Cal Poly Renews Blue-Green Rivalry Saturday at UC Santa Barbara

Saturday, October 22

Santa Barbara, CA

7 p.m.

UC Santa Barbara

Photo by: Owen Main

Cal Poly Renews Blue-Green Rivalry Saturday at UC Santa Barbara

10/21/2022 12:26:00 PM | Men's Soccer

BEST ATTENDED MATCHES IN NCAA REGULAR SEASON HISTORY

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Anything other than a victory at UC Santa Barbara Saturday evening eliminates the Cal Poly men's soccer program from Big West Conference Tournament contention as the Mustangs renew the Blue-Green rivalry at Harder Stadium. Kickoff is 7 p.m. for Cal Poly, which enters action Saturday sitting ninth in the Big West standings on six points – three points adrift of three teams sharing sixth place in UC Irvine, UC San Diego and Sacramento State. UC Santa Barbara, meanwhile, tops the Big West table on 14 points. The top six programs in the table qualify for the Nov. 2, 5 and 12 Big West Tournament. With another five-figure crowd expected at Harder Stadium, Cal Poly seeks just its second road victory against Big West leader UC Santa Barbara in the last 23 years. Conversely, UC Santa Barbara has not conceded a goal through six Big West matches, taking a 578-minute shutout streak into Saturday. UC Santa Barbara captured this season's series opener at Cal Poly (Sept. 21), scoring 12 seconds from full time to erase sophomore defender Nate Colley's 89th-minute penalty and hand the hosts a 2-1, non-conference setback.

FOLLOW CAL POLY THIS WEEK: ESPN+ and live stats will be available for Saturday's matchup at UC Santa Barbara while Max Milander provides audio play-by-play via GoPoly.com HERE.

CAL POLY VERSUS UC SANTA BARBARA: With Cal Poly seeking its first victory against UC Santa Barbara since a 1-0 home decision on Sept. 30, 2018, the Gauchos remain undefeated against the Mustangs in the last six matchups – including securing a 2-1 victory at Spanos Stadium on Sept. 21. Cal Poly forced a scoreless draw at home against UC Santa Barbara last season, but the Gauchos lead the Division I series, 30-15-9.

A HARDER PLACE TO WIN: While Cal Poly is undefeated at home versus UC Santa Barbara in eight of the previous 12 matchups, the Mustangs have won just once at Harder Stadium in the past 22 years and 23 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: Twenty-one of the last 28 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 30 attempts against UC Santa Barbara have been a one-goal triumph. 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 nine of the last 13 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 27 of the top 64 regular season crowd figures in NCAA history with all matches occurring during the previous 15 seasons. The matchup inside Spanos Stadium has sold out all 11,075 seats in nine of the last 11 seasons. The 19 combined matches between Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara during the last nine years are 19 of the 23 highest attended collegiate soccer games in the United States – including NCAA Championship and College Cup matches. Since the start of the 2007 season, 302,584 total spectators and an average of 9,761 fans per match have witnessed Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara clash on 31 occasions.

RUIZ SETS THE OFFENSIVE PACE … : Opening Big West action with goals in three successive matches, junior midfielder Tony Ruiz – owner of Cal Poly's lengthiest scoring streak in three years – remains the program's leader for shot attempts (19), assists (two) and points (eight). Ruiz – offseason transfer from two-year Hartnell College – has started in 11 of 12 appearances this year.

… AND KLEINHAMMES FOLLOWS: Scorer of two goals through his first 26 matches as a Mustang, senior forward Max Kleinhammes doubled his Division I total in 43 minutes against UC Riverside (Oct. 8) to match midfielder Tony Ruiz for Cal Poly's scoring lead. Kleinhammes has started in 12 of 14 appearances this season.

KESTLER MAKE EIGHT: Sophomore forward Jackson Kestler produced his first two collegiate goals during Cal Poly's Oct. 15 matchup at UC San Diego, bringing the program's total goalscorers this season to eight. Additionally, Kestler became the sixth Mustang to score his first collegiate goal this season and – following a brace from senior forward Max Kleinhammes against UC Riverside (Oct. 8) – is the second Mustang with a two-goal effort 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 (SATURDAY, OCT. 29): Cal Poly closes the regular season when hosting CSU Bakersfield on Saturday, Oct. 29. Kickoff is 7 p.m. for Cal Poly, which has won four straight decisions against the Roadrunners and lost just once in eight meetings at the Division I level.

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.