Sunday, October 1
San Luis Obispo, CA
12 P.M.
4-5-2, 2-1-0
3
vs
1
UC Riverside
2-7-4, 2-2-0
1
2
F
UC Riverside
1
0
1
Cal Poly
2
1
3
Team Stats
UCR
CP
Goals
1
3
Shots
6
18
Shots on Goal
3
8
Saves
5
2
Corners
1
4
Fouls
10
13
Scoring Plays
Annika Smith (4)
Assisted By: Emily Nedom
GOAL by CP Smith, Annika Assist by Nedom, Emily.
06:21
Annika Smith (4)
Assisted By: Aynsley Conner
GOAL by CP Smith, Annika Assist by Conner, Aynsley.
29:05
Braelynn Llamoca (1)
UCR Braelynn Llamoca PENALTY KICK GOAL.
43:55
Annika Smith (4)
Assisted By: Whitney Wiley , Sophia Moness
GOAL by CP Smith, Annika Assist by Wiley, Whitney and Moness, Sophia.
46:21
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
4
SOG
3
Goals
3
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Players Mentioned
D/F
/ Women's SoccerD
/ Women's Soccer
F/MF
/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's SoccerMF
/ Women's SoccerF
/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's SoccerF
/ Women's Soccer
MF/F
/ Women's Soccer
Photo by: Juventino Ortiz
Smith's Hat Trick Powers Cal Poly to Win Over Highlanders
10/1/2023 4:30:00 PM | Women's Soccer
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Freshman forward Annika Smith buried the eighth hat trick in program history as Cal Poly women's soccer rolled to a 3-1 Big West victory over UC Riverside on Sunday at Mustang Memorial Field.
Smith scored goals in the seventh, 30th and 47th minute to secure the first hat trick by a Mustang since Sept. 19, 2014, when Cal Poly Hall of Famer Elise Krieghoff tied a program record with five goals in a 6-1 home victory over Fresno State.
Smith said before the match teammate Sophia Minnite told her she was going to score a hat trick, and the Scottsdale, Arizona native went on the pitch and delivered just that.
"It feels amazing," Smith said after the match. "I really didn't think it was going to happen, but Sophia Minnite put it in the air … so I just ended up doing it."
Smith's historic day got started early as she received a pass from junior forward Emily Nedom in the midfield and powered her way through the UC Riverside backline, blasting a shot past the Highlander goalkeeper to give Cal Poly a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute. For Nedom, it was her first collegiate assist.
Less than a minute later, junior goalkeeper Mackenzie Samuel came off her line to make a terrific save on UCR's Spenser Gonzales to keep the Highlanders off the board.
Smith struck again in the 30th minute to make it 2-0. Junior defender Aynsley Conner played a ball to Smith about 40 yards away from goal and the forward did the rest, charging upfield and firing a shot from just inside the 18-yard box up and over the UC Riverside keeper. For Conner, it was her second collegiate assist, fourth career point and first point of the season.
In the 44th minute, the Highlanders scored on a penalty kick to cut Cal Poly's lead in half. The Mustangs nearly responded just moments before halftime as sophomore forward Jessie Halladay headed a corner kick from senior forward Kate Reedy off the top of the crossbar. Cal Poly carried a 2-1 advantage into the break.
As well as the Mustangs looked in the first half, they looked even better in the second, dominating play throughout the final 45 minutes.
Just 1:21 into the second half, Smith capped off her hat trick. Some excellent passing between freshman Sophia Moness and graduate student Whitney Wiley led to a golden opportunity for Smith in front of the net and she cashed it in to give Cal Poly a decisive 3-1 advantage. Moness earned her second career assist on the tally, while Wiley recorded her first assist as a Mustang and 25th collegiate point.
Freshman Bailey Bracha nearly made it 4-1 Mustangs in the final moments, firing a shot off the left post in the 88th minute.
Cal Poly outshot the Highlanders (2-7-4, 2-2-0) 8-0 in the second half and 18-6 in the match. Samuel finished with two saves in net.
Smith now leads the Mustangs in goals (four) and points (10) this season. The Notre Dame Preparatory grad has played in 10 of Cal Poly's 11 matches this fall, starting in nine of them.
Through three Big West matches, Cal Poly (4-5-2, 2-1-0) currently sits in a three-way tie for second place in the conference standings with 6 points.
The Mustangs hit the road this coming week to face Long Beach State at 7 p.m. on Thursday and defending Big West tournament champion UC Irvine at 2 p.m. next Sunday.
Smith scored goals in the seventh, 30th and 47th minute to secure the first hat trick by a Mustang since Sept. 19, 2014, when Cal Poly Hall of Famer Elise Krieghoff tied a program record with five goals in a 6-1 home victory over Fresno State.
Smith said before the match teammate Sophia Minnite told her she was going to score a hat trick, and the Scottsdale, Arizona native went on the pitch and delivered just that.
"It feels amazing," Smith said after the match. "I really didn't think it was going to happen, but Sophia Minnite put it in the air … so I just ended up doing it."
Smith's historic day got started early as she received a pass from junior forward Emily Nedom in the midfield and powered her way through the UC Riverside backline, blasting a shot past the Highlander goalkeeper to give Cal Poly a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute. For Nedom, it was her first collegiate assist.
Less than a minute later, junior goalkeeper Mackenzie Samuel came off her line to make a terrific save on UCR's Spenser Gonzales to keep the Highlanders off the board.
Smith struck again in the 30th minute to make it 2-0. Junior defender Aynsley Conner played a ball to Smith about 40 yards away from goal and the forward did the rest, charging upfield and firing a shot from just inside the 18-yard box up and over the UC Riverside keeper. For Conner, it was her second collegiate assist, fourth career point and first point of the season.
In the 44th minute, the Highlanders scored on a penalty kick to cut Cal Poly's lead in half. The Mustangs nearly responded just moments before halftime as sophomore forward Jessie Halladay headed a corner kick from senior forward Kate Reedy off the top of the crossbar. Cal Poly carried a 2-1 advantage into the break.
As well as the Mustangs looked in the first half, they looked even better in the second, dominating play throughout the final 45 minutes.
Just 1:21 into the second half, Smith capped off her hat trick. Some excellent passing between freshman Sophia Moness and graduate student Whitney Wiley led to a golden opportunity for Smith in front of the net and she cashed it in to give Cal Poly a decisive 3-1 advantage. Moness earned her second career assist on the tally, while Wiley recorded her first assist as a Mustang and 25th collegiate point.
Freshman Bailey Bracha nearly made it 4-1 Mustangs in the final moments, firing a shot off the left post in the 88th minute.
Cal Poly outshot the Highlanders (2-7-4, 2-2-0) 8-0 in the second half and 18-6 in the match. Samuel finished with two saves in net.
Smith now leads the Mustangs in goals (four) and points (10) this season. The Notre Dame Preparatory grad has played in 10 of Cal Poly's 11 matches this fall, starting in nine of them.
Through three Big West matches, Cal Poly (4-5-2, 2-1-0) currently sits in a three-way tie for second place in the conference standings with 6 points.
The Mustangs hit the road this coming week to face Long Beach State at 7 p.m. on Thursday and defending Big West tournament champion UC Irvine at 2 p.m. next Sunday.
A Sit-down Interview with New Cal Poly Women's Soccer Head Coach Bernardo Silva
Tuesday, January 21
The Origin Story of Cal Poly Women's Soccer and Alex Crozier
Thursday, December 19
Thank You, Coach Crozier
Wednesday, October 30
Cal Poly vs. Hawai'i, Women's Soccer Highlights -- Oct. 24th, 2024
Friday, October 25
