Thursday, November 2
Fullerton, CA / Titan Stadium
4:30 P.M.
10-7-3, 6-3-1
2
vs
1
No. 2 UC Davis
10-7-2, 6-2-2
1
2
F
Cal Poly
1
1
2
UC Davis
1
0
1
Team Stats
CP
UCD
Goals
2
1
Shots
10
13
Shots on Goal
5
2
Saves
1
3
Corners
7
1
Fouls
13
13
Scoring Plays
Emily Nedom (3)
Assisted By: Siena Urzua , Sophia Moness
GOAL by CP Nedom, Emily Assist by Urzua, Siena and Moness, Sophia.
27:36
Bella Mayo (1)
GOAL by UCD Mayo, Bella.
29:33
Jessie Halladay (4)
CP Jessie Halladay PENALTY KICK GOAL.
80:13
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Players Mentioned
F/MF
/ Women's SoccerMF
/ Women's SoccerF
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's SoccerD
/ Women's Soccer
Photo by: The Big West
Mustangs Top UC Davis, Secure Spot in Big West Championship Match
11/2/2023 10:15:00 PM | Women's Soccer
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Cal Poly women's soccer will play for a Big West Championship on Sunday.
In the 81st minute, sophomore forward Jessie Halladay drew a foul in the box and stepped up and buried a penalty kick to propel the third-seeded Mustangs (10-7-2) to a 2-1 victory over third-seeded UC Davis in the semifinals of the Big West Championship on Thursday at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Stadium.
With the win, Cal Poly secured a spot in the Big West Championship match for the ninth time in program history and the second time in the last three seasons. The Mustangs will face fifth-seeded UC Irvine (7-7-6) for the conference title at 1 p.m. Sunday at Titan Stadium. It will be a rematch of the 2021 Big West Championship which the Anteaters won 1-0 in Irvine.
After Halladay's fifth goal of the season (tied for the team lead), Cal Poly buckled down defensively and junior goalkeeper Mackenzie Samuel reached up and made an incredible save in the 88th minute to preserve the victory.
Head coach Alex Crozier said the Mustangs did a great job grinding out a win and sticking to what they do best.
"It was a back-and-forth game, I thought we played well," he said. "We just stuck with what we were doing and Jessie came up with a big play. It was going to take an individual effort to make something happen and Jess did that, and then Mac made a great save toward the end."
Just moments into the match, the Mustangs nearly found the back of the net on a dangerous chance in front of the UC Davis net. A shot by freshman Sophia Moness in the box directed on net was blocked, but the Aggie goalkeeper was forced to reach up and make a fingertip save.
Cal Poly struck first in the 28th minute as a ball played into the box by freshman Siena Urzua was deflected. Then a scramble in front of the UC Davis ensued as Moness got a touch on the ball before junior Emily Nedom buried her third goal of the season to give the Mustangs a 1-0 lead.
It was the fourth assist of the season for Moness, while Urzua secured her first career assist and point on the tally.
Less than two minutes after the Mustangs scored, the Aggies leveled the match at 1-1 off a free kick from outside the box.
The two sides went into halftime tied at 1-1 with the shot chart even at five apiece.
Cal Poly and UC Davis continued to trade blows in the second half before Halladay came through clutch to send the Mustangs back to the Big West Championship match.
"The team had my back on that one," Halladay said about her game-winning penalty, "I felt like everyone was coming up with me [to take it], it wasn't just my efforts, it was the whole team."
With the victory, Cal Poly improved to 9-2-3 all-time in Big West semifinals.
Samuel, who made one crucial save in the match, was proud of the way the team responded after giving up a goal.
"Obviously getting scored on is not ideal for us, but our response and how we kept winning first and second balls, I think that speaks a lot to how we are as a team," she said.
With a win Sunday against the Anteaters, Cal Poly would secure its fourth Big West tournament title and its sixth trip to the NCAA Division I Tournament.
Crozier said the team is looking forward to playing for a conference title on Sunday.
"We put ourselves in a situation where one more game, we win it and we're in the NCAA Tournament and that's been our goal all year, so we're getting one step closer," he said.
"We're not done yet," Halladay added. "We got one job and we're here to take another one."
In the 81st minute, sophomore forward Jessie Halladay drew a foul in the box and stepped up and buried a penalty kick to propel the third-seeded Mustangs (10-7-2) to a 2-1 victory over third-seeded UC Davis in the semifinals of the Big West Championship on Thursday at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Stadium.
With the win, Cal Poly secured a spot in the Big West Championship match for the ninth time in program history and the second time in the last three seasons. The Mustangs will face fifth-seeded UC Irvine (7-7-6) for the conference title at 1 p.m. Sunday at Titan Stadium. It will be a rematch of the 2021 Big West Championship which the Anteaters won 1-0 in Irvine.
After Halladay's fifth goal of the season (tied for the team lead), Cal Poly buckled down defensively and junior goalkeeper Mackenzie Samuel reached up and made an incredible save in the 88th minute to preserve the victory.
Head coach Alex Crozier said the Mustangs did a great job grinding out a win and sticking to what they do best.
"It was a back-and-forth game, I thought we played well," he said. "We just stuck with what we were doing and Jessie came up with a big play. It was going to take an individual effort to make something happen and Jess did that, and then Mac made a great save toward the end."
Just moments into the match, the Mustangs nearly found the back of the net on a dangerous chance in front of the UC Davis net. A shot by freshman Sophia Moness in the box directed on net was blocked, but the Aggie goalkeeper was forced to reach up and make a fingertip save.
Cal Poly struck first in the 28th minute as a ball played into the box by freshman Siena Urzua was deflected. Then a scramble in front of the UC Davis ensued as Moness got a touch on the ball before junior Emily Nedom buried her third goal of the season to give the Mustangs a 1-0 lead.
It was the fourth assist of the season for Moness, while Urzua secured her first career assist and point on the tally.
Less than two minutes after the Mustangs scored, the Aggies leveled the match at 1-1 off a free kick from outside the box.
The two sides went into halftime tied at 1-1 with the shot chart even at five apiece.
Cal Poly and UC Davis continued to trade blows in the second half before Halladay came through clutch to send the Mustangs back to the Big West Championship match.
"The team had my back on that one," Halladay said about her game-winning penalty, "I felt like everyone was coming up with me [to take it], it wasn't just my efforts, it was the whole team."
With the victory, Cal Poly improved to 9-2-3 all-time in Big West semifinals.
Samuel, who made one crucial save in the match, was proud of the way the team responded after giving up a goal.
"Obviously getting scored on is not ideal for us, but our response and how we kept winning first and second balls, I think that speaks a lot to how we are as a team," she said.
With a win Sunday against the Anteaters, Cal Poly would secure its fourth Big West tournament title and its sixth trip to the NCAA Division I Tournament.
Crozier said the team is looking forward to playing for a conference title on Sunday.
"We put ourselves in a situation where one more game, we win it and we're in the NCAA Tournament and that's been our goal all year, so we're getting one step closer," he said.
"We're not done yet," Halladay added. "We got one job and we're here to take another one."
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
