Cal Poly Heads to Fullerton on Sunday in Battle for Second Place

Sunday, October 16

Fullerton, CA / Titan Stadium

2 P.M.

Cal State Fullerton

Photo by: Owen Main | Cal Poly Athletics

Cal Poly Heads to Fullerton on Sunday in Battle for Second Place

10/14/2022 2:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer

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LIVE STATS

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Sole possession of second place in The Big West regular season standings will be up for grabs when Cal Poly women's soccer visits Cal State Fullerton on Sunday for a 2 p.m. match.

The Mustangs and Titans both own a 4-1-1 conference record and sit just one point behind first-place Long Beach State (5-4-5, 4-0-2 BW) with four matches left to play.

Cal Poly (7-6-1 overall), who hosts the Beach this coming Thursday at Alex G. Spanos Stadium, took down UC Riverside 1-0 on the road Thursday night to secure its third straight shutout victory, the program's longest shutout winning streak since 2009.

FOLLOW CAL POLY: Links to watch Sunday's match on ESPN+ and follow the live stats can be found above or on the women's soccer schedule on GoPoly.com. Follow Cal Poly women's soccer on Twitter (@CPWomensSoccer) for live updates throughout the match.

CAL POLY VERSUS CAL STATE FULLERTON: The Mustangs have emerged victorious in four of their last five meetings with the Titans. Last season, Cal Poly earned a 3-2 overtime home victory over Fullerton on Sept. 23 thanks to the third earliest golden goal in program history from Camille Lafaix and took down the Titans 2-0 in The Big West tournament semifinals on Nov. 4 to advance to The Big West Championship match for the first time since 2009. Cal Poly leads the all-time series 18-11-5.

SCOUTING THE TITANS: Sunday's match will cap off a three-match homestand for the Titans (7-4-4 overall), who defeated UC Santa Barbara 2-1 Thursday and UC Riverside 4-1 the week prior. Fullerton's lone Big West loss came on Sept. 29 in a 2-1 defeat at LBSU. The Titans also earned a scoreless draw at UC Irvine on Oct. 2. Fullerton is paced by defender Emelia Owen and forward Kaitlin Taylor, who have both netted four goals for the Titans this season. Sophomore midfielder Karla Rodriguez's five assists are currently tied for the most in The Big West. In net, redshirt freshman Mia Ranson leads the conference in saves (73) and save percentage (.820) and has recorded five clean sheets, third most in The Big West. The Titans lead the conference in corner kicks (96) and are third in shots per match (12.33).

CARBON CAPITALIZES: Sophomore McKenna Carbon took advantage of a perfectly timed cross from senior forward Olivia Ortiz in the 53rd minute of Thursday's match at UC Riverside, burying her first goal of the season and the second of her career to give the Mustangs a 1-0 victory. It was Carbon's first career game-winner and her fifth point of the season. The assist from Ortiz was her first of the year and the seventh of her career.

THE GATEKEEPER: Sophomore goalkeeper Mackenzie Samuel continued her stellar play between the pipes Thursday, recording her third straight clean sheet. Samuel's six shutouts across 11 starts are the second most in the conference, and she leads The Big West in shutouts per match. She owns a 1.352 goals against average and a .765 save percentage this season.

LEADING THE WAY: Senior midfielder Camille Lafaix, a Preseason All-Conference Team selection, leads the team in goals this season with four, tied for the seventh most in The Big West. She also leads the Mustangs in points with nine and has two game-winners this fall, tied for the second most in the conference. Lafaix's 66th-minute goal in a 2-0 win over UC Davis allowed her to reach 40 career points, moving her into a tie with Shana Stickel (1995-98) for the 16th-most points in program history. Prior to this season, Lafaix became the first player in program history to be named to the Preseason MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, which is awarded annually to the National Player of the Year.

A FULL TEAM EFFORT: Eleven players have scored for the Mustangs this season and 14 have recorded a point. Senior midfielder Megan Hansen and sophomore midfielder Peja Balanon each have three goals, while senior forward Monserrat Hernandez Marquez and Ortiz have both netted two. Balanon is second on the team in points with eight, while Hernandez Marquez, who netted the latest equalizing goal in program history in a 2-2 draw against Hawai'i on Sept. 25, leads the team in shots this season (22).

FIRST TIMERS: Five Mustangs have recorded their first collegiate point this season — Balanon, freshmen forwards Emily Lieber and Caylie Button, and freshmen defenders Camryn Penn and Annie Larson. Sophomore defender Aynsley Conner, who played for Minnesota last season, earned her first point as a Mustang on Sept. 22, assisting on Lieber's game-winning goal in a 1-0 win over San Diego.

CAL POLY'S GREAT WALL: Senior Kylie Rojas, sophomore Emma Brown, Conner and Penn have formed a formidable backline for the Mustangs this season. Rojas, Brown and Conner have all logged over 1,000 minutes on the pitch, with Rojas and Brown starting in every match, and Conner and Penn starting in 12 of 14. Brown has only stepped off the pitch for five minutes this season.

UP NEXT: Cal Poly returns to Alex G. Spanos Stadium for a pivotal two-match homestand, hosting Long Beach State on Thursday, Oct. 20, and UC Irvine on Sunday, Oct. 23.