Sunday, October 6
Santa Barbara, CA
4 p.m.
4-3-4, 1-0-1
0
at
0
UC Santa Barbara
7-2-2, 1-0-1
1
2
F
Cal Poly
0
0
0
UC Santa Barbara
0
0
0
Team Stats
CP
UCSB
Goals
0
0
Shots
6
10
Shots on Goal
4
5
Saves
5
3
Corners
3
3
Fouls
11
15
Game Leaders
Shots
3
SOG
2
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
D
/ Men's SoccerMF
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's SoccerD
/ Men's Soccer
Mustangs Move into First with Blue-Green Draw
10/6/2024 7:55:00 PM | Men's Soccer
SANTA BARBARA – Junior goalkeeper Nicky McCune chalked up five saves Sunday afternoon to record his sixth shutout of the season as the Cal Poly men's soccer program, in front of 9,985 fans – the largest NCAA crowd of the year – extended its unbeaten run to seven successive matches with a scoreless draw against Blue-Green rival UC Santa Barbara at Harder Stadium.
Sophomore defender Joaquin Torres (above, left) led all players with two attempts on target – including an 84th minute effort – for the Mustangs (4-3-4, 1-0-1), whose seven-match unbeaten stretch is its lengthiest since an 11-game run in 2007.
With Sunday's draw, Cal Poly moved into a four-way tie atop the Big West table on four points alongside UC Santa Barbara, Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Bakersfield and recorded its first unbeaten regular season against the rival Gauchos since 2015.
"We fought and battled when we needed to and relied on some big defensive performances from our group," second-year Cal Poly head coach Oige Kennedy said. "Some good saves, some blocked shots, some fantastic one-versus-one defending – these are all things that we pride in our program and to see the boys relish these moments was fantastic."
Sunday's attendance mark of 9,985 fans also doubled as the 29th largest regular season crowd figure in NCAA history. This season, it eclipsed only the 9,657 fans who saw Cal Poly's 2-0 home victory against UC Santa Barbara on Sept. 28.
"What a fun game and atmosphere to get to play in," Kennedy said. "I think our boys were really excited by the crowd and the special atmosphere. To have nearly 20,000 people come out to watch college soccer between the two games is just unreal."
Cal Poly next returns home to host Sacramento State (Wednesday, Oct. 9) and UC Riverside (Saturday, Oct. 12). Kickoff both evenings on ESPN+ from Mustang Memorial Field at Spanos Stadium is 7 p.m.
"We can be happy with the start we've made in Big West play with four road points [this week], but we have to reset and focus in on the home games," Kennedy added. "It's a short turnaround, but our group will always be ready to compete and get after it."
With Sunday's matchup featuring the Big West's two stingiest defenses (both Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara have conceded just eight goals apiece this season), neither side mustered a shot attempt until McCune turned away Gauchos forward Alexis Ledoux in the 22nd minute.
The Mustangs registered their first attempts on target in the 50th with a lofted attempt from Torres finger-tipped over the crossbar by Gauchos goalkeeper David Mitzner before fellow defender Charlie Hogan was stopped seconds later.
Cal Poly freshman midfielder Quinn Mahoney then saw his first attempt of the evening corralled by Mitzner on 57 minutes.
UC Santa Barbara's best opportunity of the afternoon came in the 68th with defender Calle Mollerberg first striking the crossbar before McCune saved a ricochetted effort from forward Zac Siebenlist to keep the match scoreless.
McCune made two more saves in the 71st and a final stop on 87 minutes to preserve Cal Poly's road point.
Sophomore defender Joaquin Torres (above, left) led all players with two attempts on target – including an 84th minute effort – for the Mustangs (4-3-4, 1-0-1), whose seven-match unbeaten stretch is its lengthiest since an 11-game run in 2007.
With Sunday's draw, Cal Poly moved into a four-way tie atop the Big West table on four points alongside UC Santa Barbara, Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Bakersfield and recorded its first unbeaten regular season against the rival Gauchos since 2015.
"We fought and battled when we needed to and relied on some big defensive performances from our group," second-year Cal Poly head coach Oige Kennedy said. "Some good saves, some blocked shots, some fantastic one-versus-one defending – these are all things that we pride in our program and to see the boys relish these moments was fantastic."
Sunday's attendance mark of 9,985 fans also doubled as the 29th largest regular season crowd figure in NCAA history. This season, it eclipsed only the 9,657 fans who saw Cal Poly's 2-0 home victory against UC Santa Barbara on Sept. 28.
"What a fun game and atmosphere to get to play in," Kennedy said. "I think our boys were really excited by the crowd and the special atmosphere. To have nearly 20,000 people come out to watch college soccer between the two games is just unreal."
Cal Poly next returns home to host Sacramento State (Wednesday, Oct. 9) and UC Riverside (Saturday, Oct. 12). Kickoff both evenings on ESPN+ from Mustang Memorial Field at Spanos Stadium is 7 p.m.
"We can be happy with the start we've made in Big West play with four road points [this week], but we have to reset and focus in on the home games," Kennedy added. "It's a short turnaround, but our group will always be ready to compete and get after it."
With Sunday's matchup featuring the Big West's two stingiest defenses (both Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara have conceded just eight goals apiece this season), neither side mustered a shot attempt until McCune turned away Gauchos forward Alexis Ledoux in the 22nd minute.
The Mustangs registered their first attempts on target in the 50th with a lofted attempt from Torres finger-tipped over the crossbar by Gauchos goalkeeper David Mitzner before fellow defender Charlie Hogan was stopped seconds later.
Cal Poly freshman midfielder Quinn Mahoney then saw his first attempt of the evening corralled by Mitzner on 57 minutes.
UC Santa Barbara's best opportunity of the afternoon came in the 68th with defender Calle Mollerberg first striking the crossbar before McCune saved a ricochetted effort from forward Zac Siebenlist to keep the match scoreless.
McCune made two more saves in the 71st and a final stop on 87 minutes to preserve Cal Poly's road point.
Cal Poly vs. UC Davis, Men's Soccer Highlights -- Oct 1st, 2025
Thursday, October 02
Cal Poly vs. CSU Bakersfield, Men's Soccer Highlights -- Nov. 2nd, 2024
Sunday, November 03
Cal Poly vs. Sac St, Men's Soccer Highlights -- Oct. 9th, 2024
Thursday, October 10
Cal Poly vs. UCSB, Men's Soccer Highlights -- Sep. 28th, 2024
Sunday, September 29
