Cal Poly Men’s Soccer Releases 2023 Schedule
6/23/2023 1:23:00 PM | Men's Soccer
VIEW COMPLETE 2023 SCHEDULE
SAN LUIS OBISPO – Highlighted by eight regular season home dates at Mustang Memorial Field Presented by Dignity Health – including a Sunday, Oct. 15 Blue-Green rivalry showdown versus UC Santa Barbara – the Cal Poly men's soccer program released its 2023 schedule Friday afternoon.
"Our 2023 schedule is an opportunity for our new team and new staff to compete against some tough competition," first-year head coach Oige Kennedy said. "We'll have the opportunity to play against some of the best soccer programs across top conferences – including the Pac-12, West Coast, WAC, Summit League and, of course, the Big West.
"We're especially looking forward to playing nine times at home at Spanos Stadium in front of our passionate supporters. It's such a special venue with an amazing atmosphere. We get to compete in one of the most established college soccer rivalries two times this year against UC Santa Barbara in front of some of the highest attendances in the nation. It's something we relish and why we cannot wait for the fall to get here."
Returning five outfield starters, two goalkeepers and 14 letterwinners from last season's squad, Cal Poly's 2023 schedule also features three dates against NCAA Tournament qualifiers from last season and one first-time opponent in Oral Roberts – a Monday, Aug. 28 home fixture marking the program's regular season opener.
Please refer to GoPoly.com for current kickoff times, ticket links and match-day promotions.
NON-CONFERENCE (AUG. 15-SEPT. 23)
Beginning Kennedy's first preseason training camp on Friday, Aug. 11, Cal Poly contests the first of three exhibitions at UCLA on Tuesday, Aug. 15. After claiming successive 2-1 victories against California Baptist and sixth-seeded Clemson to open last year's NCAA Tournament, UCLA reached the third round before being eliminated at Vermont.
After visiting San Jose State for a Saturday, Aug. 19 exhibition, Cal Poly hosts Division II Fresno Pacific on Wednesday, Aug. 23 for its final exhibition tuneup.
Cal Poly then opens its 29th Division I regular season on Monday, Aug. 28 when welcoming Oral Roberts.
Following matchups at San Diego State (Friday, Sept. 1) and 2022 NCAA Tournament qualifier San Diego (Monday, Sept. 4), the Mustangs return home to welcome Utah Valley (Tuesday, Sept. 12) and 2022 Western Athletic Conference regular season champion Air Force (Sunday, Sept. 17). After heading to Gonzaga on Wednesday, Sept. 20, the Mustangs renew the Blue-Green rivalry at UC Santa Barbara with a Saturday, Sept. 23 non-conference matchup.
The best-attended sporting events annually in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties, the Cal Poly-UC Santa Barbara series has drawn 28 of the top 66 regular season crowd figures in NCAA history with all matches occurring during the previous 15 seasons. The matchup inside Spanos Stadium has sold out all 11,075 seats in 10 of the last 14 seasons. The 21 combined matches between Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara during the last 10 years comprise 21 of the 27 highest attended collegiate soccer games in the United States – including NCAA Tournament and College Cup matches. Since the start of the 2007 season, 310,119 total spectators and an average of 9,691 fans per match have witnessed Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara clash on 32 occasions.
Twenty-two of the last 29 matches between Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara have been decided by one goal or drawn. Seven of Cal Poly's eight victories in the last 31 attempts against UC Santa Barbara have been a one-goal triumph. Just four times since 2007 has one side scored as many as three goals against the other (Cal Poly's 4-1 home victory versus the Gauchos to close 2017 marked the first time since Nov. 9, 2001 that one team had slipped four goals past the other). The Mustangs are undefeated at home against the Gauchos in nine of the last 13 years while UC Santa Barbara has lost exactly once at home to Cal Poly in the last 23 matchups at Harder Stadium.
BIG WEST (SEPT. 27-OCT. 8)
Cal Poly's 22nd season of Big West action begins with three of its first four conference matches at Spanos Stadium, a stretch commencing on Wednesday, Sept. 27 against UC Davis. After visiting reigning Big West regular season and tournament champion UC Riverside (Saturday, Sept. 30) – eliminated in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament by eventual quarterfinalist Portland – Cal Poly returns home to host CSUN (Wednesday, Oct. 4) and UC San Diego (Sunday, Oct. 8).
A Wednesday, Oct. 11 visit to Sacramento State follows before Cal Poly hosts UC Santa Barbara on Sunday, Oct. 15 at 5 p.m. with the second meeting of the year between the two sides counting for points in the Big West standings. Cal Poly seeks its first home victory against the Gauchos since a 1-0 triumph on Sept. 30, 2018.
Cal Poly closes the regular season with two of the final three matches on the road with the Mustangs visiting UC Irvine (Wednesday, Oct. 18) and CSU Bakersfield (Saturday, Oct. 28) either side on a Sunday, Oct. 22 home finale against Cal State Fullerton.
POSTSEASON
The top two programs in the 10-team Big West table receive byes for the Wednesday, Nov. 1 opening round of the conference tournament before hosting semifinal matchups on Saturday, Nov. 4. The Saturday, Nov. 11 Big West Championship final will be played at the highest remaining seed.
First round action for the 2023 NCAA Championship is Thursday, Nov. 16 with second and third round play scheduled for, respectively, Sunday, Nov. 19 and Sunday, Nov. 26. The four quarterfinal matchups will take place on Dec. 2 or 3. The 2023 College Cup will be hosted at Louisville's Lynn Family Stadium on Friday, Dec. 8 and Sunday, Dec. 10.
MUSTANG KIDS CLUB
Youth season tickets for men's soccer can be purchased through the Mustang Kids Club. By joining the Mustang Kids Club, kids 13 and under can enjoy many exclusive benefits, including receiving a T-shirt, lanyard and badge, as well as access to special events just for members. Kids Club Membership is just $25 for the year and is how youth season tickets can be purchased for volleyball, women's soccer, women's basketball, wrestling and softball.
SAN LUIS OBISPO – Highlighted by eight regular season home dates at Mustang Memorial Field Presented by Dignity Health – including a Sunday, Oct. 15 Blue-Green rivalry showdown versus UC Santa Barbara – the Cal Poly men's soccer program released its 2023 schedule Friday afternoon.
"Our 2023 schedule is an opportunity for our new team and new staff to compete against some tough competition," first-year head coach Oige Kennedy said. "We'll have the opportunity to play against some of the best soccer programs across top conferences – including the Pac-12, West Coast, WAC, Summit League and, of course, the Big West.
"We're especially looking forward to playing nine times at home at Spanos Stadium in front of our passionate supporters. It's such a special venue with an amazing atmosphere. We get to compete in one of the most established college soccer rivalries two times this year against UC Santa Barbara in front of some of the highest attendances in the nation. It's something we relish and why we cannot wait for the fall to get here."
Returning five outfield starters, two goalkeepers and 14 letterwinners from last season's squad, Cal Poly's 2023 schedule also features three dates against NCAA Tournament qualifiers from last season and one first-time opponent in Oral Roberts – a Monday, Aug. 28 home fixture marking the program's regular season opener.
Please refer to GoPoly.com for current kickoff times, ticket links and match-day promotions.
NON-CONFERENCE (AUG. 15-SEPT. 23)
Beginning Kennedy's first preseason training camp on Friday, Aug. 11, Cal Poly contests the first of three exhibitions at UCLA on Tuesday, Aug. 15. After claiming successive 2-1 victories against California Baptist and sixth-seeded Clemson to open last year's NCAA Tournament, UCLA reached the third round before being eliminated at Vermont.
After visiting San Jose State for a Saturday, Aug. 19 exhibition, Cal Poly hosts Division II Fresno Pacific on Wednesday, Aug. 23 for its final exhibition tuneup.
Cal Poly then opens its 29th Division I regular season on Monday, Aug. 28 when welcoming Oral Roberts.
Following matchups at San Diego State (Friday, Sept. 1) and 2022 NCAA Tournament qualifier San Diego (Monday, Sept. 4), the Mustangs return home to welcome Utah Valley (Tuesday, Sept. 12) and 2022 Western Athletic Conference regular season champion Air Force (Sunday, Sept. 17). After heading to Gonzaga on Wednesday, Sept. 20, the Mustangs renew the Blue-Green rivalry at UC Santa Barbara with a Saturday, Sept. 23 non-conference matchup.
The best-attended sporting events annually in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties, the Cal Poly-UC Santa Barbara series has drawn 28 of the top 66 regular season crowd figures in NCAA history with all matches occurring during the previous 15 seasons. The matchup inside Spanos Stadium has sold out all 11,075 seats in 10 of the last 14 seasons. The 21 combined matches between Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara during the last 10 years comprise 21 of the 27 highest attended collegiate soccer games in the United States – including NCAA Tournament and College Cup matches. Since the start of the 2007 season, 310,119 total spectators and an average of 9,691 fans per match have witnessed Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara clash on 32 occasions.
Twenty-two of the last 29 matches between Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara have been decided by one goal or drawn. Seven of Cal Poly's eight victories in the last 31 attempts against UC Santa Barbara have been a one-goal triumph. Just four times since 2007 has one side scored as many as three goals against the other (Cal Poly's 4-1 home victory versus the Gauchos to close 2017 marked the first time since Nov. 9, 2001 that one team had slipped four goals past the other). The Mustangs are undefeated at home against the Gauchos in nine of the last 13 years while UC Santa Barbara has lost exactly once at home to Cal Poly in the last 23 matchups at Harder Stadium.
BIG WEST (SEPT. 27-OCT. 8)
Cal Poly's 22nd season of Big West action begins with three of its first four conference matches at Spanos Stadium, a stretch commencing on Wednesday, Sept. 27 against UC Davis. After visiting reigning Big West regular season and tournament champion UC Riverside (Saturday, Sept. 30) – eliminated in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament by eventual quarterfinalist Portland – Cal Poly returns home to host CSUN (Wednesday, Oct. 4) and UC San Diego (Sunday, Oct. 8).
A Wednesday, Oct. 11 visit to Sacramento State follows before Cal Poly hosts UC Santa Barbara on Sunday, Oct. 15 at 5 p.m. with the second meeting of the year between the two sides counting for points in the Big West standings. Cal Poly seeks its first home victory against the Gauchos since a 1-0 triumph on Sept. 30, 2018.
Cal Poly closes the regular season with two of the final three matches on the road with the Mustangs visiting UC Irvine (Wednesday, Oct. 18) and CSU Bakersfield (Saturday, Oct. 28) either side on a Sunday, Oct. 22 home finale against Cal State Fullerton.
POSTSEASON
The top two programs in the 10-team Big West table receive byes for the Wednesday, Nov. 1 opening round of the conference tournament before hosting semifinal matchups on Saturday, Nov. 4. The Saturday, Nov. 11 Big West Championship final will be played at the highest remaining seed.
First round action for the 2023 NCAA Championship is Thursday, Nov. 16 with second and third round play scheduled for, respectively, Sunday, Nov. 19 and Sunday, Nov. 26. The four quarterfinal matchups will take place on Dec. 2 or 3. The 2023 College Cup will be hosted at Louisville's Lynn Family Stadium on Friday, Dec. 8 and Sunday, Dec. 10.
MUSTANG KIDS CLUB
Youth season tickets for men's soccer can be purchased through the Mustang Kids Club. By joining the Mustang Kids Club, kids 13 and under can enjoy many exclusive benefits, including receiving a T-shirt, lanyard and badge, as well as access to special events just for members. Kids Club Membership is just $25 for the year and is how youth season tickets can be purchased for volleyball, women's soccer, women's basketball, wrestling and softball.
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