Cal Poly Renews Rivalry with UC Santa Barbara Saturday

Saturday, September 25

Santa Barbara, CA

7 P.M.

UC Santa Barbara

Photo by: Owen Main | Cal Poly Athletics

Cal Poly Renews Rivalry with UC Santa Barbara Saturday

9/22/2021 3:23:00 PM | Men's Soccer

BEST ATTENDED MATCHES IN NCAA HISTORY

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Following a one-year absence, the Cal Poly men's soccer program renews its Blue-Green rivalry with UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, Sept. 25. Kickoff from Harder Stadium is 7 p.m. for Cal Poly (2-3-2), which seeks just its second victory at UC Santa Barbara (6-2-2) in the previous 21 years and 22 games. Cal Poly also looks to snap a two-match slide following a 3-2 overtime loss to No. 25 Grand Canyon (Sept. 16) and a 1-0 defeat at No. 15 Loyola Marymount (Sept. 20). The Mustangs enter Saturday's match having conceded just seven goals this season – the second lowest total among the Big West's 10 programs. Having played four successive overtime matches, but prevailing just once since Sept. 10, UC Santa Barbara (3-3-2) leads Big West with 17 goals.

FOLLOW CAL POLY THIS WEEK: Dan Gillman provides play-by-play for Saturday's match at UC Santa Barbara for GoPoly.com HERE … streaming video and live stats from the match will also be available via GoPoly.com HERE.

CAL POLY VERSUS UC SANTA BARBARA: Having produced draws at UC Santa Barbara in four of the last six years, Cal Poly is currently enjoying its best run of road results versus the Gauchos in program history. Overall, Cal Poly is unbeaten versus UC Santa Barbara in 10 of the last 16 matchups. Cal Poly, however, dropped both 2019 matchups, 3-1 (road) and 2-0 (home). Cal Poly's last victory against UC Santa Barbara was a 1-0 home triumph (Sept. 30, 2018). In eight matchups versus UC Santa Barbara under seventh-year head coach Steve Sampson, Cal Poly maintains a 3-4-3 record. UC Santa Barbara, however, leads the Division I series, 25-18-8.

A HARDER PLACE TO WIN: While Cal Poly is undefeated at home versus UC Santa Barbara in eight of the previous 11 matchups, the Mustangs have won just once at Harder Stadium in the past 21 years and 22 games. That historic win was a 2-1, overtime, come-from-behind effort on Oct. 19, 2012 in which Cal Poly scored in the 89th and 96th minutes. Meanwhile, 2-2 draws in 2008, 2014 and 2015 and scoreless draws in 2008, 2016 and 2017 mark the six other instances since 1998 that Cal Poly has earned at least a road point versus the Gauchos.

CENTRAL COAST SERIES A TIGHTLY CONTESTED AFFAIR: 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 22 matchups at Harder Stadium.

CAL POLY-UC SANTA BARBARA MATCHUP REMAINS THE CENTRAL COAST TOP SPORTING ATTRACTION: 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 60 regular season crowd figures in NCAA history with all matches occurring since 2007. 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 18 highest attended collegiate soccer games in the United States, outranking all but the two matches from the 2019 College Cup semifinals. Since the start of the 2007 season, 273,293 total spectators and an average of 9,725 fans per match have witnessed Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara clash on 28 occasions.

THE COMPANY YOU KEEP: Four of Cal Poly's opening six matchups came against programs either ranked or receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll (at time of match). Among Cal Poly's early results, the Mustangs produced a 2-1 victory at Saint Mary's (receiving votes) on Aug. 30 and drew San Diego State (receiving votes, now No. 14) on Sept. 3.

ARCE-HURTADO SHINES IN GOAL: Having conceded just six goals from open play through six matches, junior goalkeeper Carlos Arce-Hurtado ranks third in the Big West with a 1.11 goals against average. Having produced a season high five saves in Cal Poly's season opener at Santa Clara (Aug. 27), Arce-Hurtado recorded his first shutout of the year in Cal Poly's 3-0 home win against San Francisco (Sept. 6). Through 23 collegiate appearances, Arce-Hurtado ranks fourth in program history with a 1.17 career goals against average and sixth with a .708 save percentage.

FRESHMEN IN THE FOLD: Fueling Cal Poly's start are three freshmen that have combined to score six of the program's eight goals this season. With goals in two of Cal Poly's last three matches and the game-winner in a 2-1 win at Saint Mary's (Aug. 30), defender Jacob Glass ranks fourth among Big West players in scoring. Including Cal Poly's other game-winning strike against San Francisco (Sept. 6), forward Conner Leber ranks 11th in the Big West with two goals. Leber also sits third in the Big West with a pair of assists. Additionally, forward Max Kleinhammes notched the leveler in Cal Poly's 1-1 home draw with San Diego State (Sept. 3).

SET TO BOYAL: The Big West's leader and ranked 25th among NCAA Division I players with four assists, senior midfielder Neil Boyal – a 2020 transfer from Louisville – set up both of Cal Poly's goals (11 minutes apart) during the program's 2-1, come-from-behind victory at Saint Mary's (Aug. 30) before providing assists in Cal Poly's 3-0 win against San Francisco (Sept. 6) and 3-2 overtime loss to No. 25 Grand Canyon (Sept. 16). Boyal also scored his first Cal Poly goal against Grand Canyon. A starter in all six matches, Boyal ranks second in the lineup with 92.8 minutes played per outing.

ETC.: Cal Poly's 2-1 victory at Saint Mary's (Aug. 30) marked Cal Poly head coach Steve Sampson's 100th collegiate victory. Sampson, who finished 64-19-19 with Santa Clara (1986-90), owns 36 victories with the Mustangs and a now 100-62-31 career collegiate mark.