Thursday, October 26
San Luis Obispo, CA
7 P.M.
vs
UC San Diego
Photo by: Joe Kelly
Cal Poly Eyes No. 1 Seed in Regular Season Finale
10/25/2023 10:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
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SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — After securing a dramatic come from behind victory at Hawai'i on Sunday, Cal Poly women's soccer returns home looking to make history this Thursday against UC San Diego.
With a victory in their regular season finale against the Tritons, the Mustangs (8-6-3, 6-2-1 Big West) would secure a third consecutive Big West regular season championship for the first time in program history. First kick is set for 7 p.m. at Mustang Memorial Field Presented by French Hospital.
FOLLOW CAL POLY: Thursday's match will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Daniel Gillman on the call. You can find links for live stats and the broadcast above, and on the women's soccer schedule page on GoPoly.com. Follow Cal Poly women's soccer on X (@CPWomensSoccer) for live updates throughout the match.
ALL THE BIG WEST SCENARIOS: Things are pretty simple for the Mustangs, win Thursday and the team will capture the conference regular season title and the right to host the semifinals and championship match in the Big West Championships as the No. 1 seed for the second straight year. Cal Poly currently sits in first place in the Big West standings with 19 points, 1 point ahead of second-place Cal State Fullerton (7-4-7, 5-1-3 BW) and 2 points in front of third-place UC Davis (9-6-2, 5-2-2 BW). The field for the six-team Big West tournament has already been set, but seeding won't be finalized until all the matches on the final day of the regular season have been played. Regardless of Thursday's results, the Mustangs can drop to no lower than third in the Big West table. The top two seeds in the Big West Championships receive a bye in the opening round of the conference tourney. If Cal Poly was the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament, they would host an opening round match this Sunday at Mustang Memorial Field against the No. 6 seed. Both the Titans and the Aggies need to win their final match and have Cal Poly lose or draw against UC San Diego to overtake the Mustangs in the conference standings. The semifinals of the Big West Championships will be held next Thursday, Nov. 2, with the championship match scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 5.
CAL POLY VERSUS THE TRITONS: Facing UC San Diego for the third time in Division I program history, the Mustangs are 2-0 all-time against the Tritons. In last year's regular season finale, Cal Poly defeated the Tritons 1-0 in San Diego on a 53rd-minute goal from Olivia Ortiz to secure the program's first outright Big West regular season title in nine years and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
SCOUTING THE TRITONS: UC San Diego, who is not eligible to participate in this year's Big West postseason tournament as they complete their final year of transition to Division I, is currently seventh in the conference standings with a 3-3-3 Big West record. The Tritons (4-8-5 overall) are fresh off an unbeaten week on the pitch, defeating CSUN 5-3 last Thursday and securing a scoreless draw against UC Riverside on Sunday at home. As a result, two Tritons received Big West accolades as sophomore Lindsey Park was named Big West Offensive Player of the Week and Alexis Nguyen Big West Freshman of the Week. Park tallied two goals and an assist in the CSUN match, while Nguyen recorded two assists and has five this season, the second most among Big West freshmen. Juniors Raquel Kalpakoff (five goals, one assist) and Courtney Hilliard (three goals, four assists) lead the Tritons in points this season. Senior goalkeeper Keara Fitzgerald has played every minute in net this season for UC San Diego, recording four clean sheets, 89 saves, a 1.71 goals against average and a 0.754 save percentage across 17 matches.
COMING THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH: Seniors Olivia Ortiz and Kate Reedy helped Cal Poly earn a remarkable 2-1 comeback victory at Hawai'i on Sunday to keep the Mustangs on top of the conference table, scoring goals 32 seconds apart in the 85th minute. Ortiz's goal was the ninth latest equalizing goal in program history (84:20) and the 11th goal of her career. Reedy's game-winner was her third this season, the most in the Big West, and her team-leading fifth goal of the year. Reedy also leads the Mustangs in points with 13, the sixth most in the Big West. The time interval (32 seconds) between Ortiz's equalizer and Reedy's go-ahead goal was the second quickest in program history.
RECORD-BREAKING SHARING: 20 different players have recorded a point this season — a program record.
SCORING BY COMMITTEE: 14 different players have found the back of the net this season, tied for the second most in program history and the most since the 2008 season.
FIRSTS FOR ALL: 10 Mustangs have made their first collegiate appearance this fall and 10 have recorded their first career point — senior Georgia Weeks, junior Emily Nedom, redshirt sophomore Dani Wozniak, sophomores Brennan Cole and Jessie Halladay, redshirt freshman Sophia Minnite, and freshmen Bailey Bracha, Jaycee DeFazio, Sophia Moness and Annika Smith. Halladay, who transferred to Cal Poly from Loyola Marymount this spring, is second on the team in points with 12 (four goals, four assists) and Smith is third with 11 (four goals, three assists). Earlier this season, Smith netted the eighth hat trick in program history.
LEADING THROUGH THE BACK: Junior center backs Emma Brown and Aynsley Conner and sophomore outside back Camryn Penn spearhead a stellar Cal Poly backline that has helped the Mustangs record four shutouts this season and 14 over the past two seasons. Brown started in her 40th consecutive match Sunday at Hawai'i. The All-Big West Preseason Team selection and 2022 All-Big West First Team honoree has appeared in 56 matches during her Cal Poly career, starting in 53 and playing every minute in 46 of them without receiving a card. Conner has appeared in 36 matches during her collegiate career, making 32 starts for the Mustangs and playing every minute in 22 matches. Penn has started in 33 of the 35 matches she has appeared in.
SHE'S A KEEPER: Junior goalkeeper Mackenzie Samuel has been strong between the pipes all season long, recording three shutouts, a 1.20 goals against average and a .718 save percentage. The defending Big West Goalkeeper of the Year made her 26th straight start in net during Sunday's match at Hawai'i. In a 2-0 victory over CSU Bakersfield on Oct. 12, she posted her 16th career clean sheet — sixth most in program history.
THANK YOU FANS: The Mustangs are ranked 12th in the nation in average home attendance this season. On Oct. 15 against CSUN, Cal Poly obliterated its home attendance record as 4,064 fans were in attendance — the 22nd-most attended women's soccer match in the nation this season.
UP NEXT: Cal Poly's first opponent in the Big West tournament will be determined following the conclusion of Thursday's matches.
WATCH
LIVE STATS
DIGITAL PROGRAM
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — After securing a dramatic come from behind victory at Hawai'i on Sunday, Cal Poly women's soccer returns home looking to make history this Thursday against UC San Diego.
With a victory in their regular season finale against the Tritons, the Mustangs (8-6-3, 6-2-1 Big West) would secure a third consecutive Big West regular season championship for the first time in program history. First kick is set for 7 p.m. at Mustang Memorial Field Presented by French Hospital.
FOLLOW CAL POLY: Thursday's match will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Daniel Gillman on the call. You can find links for live stats and the broadcast above, and on the women's soccer schedule page on GoPoly.com. Follow Cal Poly women's soccer on X (@CPWomensSoccer) for live updates throughout the match.
ALL THE BIG WEST SCENARIOS: Things are pretty simple for the Mustangs, win Thursday and the team will capture the conference regular season title and the right to host the semifinals and championship match in the Big West Championships as the No. 1 seed for the second straight year. Cal Poly currently sits in first place in the Big West standings with 19 points, 1 point ahead of second-place Cal State Fullerton (7-4-7, 5-1-3 BW) and 2 points in front of third-place UC Davis (9-6-2, 5-2-2 BW). The field for the six-team Big West tournament has already been set, but seeding won't be finalized until all the matches on the final day of the regular season have been played. Regardless of Thursday's results, the Mustangs can drop to no lower than third in the Big West table. The top two seeds in the Big West Championships receive a bye in the opening round of the conference tourney. If Cal Poly was the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament, they would host an opening round match this Sunday at Mustang Memorial Field against the No. 6 seed. Both the Titans and the Aggies need to win their final match and have Cal Poly lose or draw against UC San Diego to overtake the Mustangs in the conference standings. The semifinals of the Big West Championships will be held next Thursday, Nov. 2, with the championship match scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 5.
CAL POLY VERSUS THE TRITONS: Facing UC San Diego for the third time in Division I program history, the Mustangs are 2-0 all-time against the Tritons. In last year's regular season finale, Cal Poly defeated the Tritons 1-0 in San Diego on a 53rd-minute goal from Olivia Ortiz to secure the program's first outright Big West regular season title in nine years and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
SCOUTING THE TRITONS: UC San Diego, who is not eligible to participate in this year's Big West postseason tournament as they complete their final year of transition to Division I, is currently seventh in the conference standings with a 3-3-3 Big West record. The Tritons (4-8-5 overall) are fresh off an unbeaten week on the pitch, defeating CSUN 5-3 last Thursday and securing a scoreless draw against UC Riverside on Sunday at home. As a result, two Tritons received Big West accolades as sophomore Lindsey Park was named Big West Offensive Player of the Week and Alexis Nguyen Big West Freshman of the Week. Park tallied two goals and an assist in the CSUN match, while Nguyen recorded two assists and has five this season, the second most among Big West freshmen. Juniors Raquel Kalpakoff (five goals, one assist) and Courtney Hilliard (three goals, four assists) lead the Tritons in points this season. Senior goalkeeper Keara Fitzgerald has played every minute in net this season for UC San Diego, recording four clean sheets, 89 saves, a 1.71 goals against average and a 0.754 save percentage across 17 matches.
COMING THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH: Seniors Olivia Ortiz and Kate Reedy helped Cal Poly earn a remarkable 2-1 comeback victory at Hawai'i on Sunday to keep the Mustangs on top of the conference table, scoring goals 32 seconds apart in the 85th minute. Ortiz's goal was the ninth latest equalizing goal in program history (84:20) and the 11th goal of her career. Reedy's game-winner was her third this season, the most in the Big West, and her team-leading fifth goal of the year. Reedy also leads the Mustangs in points with 13, the sixth most in the Big West. The time interval (32 seconds) between Ortiz's equalizer and Reedy's go-ahead goal was the second quickest in program history.
RECORD-BREAKING SHARING: 20 different players have recorded a point this season — a program record.
SCORING BY COMMITTEE: 14 different players have found the back of the net this season, tied for the second most in program history and the most since the 2008 season.
FIRSTS FOR ALL: 10 Mustangs have made their first collegiate appearance this fall and 10 have recorded their first career point — senior Georgia Weeks, junior Emily Nedom, redshirt sophomore Dani Wozniak, sophomores Brennan Cole and Jessie Halladay, redshirt freshman Sophia Minnite, and freshmen Bailey Bracha, Jaycee DeFazio, Sophia Moness and Annika Smith. Halladay, who transferred to Cal Poly from Loyola Marymount this spring, is second on the team in points with 12 (four goals, four assists) and Smith is third with 11 (four goals, three assists). Earlier this season, Smith netted the eighth hat trick in program history.
LEADING THROUGH THE BACK: Junior center backs Emma Brown and Aynsley Conner and sophomore outside back Camryn Penn spearhead a stellar Cal Poly backline that has helped the Mustangs record four shutouts this season and 14 over the past two seasons. Brown started in her 40th consecutive match Sunday at Hawai'i. The All-Big West Preseason Team selection and 2022 All-Big West First Team honoree has appeared in 56 matches during her Cal Poly career, starting in 53 and playing every minute in 46 of them without receiving a card. Conner has appeared in 36 matches during her collegiate career, making 32 starts for the Mustangs and playing every minute in 22 matches. Penn has started in 33 of the 35 matches she has appeared in.
SHE'S A KEEPER: Junior goalkeeper Mackenzie Samuel has been strong between the pipes all season long, recording three shutouts, a 1.20 goals against average and a .718 save percentage. The defending Big West Goalkeeper of the Year made her 26th straight start in net during Sunday's match at Hawai'i. In a 2-0 victory over CSU Bakersfield on Oct. 12, she posted her 16th career clean sheet — sixth most in program history.
THANK YOU FANS: The Mustangs are ranked 12th in the nation in average home attendance this season. On Oct. 15 against CSUN, Cal Poly obliterated its home attendance record as 4,064 fans were in attendance — the 22nd-most attended women's soccer match in the nation this season.
UP NEXT: Cal Poly's first opponent in the Big West tournament will be determined following the conclusion of Thursday's matches.
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