Thursday, October 20
San Luis Obispo, CA
7 P.M.
vs
Long Beach State
Photo by: Owen Main | Cal Poly Athletics
Mustangs Host Long Beach on Thursday in Fight for First Place
10/18/2022 12:30:00 PM | Women's Soccer
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SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Cal Poly women's soccer opens its final regular season homestand Thursday when the Mustangs host Long Beach State in a pivotal match at Alex G. Spanos Stadium. First kick is set for 7 p.m.
The top spot in The Big West table will be up for grabs as the Mustangs (7-6-2, 4-1-2 BW) sit just 3 points behind first-place LBSU (6-4-5, 5-0-2 BW) entering Thursday's match. With a win over Long Beach, Cal Poly would match LBSU with 17 points in Big West play and claim the head-to-head tiebreaker.
A scoreless draw at Cal State Fullerton on Sunday allowed the Mustangs and Titans to remain in a tie for second place in the conference with three matches left. The top six teams in the regular season standings qualify for The Big West Championships, which start Sunday, Oct. 30 with the opening round.
FOLLOW CAL POLY: Thursday's match will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Zachary Anderson-Yoxsimer providing play-by-play alongside analyst and professional soccer player Grace Cutler. Follow Cal Poly women's soccer on Twitter (@CPWomensSoccer) for live updates throughout the match.
CAL POLY VERSUS LONG BEACH STATE: Last season, the Mustangs earned a 1-0 victory at Long Beach State on a ninth-minute goal from Olivia Ortiz to clinch a share of the program's first Big West regular season title since 2013. Cal Poly leads the all-time series 13-9-4. The Mustangs last home victory over LBSU came on Oct. 13, 2017.
SCOUTING LBSU: Long Beach is still unbeaten in Big West play, earning wins over CSU Bakersfield, Cal State Fullerton, Hawai'i, UC San Diego and CSUN, and draws against UC Riverside and UC Irvine. The highest-scoring team in the conference with 31 goals, LBSU found the back of the net 10 times in a pair of victories this past week. Senior forward Lena Silano led the way, tallying five goals and two assists across the matches to earn her third Big West Offensive Player of the Week award this season. Silano leads the conference in points (34), goals (14) and assists (6) and is ranked fourth in the nation in points and goals. Sophomore defender Summer Laskey and freshman Cherrie Cox each have five goals this season, and Cox is tied for the second in The Big West in points (15). In net, sophomore Zora Standifer has started in LBSU's last six matches and across nine appearances has recorded 37 saves, a 0.94 goals against average and a .841 save percentage. Long Beach leads the conference in goals per match, shots and shots on goal.
SHUTOUT STREAK: The Mustangs have not allowed a goal in 366:65 consecutive minutes and have recorded four straight shutouts for the first time since 2009, when Cal Poly earned a program record seven straight. In seven Big West matches this season, the Mustangs own five shutouts, a conference high.
MAC RECEIVES BW PRAISE: After posting back-to-back clean sheets in a 1-0 win over UC Riverside and a scoreless draw at Cal State Fullerton, sophomore goalkeeper Mackenzie Samuel was named Big West Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. She's the first Mustang to grab Big West Defensive Player of the Week honors since Sophia Brown on Nov. 4, 2019. Samuel, a 2021 All-Big West second team selection, has recorded four straight clean sheets and a conference-high seven this season, the most by a Cal Poly goalkeeper in a single season since Carol Hoover finished the 2009 season with a program record 11. The San Diego native currently leads The Big West in shutouts per match, is third in save percentage (.778) and fourth in total saves (56).
SETTING THE PACE: Senior midfielder Camille Lafaix, a Preseason All-Conference Team selection, leads the team in goals (four) and points (nine). Her two game-winners this fall are tied for the third most in the conference. Lafaix's 66th-minute tally in a 2-0 home win over UC Davis on Oct. 6 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.
SPREADING THE WEALTH: 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 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 with 24.
THE BRICK WALL: Senior Kylie Rojas (pictured above), sophomore Emma Brown, sophomore Aynsley Conner and freshman Camryn Penn have proven to be a formidable foursome on the Cal Poly backline this fall. All four have logged over 1,000 minutes on the pitch with Rojas and Brown earning starts in every match. Conner and Penn have started in 13 of 15 matches. Brown, a 2021 United Soccer Coaches All-West Region second team selection, has played every minute in 14 matches, only stepping off the pitch for five minutes in a 2-0 victory at CSUN on Oct. 2.
JUST THE FACTS: Through seven Big West matches, Cal Poly is tied with Cal State Fullerton for the second fewest goals allowed per match (0.71). A sign of their aggressive play, the Mustangs have been called offside 30 times during conference play and are averaging over four per match, which leads The Big West. Cal Poly is second in the conference in corners (49) and goals (13) and third in shots (104). They have also committed the fewest fouls in The Big West.
UP NEXT: Cal Poly caps off a crucial two-match homestand Sunday when they host UC Irvine at Alex G. Spanos Stadium. The match starts at noon.
LIVE STATS
DIGITAL PROGRAM
TICKETS
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Cal Poly women's soccer opens its final regular season homestand Thursday when the Mustangs host Long Beach State in a pivotal match at Alex G. Spanos Stadium. First kick is set for 7 p.m.
The top spot in The Big West table will be up for grabs as the Mustangs (7-6-2, 4-1-2 BW) sit just 3 points behind first-place LBSU (6-4-5, 5-0-2 BW) entering Thursday's match. With a win over Long Beach, Cal Poly would match LBSU with 17 points in Big West play and claim the head-to-head tiebreaker.
A scoreless draw at Cal State Fullerton on Sunday allowed the Mustangs and Titans to remain in a tie for second place in the conference with three matches left. The top six teams in the regular season standings qualify for The Big West Championships, which start Sunday, Oct. 30 with the opening round.
FOLLOW CAL POLY: Thursday's match will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Zachary Anderson-Yoxsimer providing play-by-play alongside analyst and professional soccer player Grace Cutler. Follow Cal Poly women's soccer on Twitter (@CPWomensSoccer) for live updates throughout the match.
CAL POLY VERSUS LONG BEACH STATE: Last season, the Mustangs earned a 1-0 victory at Long Beach State on a ninth-minute goal from Olivia Ortiz to clinch a share of the program's first Big West regular season title since 2013. Cal Poly leads the all-time series 13-9-4. The Mustangs last home victory over LBSU came on Oct. 13, 2017.
SCOUTING LBSU: Long Beach is still unbeaten in Big West play, earning wins over CSU Bakersfield, Cal State Fullerton, Hawai'i, UC San Diego and CSUN, and draws against UC Riverside and UC Irvine. The highest-scoring team in the conference with 31 goals, LBSU found the back of the net 10 times in a pair of victories this past week. Senior forward Lena Silano led the way, tallying five goals and two assists across the matches to earn her third Big West Offensive Player of the Week award this season. Silano leads the conference in points (34), goals (14) and assists (6) and is ranked fourth in the nation in points and goals. Sophomore defender Summer Laskey and freshman Cherrie Cox each have five goals this season, and Cox is tied for the second in The Big West in points (15). In net, sophomore Zora Standifer has started in LBSU's last six matches and across nine appearances has recorded 37 saves, a 0.94 goals against average and a .841 save percentage. Long Beach leads the conference in goals per match, shots and shots on goal.
SHUTOUT STREAK: The Mustangs have not allowed a goal in 366:65 consecutive minutes and have recorded four straight shutouts for the first time since 2009, when Cal Poly earned a program record seven straight. In seven Big West matches this season, the Mustangs own five shutouts, a conference high.
MAC RECEIVES BW PRAISE: After posting back-to-back clean sheets in a 1-0 win over UC Riverside and a scoreless draw at Cal State Fullerton, sophomore goalkeeper Mackenzie Samuel was named Big West Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. She's the first Mustang to grab Big West Defensive Player of the Week honors since Sophia Brown on Nov. 4, 2019. Samuel, a 2021 All-Big West second team selection, has recorded four straight clean sheets and a conference-high seven this season, the most by a Cal Poly goalkeeper in a single season since Carol Hoover finished the 2009 season with a program record 11. The San Diego native currently leads The Big West in shutouts per match, is third in save percentage (.778) and fourth in total saves (56).
SETTING THE PACE: Senior midfielder Camille Lafaix, a Preseason All-Conference Team selection, leads the team in goals (four) and points (nine). Her two game-winners this fall are tied for the third most in the conference. Lafaix's 66th-minute tally in a 2-0 home win over UC Davis on Oct. 6 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.
SPREADING THE WEALTH: 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 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 with 24.
THE BRICK WALL: Senior Kylie Rojas (pictured above), sophomore Emma Brown, sophomore Aynsley Conner and freshman Camryn Penn have proven to be a formidable foursome on the Cal Poly backline this fall. All four have logged over 1,000 minutes on the pitch with Rojas and Brown earning starts in every match. Conner and Penn have started in 13 of 15 matches. Brown, a 2021 United Soccer Coaches All-West Region second team selection, has played every minute in 14 matches, only stepping off the pitch for five minutes in a 2-0 victory at CSUN on Oct. 2.
JUST THE FACTS: Through seven Big West matches, Cal Poly is tied with Cal State Fullerton for the second fewest goals allowed per match (0.71). A sign of their aggressive play, the Mustangs have been called offside 30 times during conference play and are averaging over four per match, which leads The Big West. Cal Poly is second in the conference in corners (49) and goals (13) and third in shots (104). They have also committed the fewest fouls in The Big West.
UP NEXT: Cal Poly caps off a crucial two-match homestand Sunday when they host UC Irvine at Alex G. Spanos Stadium. The match starts at noon.
Players Mentioned
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GK
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