Monday, August 28
San Luis Obispo, CA
4:30 p.m.
3
vs
5
Oral Roberts
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's Soccer
F/W
/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
F/W
/ Men's Soccer
Photo by: Owen Main
Mustangs Fall to Oral Roberts in Goal-Packed Season Opener
8/28/2023 8:22:00 PM | Men's Soccer
SAN LUIS OBISPO – Defender Nate Colley's penalty conversion after 45 seconds set the pace for a high-scoring encounter Monday afternoon, but the Cal Poly men's soccer program – despite leading Oral Roberts 3-1 after 13 minutes – conceded four unanswered goals and dropped the season opener at Mustang Memorial Field Presented by French Hospital, 5-3.
"We outlined to the guys at the start of the season that we'll be on a journey together with lots of positive moments and lots of moments we would want to have back. Tonight's game was a great representation of that," said first-year Mustang head coach Oige Kennedy, who made his regular season debut on the touchline Monday. "We scored some good goals and started the game from an attacking sense very strongly. We should a little immaturity at times defensively and we were punished for those moments by a very good team."
With Cal Poly opening the scoring from kickoff, an early cross from sophomore forward Sean McTague contacted the arm of Oral Roberts defender Vitor Turnes inside the penalty area. The captain Colley easily converted his second attempt from the spot in as many seasons for a 1-0 lead.
Despite Oral Roberts equalizing 46 seconds later through a looping attempt by midfielder Thiago Patto, Cal Poly struck back in the third minute as freshman midfielder Jackson Miller found sophomore forward Oren Stuppel, who – making just his second collegiate appearance and first start – scored his first career goal.
The Mustangs then went up 3-1 in the 13th as sophomore goalkeeper Nicky McCune – totaling a career high four saves Monday – launched a long upfield pass that found junior Jackson Kestler, who flicked on to fellow forward Luke Schaefer with the latter scoring his first career goal.
Cal Poly's 3-1 lead lasted just 19 seconds with a blocked shot from Patto falling for midfielder Reed Berry, who slammed his attempt past McCune. The Golden Eagles then tied the matchup in the 17th as forward Luis Flores took advantage of a misplayed passback attempt by the Mustangs.
Into the second half, Flores completed his brace in the 47th for a 4-3 Oral Roberts lead before midfielder Giovanni Herrera completed the scoring in the 67th.
"We had seven players make their collegiate debut tonight and they looked ready to compete at this level, which is really exciting," Kennedy said. "Our group will be excited to get back to work and prep for some more exciting opportunities this weekend in San Diego."
Cal Poly resumes action with a two-match road trip with action at San Diego State (Friday, Sept. 1) and San Diego (Monday, Sept. 4). Both games kick off at 7 p.m.
"We outlined to the guys at the start of the season that we'll be on a journey together with lots of positive moments and lots of moments we would want to have back. Tonight's game was a great representation of that," said first-year Mustang head coach Oige Kennedy, who made his regular season debut on the touchline Monday. "We scored some good goals and started the game from an attacking sense very strongly. We should a little immaturity at times defensively and we were punished for those moments by a very good team."
With Cal Poly opening the scoring from kickoff, an early cross from sophomore forward Sean McTague contacted the arm of Oral Roberts defender Vitor Turnes inside the penalty area. The captain Colley easily converted his second attempt from the spot in as many seasons for a 1-0 lead.
Despite Oral Roberts equalizing 46 seconds later through a looping attempt by midfielder Thiago Patto, Cal Poly struck back in the third minute as freshman midfielder Jackson Miller found sophomore forward Oren Stuppel, who – making just his second collegiate appearance and first start – scored his first career goal.
The Mustangs then went up 3-1 in the 13th as sophomore goalkeeper Nicky McCune – totaling a career high four saves Monday – launched a long upfield pass that found junior Jackson Kestler, who flicked on to fellow forward Luke Schaefer with the latter scoring his first career goal.
Cal Poly's 3-1 lead lasted just 19 seconds with a blocked shot from Patto falling for midfielder Reed Berry, who slammed his attempt past McCune. The Golden Eagles then tied the matchup in the 17th as forward Luis Flores took advantage of a misplayed passback attempt by the Mustangs.
Into the second half, Flores completed his brace in the 47th for a 4-3 Oral Roberts lead before midfielder Giovanni Herrera completed the scoring in the 67th.
"We had seven players make their collegiate debut tonight and they looked ready to compete at this level, which is really exciting," Kennedy said. "Our group will be excited to get back to work and prep for some more exciting opportunities this weekend in San Diego."
Cal Poly resumes action with a two-match road trip with action at San Diego State (Friday, Sept. 1) and San Diego (Monday, Sept. 4). Both games kick off at 7 p.m.
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