Aug. 18 and at UCLA (3-7-2, 2-6-2 Pac-12) on Saturday, Aug. 22 (opponent records reflect results from the relocated 2021 spring season).
Cal Poly opens the 2021 regular season at Santa Clara (4-4-0, 4-3-0 West Coast Conference) on Friday, Aug. 27. The Mustangs close their season-opening road trip on Monday, Aug. 30 versus 2021 WCC runner-up Saint Mary's (6-2-1, 4-2-1).
Cal Poly's lengthiest home stand of 2021 begins on Friday, Sept. 3 against San Diego State (1-7-2, 1-7-2 Pac-12). The Mustangs then host San Francisco (5-4-2, 3-2-2 WCC) on Monday, Sept. 6 before concluding the home stand on Thursday, Sept. 16 against defending Western Athletic Conference champion Grand Canyon (8-2-0, 7-0-0 WAC). The Lopes fell in the first round of the 2020 NCAA Tournament (branded 2020, but played in April-May 2021) to seventh-seeded Washington, 2-0.
The Mustangs complete Big West preparations at defending WCC champion Loyola Marymount (6-0-3, 5-0-2 WCC) on Monday, Sept. 20 and at UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, Sept. 25. After opening the 2020 NCAA Tournament with a scoreless draw against Marquette, Loyola Marymount was eliminated on penalties, 3-1.
BIG WEST CONFERENCE (SEPT. 29-OCT. 30)
Cal Poly's nine-match Big West slate opens at Sacramento State on Wednesday, Sept. 29. The Mustangs then play four of their net five matches at home, first facing CSUN on Sunday, Oct. 3 and UC San Diego – which joined the Big West in 2020, but makes its men's soccer debut in 2021 – on Wednesday, Oct. 6.
After visiting UC Irvine on Saturday, Oct. 9, Cal Poly returns to Spanos Stadium and welcomes Cal State Fullerton on Wednesday, Oct. 13 and Blue-Green rival UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, Oct. 16.
The best-attended sporting events annually in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties, the Cal Poly-UC Santa Barbara series has drawn 24 of the top 59 regular season crowd figures in NCAA history with all matches occurring during the previous 13 seasons. The matchup inside Spanos Stadium has sold out all 11,075 seats for the past nine seasons – a figure that marks the (14th) largest regular season crowd figure in NCAA history. The 16 combined matches between Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara during the last eight years are 16 of the 17 highest attended collegiate soccer games in the United States, outranking every NCAA Championship and College Cup contest since the beginning of the 2012 season. Since the start of the 2007 season, 273,293 total spectators and an average of 9,761 fans per match have witnessed Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara clash on 28 occasions.
Nineteen of the last 25 matches between Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara have been decided by one goal or drawn. Seven of Cal Poly's eight victories in the last 28 attempts against UC Santa Barbara have been a one-goal triumph. Eleven of those 28 matches since 2007 have gone to overtime. Just four times since 2007 has one side scored as many as three goals against the other (Cal Poly's 4-1 home victory versus the Gauchos to close 2017 marked the first time since Nov. 9, 2001 that one team had slipped four goals past the other). The Mustangs are undefeated at home against the Gauchos in eight of the last 11 years while UC Santa Barbara has lost exactly once at home to Cal Poly in the last 21 matchups at Harder Stadium.
After visiting UC Riverside on Wednesday, Oct. 20, Cal Poly hosts defending Big West titlist UC Davis – regular season and tournament winners in 2019 – on Sunday, Oct. 24.
Cal Poly closes the regular season at Cal State Bakersfield – also making its Big West men's soccer debut in 2021 – on Saturday, Oct. 30.
POSTSEASON
The top two programs in the 10-team Big West standings receive byes for the Wednesday, Nov. 3 opening round of the conference tournament before hosting semifinal matchups on Saturday, Nov. 6. The Saturday, Nov. 13 Big West Tournament championship match will be played at the highest remaining seed.
First round action for the 2021 NCAA Championship is Thursday, Nov. 18 with second and third round play scheduled for, respectively, Sunday, Nov. 21 and Sunday, Nov. 28. The four quarterfinal matchups will take place on Saturday, Dec. 4. The 2021 College Cup will be hosted at Cary, N.C. on Friday, Dec. 10 and Sunday, Dec. 12.
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