Six Mustangs Earn All-Big West Praise in Historic Haul
11/5/2024 12:37:00 PM | Men's Soccer
SAN LUIS OBISPO – The Big West regular season champion Cal Poly men’s soccer team collected two-thirds of individual all-conference honors Tuesday afternoon with junior goalkeeper Nicky McCune (Goalkeeper of the Year), sophomore Parker Owens (Defender of the Year) and midfielder Quinn Mahoney (Freshman of the Year) earning distinction while Oige Kennedy was honored with the program’s first Big West Coach of the Year award.
McCune and Owens were also named to the All-Big West first team alongside sophomore midfielder Diego Guerra. Mahoney was also selected to the second team and all-freshman team while junior defender Nico Baltazar earned Big West honorable mention praise.
As a program, Cal Poly claimed its first Big West regular season title and earned the top seed for the conference championship after junior forward Conner Lisenbee’s 87th-minute goal provided the Mustangs a 1-0 win against Cal State Bakersfield in the Nov. 2 regular season finale.
The Mustangs host either No. 4 UC Davis or No. 5 Cal State Bakersfield in the Big West Championship semifinals on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. Should the Mustangs advance, they would also host the Friday, Nov. 15 title matchup.
Six Mustangs earned All-Big West praise Tuesday as Cal Poly took a record four individual honors:
— Cal Poly Men’s Soccer (@CPMensSoccer) November 5, 2024
1?Nicky McCune: Goalkeeper of the Year
2?Parker Owens: Defender of the Year
3?Quinn Mahoney: Freshman of the Year
4?Oige Kennedy: Coach of the Year#RideHigh https://t.co/0AEGYbLQpq
McCune, enjoying the finest season by a Cal Poly goalkeeper in program history, enters the postseason ranked second among NCAA Division I goalkeepers with a 0.62 goals against average, third with eight shutouts and fifth with a .833 save percentage. A four-time Big West Defensive Player of the Week honoree, McCune’s 0.62 goals against average remains the top mark in program single season history while his eight solo shutouts rank one shy of the program record set by Eric Branagan-Franco in 2007 and equaled by the standout a year later.
Nicky McCune ... your 2024 Big West Goalkeeper of the Year and an All-Big West first team pick!
— Cal Poly Men’s Soccer (@CPMensSoccer) November 5, 2024
- Second in Division I with a 0.62 goals against average;
- Third with eight shutouts;
- Fifth with a .833 save percentage;
- 4x Big West Defensive Player of the Week.#RideHigh pic.twitter.com/cfFLy4Lfjl
Owens, one of five Mustangs to start all 18 matches alongside McCune, Guerra, Baltazar and sophomore Joaquin Torres, became Cal Poly’s first Big West Defensive Player of the Year honoree since Barrymore Matthews in 2001. Assisting Cal Poly to nine shutouts – one shy of the program record set in 2007 – Owens is a member of a backline that has conceded just 12 times (five goals fewer than the program record of 17 allowed in 2011). Offensively, Owens – co-captain with senior midfielder Nate Colley – is second in the lineup with three assists and scored his first career goal in a 3-1 home victory against Sacramento State (Oct. 9).
Cal Poly's first Big West Defensive Player of the Year honoree in 23 seasons and a member of the All-Big West first team after assisting the Mustangs to nine shutouts ... sophomore Parker Owens!#RideHigh pic.twitter.com/I5Ze2e0s8X
— Cal Poly Men’s Soccer (@CPMensSoccer) November 5, 2024
Mahoney, Cal Poly’s leading scorer with four goals and ranked second among conference players with 43 shot attempts and fourth with five assists, is the program’s first Big West Freshman of the Year awardee since Christian Enriquez in 2016.
Your 2024 Big West Freshman of the Year and a member of both the All-Big West second team and All-Freshman team ... midfielder Quinn Mahoney!#RideHigh pic.twitter.com/3c2kzTdHZu
— Cal Poly Men’s Soccer (@CPMensSoccer) November 5, 2024
Kennedy, in just his second season as Cal Poly head coach, guided the program to its first Big West title of either kind and a nine-game unbeaten run from Sept. 5-Oct. 12 while the Mustangs matched a program record by sustaining just one Big West loss in nine outings. Cal Poly was unbeaten at home (5-0-2) during the regular season – conceding just twice – and completed the program’s first undefeated season against rival UC Santa Barbara since 2015.
After directing Cal Poly to its first Big West regular season title, an undefeated home mark and just one setback in the final 14 matches, Oige Kennedy was named Big West Coach of the Year - Cal Poly's first in program history!#RideHigh pic.twitter.com/1RtWQk1y7Z
— Cal Poly Men’s Soccer (@CPMensSoccer) November 5, 2024
Guerra, a Big West All-Freshman Team selection last fall, ranks second in Cal Poly’s lineup with three goals, contributing game-winning strikes in home wins against San Jose State (Sept. 5) and Sacramento State (Oct. 9).
A starter in all 18 matches, second in the lineup with three goals and with two game-winning strikes, sophomore Diego Geurra earned All-Big West first team praise!#RideHigh pic.twitter.com/ehnIbvleud
— Cal Poly Men’s Soccer (@CPMensSoccer) November 5, 2024
Baltazar, who joined the Mustangs during the offseason from two-year El Camino College, has played the 90 minutes in all 18 regular season matches. Having helped Cal Poly’s defense concede just six goals from open play this year, the Mustangs rank second among 205 Division I programs with a 0.67 goals against average. The 12 total goals allowed by Cal Poly this year also rank as the second lowest total in Division I. Offensively, Baltazar scored his first Cal Poly goal in the program 3-0 home win against Gonzaga (Sept. 8).
Playing every minute in the regular season and helping Cal Poly's defense rank second in Division I with a 0.67 goals against average, Nico Baltazar was named All-Big West honorable mention!#RideHigh pic.twitter.com/gMnDEqSJPv
— Cal Poly Men’s Soccer (@CPMensSoccer) November 5, 2024
