Win, Draw and in; Mustangs Chase Big West Championship Spot Saturday

Saturday, October 28

Bakersfield, CA

7 p.m.

CSU Bakersfield

Photo by: Owen Main

Win, Draw and in; Mustangs Chase Big West Championship Spot Saturday

10/25/2023 11:34:00 AM | Men's Soccer

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Either victory or a draw suffices for the Cal Poly men's soccer program on Saturday, Oct. 28 at Cal State Bakersfield as the Mustangs require just a point during their regular season finale to clinch a spot in the six-team Big West Championship. Kickoff on ESPN+ from Main Soccer Field is 7 p.m. for Cal Poly (5-7-3, 3-3-2), which routed Big West leader Cal State Fullerton on Sunday, 5-0, to improve to fifth place in the conference table alongside UC Riverside (3-9-4, 3-3-2) on 11 points. Cal State Bakersfield (7-5-4, 3-4-1), meanwhile, sits a point behind in seventh place and can eliminate Cal Poly from postseason contention with a victory Saturday. The top six programs in the 10-team Big West table qualify for the Nov. 1, 4 and 11 Big West Championship with the top two sides receiving opening-round byes.

CAL POLY VERSUS CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD: Cal Poly has won five straight decisions against the Roadrunners and lost just once in nine meetings at the Division I level. That defeat was a 2-0 home setback on Nov. 12, 1994 as the Mustangs lead the Division I series, 6-1-2. Last season's meeting finished in a 2-1 home victory for Cal Poly while the Mustangs also prevailed in their last visit to Main Soccer Field, posting a 2-0 decision on Oct. 30, 2021.

DEFENSE KNUCKLES DOWN: After allowing 11 goals during the opening three games and 15 in seven non-conference matches, Cal Poly ranks second among Big West programs with just six conceded goals in eight conference outings. With Cal Poly's goalkeepers combining for four clean sheets in the last 10 games, Cal Poly went 10 straight matches without conceding multiple goals before a 2-0 loss at UC Irvine (Oct. 18).

MUSTANG GOLDEN BOOT RACE COMES DOWN TO WIRE: With his first career two-goal game during Cal Poly's 3-1 home victory against UC San Diego (Oct. 8), sophomore forward Luke Schaefer took over the team scoring lead on four goals – for 30 minutes, until junior forward Jackson Kestler scored against the Tritons in the 90th to bag his fourth goal. The attacking duo jointly ranks ninth among Big West goalscorers. Freshman midfielder Rylan Firouznam sits next in Cal Poly's lineup after scoring his third goal during a 5-0 rout of Cal State Fullerton (Oct. 22) while sophomore forwards Sean McTague and Oren Stuppel and freshman midfielder Diego Guerra have each scored twice. Overall, Cal Poly has enjoyed 10 different goalscorers this season after graduate defender Emory Rapaport and freshman midfielder Jackson Miller also found the back of the Cal State Fullerton net. Kestler, who scored twice in Cal Poly's 4-0 win at Gonzaga (Sept. 20), also leads Cal Poly and ranks fourth among Big West players with five assists.

PENNER IN FRAME: Deputizing for Justin Siegel the last four matches, junior goalkeeper Gabe Penner has conceded just three times in the last 377 minutes for Cal Poly, producing a 0.94 goals against average since Oct. 11. After combining with Siegel for a shutout at Sacramento State (Oct. 11), Penner made three saves in Cal Poly's 5-0 win against Cal State Fullerton (Oct. 22) to earn his third career clean sheet.

THE SIEGEL FLYS HIGH: An offseason transfer from Sacred Heart, graduate goalkeeper Justin Siegel recorded a Cal Poly best seven saves to earn his first clean sheet as a Mustang during the program's 4-0 victory at Gonzaga (Sept. 20) and second in a 2-0 home win against CSUN (Oct. 4). He also combined with junior Gabe Penner for an Oct. 11 shutout of Sacramento State. Siegel, who also produced six saves to preserve a 1-1 home draw with Utah Valley (Sept. 12), has started 10 Cal Poly's last 13 matches while ranking third among Big West goalkeepers with a 1.02 goals against average.

KENNEDY TAKES THE MUSTANG REINS: After helping direct Stanford to NCAA Tournament College Cup championships in 2016 and 2017 and four Pac-12 Conference titles in seven years and having led Division II Fort Lewis College to NCAA Tournament national championships in 2009 and 2011 as head coach, Oige Kennedy was introduced as Cal Poly's fifth head coach at the Division I level on Dec. 9, 2022. Kennedy succeeds Steve Sampson, who retired at the conclusion of the 2022 season.

UP NEXT (BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIP): The 2023 Big West Championship opens on Wednesday, Nov. 1 with the No. 3 and 4 seeds hosting Nos. 5 and 6 on ESPN+. The top two finishers in the Big West standings earn opening-round byes and will host the remaining seeds in Saturday, Nov. 4 semifinals. The top remaining seed in the field will host the 2023 championship match on Saturday, Nov. 11.