Mustangs Eye Top Seed in Regular Season Finale

Thursday, October 27

La Jolla, CA / Triton Soccer Stadium

7 P.M.

UC San Diego

Mustangs Eye Top Seed in Regular Season Finale

10/25/2022 3:30:00 PM | Women's Soccer

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LIVE STATS

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Cal Poly women's soccer will have plenty to play for when they travel to UC San Diego on Thursday for their regular season finale. First kick is set for 7 p.m.

The Mustangs (8-6-3 overall) clinched a spot in The Big West postseason with a 2-0 victory over UC Irvine on Sunday. The result, coupled with a Long Beach State 2-0 loss at UC Santa Barbara, allowed Cal Poly to jump into a tie for first place in the conference standings with LBSU at 18 points heading into the final match of the season.

ALL THE SCENARIOS: Cal Poly and Long Beach both have a 5-1-3 Big West record and played to a 1-1 draw on Oct. 20, but LBSU (+12) currently owns the goal differential tiebreaker over the Mustangs (+10). In order to earn the No. 1 seed in The Big West Championships and secure the right to host the semifinal and championship matches, Cal Poly must win Thursday at the Tritons and hope LBSU loses or draws against UC Davis, who is tied with Cal State Fullerton for third in the conference standings. The Mustangs can also grab the top seed in the six-team tournament through another scenario. If the two teams finish with the same record in Big West play and Cal Poly matches or beats out LBSU in goal differential, the Mustangs would currently earn the No. 1 seed over Long Beach based on a third tiebreaker: fewest goals allowed in conference play. With a win Thursday, the Mustangs would guarantee themselves at least a share of The Big West regular season title for the second straight year. Regardless of what happens Thursday, Cal Poly will be no lower than the No. 4 seed in the conference tourney.

FOLLOW CAL POLY: Links to watch Thursday'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 UC SAN DIEGO: Last season, Camille Lafaix scored just over eight minutes into overtime to give the Mustangs a 3-2 home victory over UC San Diego in the first meeting all-time between the two programs.

SCOUTING THE TRITONS: UC San Diego (3-9-6 overall, 2-3-4 BW) has two conference victories, earning a 3-1 home win over Hawai'i on Oct. 9 and a 1-0 triumph at CSUN on Sunday. The Tritons secured draws against UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara and CSU Bakersfield. Defender Allie Luo was named Big West Freshman of the Week on Monday after tallying a pair of assists in a 2-2 draw at the Roadrunners. She leads the Tritons with four assists this season. Sophomore forward Natalie Abel is UC San Diego's leading scorer with four goals, while junior Kennedy Carter and sophomore Camryn Borg have each netted three. Junior goalkeeper Keara Fitzgerald leads The Big West in total saves (97) and saves per match (5.39), and set a UC San Diego Division I record for saves in a match with 10 against San Francisco earlier this season. The Tritons rank 10th out of 11 teams in The Big West in goals scored per match (0.89) and ninth in goals allowed per contest (1.89).

THE LEGEND OF LAFAIX: With a 23rd-minute strike in Sunday's 2-0 victory over UC Irvine, senior Camille Lafaix, a Preseason All-Conference Team selection, has now tallied the 15th-most career points (42) in program history. The goal was her fifth of the season, which leads the team and is tied for the sixth most among Big West players. It was also Lafaix's third game-winning goal of the season, tied for the most in the conference. Prior to the season, the 2021 Big West Midfielder of the Year 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.

CLIMBING UP THE RECORD BOOKS: Sophomore goalkeeper Mackenzie Samuel recorded her eighth clean sheet of the season against the Anteaters on Sunday, moving her into a tie with Greta Shirdon (2002) and Alli Tramel (2007) for the sixth most shutouts in a single season in program history. She was named Big West Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 17 after posting back-to-back shutouts. Prior to surrendering a goal in last Thursday's draw against Long Beach State, Samuel didn't allow one past her for over 416 consecutive minutes. Samuel leads The Big West in shutouts per match and is fourth in save percentage (.782).

THE KILLER CROSSER: Freshman forward Emily Lieber earned her team-leading fourth assist of the season, fourth-most in The Big West, on Madison Demijohn's goal 1:40 into the match against LBSU.

SHARING MEANS CARING: Eleven players have scored for the Mustangs this season and 14 have recorded a point. Senior midfielder Megan Hansen buried her fourth goal of the season, and third by way of penalty, in Sunday's win. She is now for 6-6 on penalty kicks during her Cal Poly career. Sophomore midfielder Peja Balanon has netted three goals, while seniors Monserrat Hernandez Marquez, Olivia Ortiz and Madison Demijohn, this week's Mechanics Bank Cal Poly Student-Athlete of the Week, each have two. 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 31.

THE BRICK WALL: Senior Kylie Rojas, 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 well over 1,000 minutes on the pitch with Rojas and Brown earning starts in every match. Conner and Penn have started in 15 of 17 matches. Brown, a 2021 United Soccer Coaches All-West Region second team selection, has played every minute in 16 matches, only stepping off the pitch for five minutes in a 2-0 victory at CSUN on Oct. 2.

FIRST TIMERS: Five Mustangs have recorded their first collegiate point this season — Balanon, Lieber, Penn, freshman forward Caylie Button (pictured above) and freshman defender Annie Larson. 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.

UP NEXT: Cal Poly's path to a Big West Championship and the opponent they could face to open the tournament will become clear following Thursday's matches.