Big West Race Tightens as Cal Poly Visits CSUN, UC San Diego

Wednesday, October 12

Northridge, CA

7 p.m.

CSUN

Photo by: Owen Main

Big West Race Tightens as Cal Poly Visits CSUN, UC San Diego

10/11/2022 1:32:00 PM | Men's Soccer

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Three points separate the top eight teams in the Big West Conference standings as the Cal Poly men's soccer program embarks on its final road trip of the regular season when visiting CSUN (Wednesday, Oct. 12) and, for the first time at the Division I level, UC San Diego (Saturday, Oct. 15). Kickoff both evenings is 7 p.m. for Cal Poly, which sits in eighth place on four points, but trails Big West leader UC Santa Barbara (7-2-4, 2-0-2) by just three points with five matches remaining. Three programs share second place on seven points while three more – including CSUN (5-4-3, 2-2-0) and UC San Diego (6-5-2, 2-2-0) – share fifth place with six points. Three of Cal Poly's final five matches occur on the road, including a Saturday, Oct. 22 trip to UC Santa Barbara. With its last five matches decided by a single goal, UC San Diego has won two of its last three Big West games to rise to the middle of the conference standings.

FOLLOW CAL POLY THIS WEEK: Video via ESPN+ and live stats for both Wednesday's matchup at CSUN and Saturday's trip to UC San Diego will be available via GoPoly.com HERE.

CAL POLY VERSUS CSUN: Cal Poly has won its last two matchups against CSUN – including a 1-0 home decision last season – but seeks its first road victory against the Matadors since Oct. 1, 2015. Visiting CSUN for the first time in four years, Cal Poly has won just once in its last seven trips to Matador Field. The Matadors lead the Division I series, 18-12-7.

CAL POLY VERSUS UC SAN DIEGO: With sophomore defender Ori Bitton supplying an assist, Cal Poly handed UC San Diego a 1-0 road defeat in the only previous Division I meeting last season.

KLEINHAMMES AT THE DOUBLE: Senior forward Max Kleinhammes took just two shots in Cal Poly's 2-2 home draw versus UC Riverside (Oct. 8) – but scored with both, equalizing for the Mustangs in the 47th minute and with 18 seconds to play. Kleinhammes, who scored his first goal of the season against Houston Baptist (Sept. 5), enters Wednesday's visit to CSUN tied for seventh among Big West scorers with three goals.

RUIZ'S OFFENSIVE PUNCH: Junior midfielder Tony Ruiz saw a three-match scoring streak – Cal Poly's lengthiest in three years – snapped versus UC Riverside (Oct. 8). Ruiz, however, remains seventh among Big West players with his three goals and leads Cal Poly in assists (two) and points (eight). An offseason transfer from two-year Hartnell College, Ruiz has started in eight of nine appearances this year.

MCTAGUE MAKES SIX: Freshman forward Sean McTague became Cal Poly's sixth different goalscorer this season when finding the back of the Cal State Fullerton net in the 83rd minute (Oct. 5). Alongside Tony Ruiz, freshman midfielder Riche Garcia (Houston Baptist, Sept. 5) and freshman forward Conner Lisenbee (UC Irvine, Oct. 2), McTague is also the fourth Mustang to score his first goal at the Division I level this season.

DEBUTANTE BALL: With Cal Poly featuring one of the youngest lineups in Division I (38 of the program's 44 rostered players are either freshmen or sophomores), 21 Mustangs have made their collegiate debuts this season.

CAL POLY SELECTED SIXTH IN BIG WEST CONFERENCE POLL: Highlighted by sophomore forward Drew Patterson's selection to the 11-player Big West Preseason Team, Cal Poly was selected for a sixth-place finish in the Big West standings following the Aug. 19 release of the annual coaches poll. Cal Poly earned 44 points and one first-place vote to finish directly behind third-place UC Davis (49), fourth-place UC Riverside (47) and fifth-place Sacramento State (46). UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine, who split last year's regular season title, each collected 71 points to return to the top spot in the preseason poll.

UP NEXT (OCT. 19, OCT. 22): Cal Poly plays two of its final three regular season matches at home inside Alex G. Spanos Stadium, beginning on Wednesday, Oct. 19 versus Sacramento State. Undefeated against Sacramento State in its last three matchups, Cal Poly then plays its final road game of the regular season at Blue-Green rival UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, Oct. 22.

ETC.: Sophomore defender Conner Leber and freshman midfielder Richie Garcia were both named to the all-tournament team at Ohio State's Wolstein Classic (Aug. 25, 28) … the 10,392-fan attendance figure for Cal Poly's Sept. 21 home matchup versus Blue-Green rival UC Santa Barbara marked the 25th largest regular season attendance figure in NCAA history and the largest crowd – by 3,853 people – in the nation this season … Cal Poly's 2-1 home win against UC Irvine (Oct. 2) was its first against the Anteaters in seven years.