6-5-3, 4-1-1
CSU Bakersfield
2-8-4, 1-3-3
Team Stats
Olivia Ortiz (1)
Assisted By: Annika Smith
GOAL by CP Ortiz, Olivia Assist by Smith, Annika.
52:52
Kate Reedy (4)
GOAL by CP Reedy, Kate.
64:18
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Mustangs Down Roadrunners to Move into First Place in Big West Standings
10/12/2023 11:37:00 PM | Women's Soccer
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Senior Olivia Ortiz scored her first goal of the season, senior Kate Reedy buried her fourth of the year and junior goalkeeper Mackenzie Samuel secured her 16th career shutout as Cal Poly women's soccer topped Cal State Bakersfield 2-0 on Thursday night to take over sole possession of first place in the Big West standings.
Both Cal State Fullerton (5-4-7, 3-1-3 Big West) and Hawai'i (3-3-1, 4-5-3 BW) did not play Thursday, allowing Cal Poly (6-5-3, 4-1-1 BW) to soar to the top of the conference table with four matches remaining.
"It feels awesome, I feel like we really deserve to be up there," Ortiz said about the Mustangs moving into first place. "… We worked really hard tonight to keep the solid win, keep the solid shutout which we've been trying to work on, and it feels really good to be up top and in control."
With 13 points, Cal Poly is now 1 point in front of second place Cal State Fullerton and 2 points ahead of third place UC Davis.
The Mustangs dominated Thursday's battle with the Roadrunners (2-8-4, 1-3-3 BW) at Mustang Memorial Field Presented by French Hospital, outshooting them 16-3 and controlling possession for 62 percent of the match.
Cal Poly was unable to score in the first half but sophomore Camryn Penn (27th minute) and freshman Annika Smith (36th minute) both fired dangerous shots on goal that were turned away by the CSUB goalkeeper.
After sophomore Brennan Cole had a shot headed toward the back of the net turned away by a CSUB defender standing on the goal line in the 51st minute, Ortiz broke through for the match's first goal just moments later. From the right, Smith played a ball to Ortiz just inside the 18-yard box and the San Luis Obispo native blasted a shot with her right foot off the left post and into the CSUB net for her 10th career goal.
Ortiz said she felt a rush of emotions after scoring her goal.
"I just remember feeling on top of the world, especially tonight for Cancer Awareness Night," she said. "I was definitely playing for my aunt that passed away a year and a half ago … I've been wanting to score so bad, so it was like the perfect night to do that, and I know she was with me."
The Mustangs weren't satisfied with the 1-0 advantage and in the 65th minute Cal Poly struck again. Less than two minutes after subbing into the game, Reedy cashed in her fourth goal of the season — tied for the team lead. Freshman Bailey Bracha played a beautiful cross into the box that deflected off the head of sophomore Jessie Halladay and the head of a CSUB defender before finding the foot of Reedy. It was Reedy's eighth career goal and her ninth point on the year.
Cal Poly continued to batter the Roadrunner netminder in the final 10 minutes, firing six shots. Reedy blasted one off the right left post, senior McKenna Carbon had a nice chip shot turned away by the CSUB keeper and freshman Jaycee DeFazio sent not one, but two shots on goal in the 85th minute.
Smith's assist on Ortiz's was her third of the season and gives her a team-high 11 points on the year — tied for the sixth most in the Big West.
Samuel made one save to grab her third clean sheet of the season and the 16th of her career — sixth most in Cal Poly history.
Riding a four-match unbeaten streak, the Mustangs cap off their two-match homestand at 2 p.m. Sunday against CSUN. The match is part of a doubleheader with men's soccer and one ticket gets you admission to both matches. Cal Poly is seeking to shatter its home attendance record during the match.
