Sunday, August 18
San Luis Obispo, CA
12 P.M.
vs
Fresno State
Photo by: Owen Main | Cal Poly Athletics
Mustang Women's Soccer Hosts Fresno State in Sunday Matinee
8/16/2024 5:30:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Home Match vs. Fresno State
Cal Poly Kickoff!
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SecsSAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — After grabbing a 1-1 draw against a tough Portland side in its season opener on Thursday night, the Cal Poly women's soccer team shifts its focus to Fresno State, who they host at noon Sunday at Mustang Memorial Field at Spanos Stadium.
Keep Up With Cal Poly Women's Soccer!
Sunday's match will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Jonathan Sze and Dylan Allen on the call. You can find links to live stats and the broadcast within this story and on the women’s soccer schedule page. Follow Cal Poly women's soccer and Instagram (@calpolysoccer) and on X (@CPWomensSoccer) for live updates throughout the match.
Scouting Report: Fresno State
- The Mustangs and Bulldogs are set to face off for the second straight year after the two teams played to a 1-1 draw in Fresno to open the 2023 season — the first regular season meeting between the two programs in nearly eight years.
- Cal Poly leads the all-time series 10-5-1 and is unbeaten in its last three matches against the Bulldogs.
- Fresno State is coming off a 5-9-6 campaign in 2023 that saw them post a 4-4-3 record in Mountain West play and fall in the quarterfinals of their conference tournament. Seniors Julia Hardwick, Jordan Lau and Kaelyn Miller were all named to the Mountain West preseason watch list for the Bulldogs.
- This is the season opener for Fresno State.
Quick Hitters from Thursday's Season Opener
- Senior Emily Nedom scored her fourth career goal in the 1-1 season-opening draw against Portland.
- In her collegiate debut, freshman midfielder Kiki Vostermans recorded her first career point and assist on Nedom's tally.
- Five field players played all 90 minutes in Thursday's match — seniors Emma Brown and Aynsley Conner, junior Brennan Cole, redshirt sophomore Sophia Minnite and freshman Lilly Cole.
- Brown made her 45th consecutive start Thursday.
- Senior goalkeeper Mackenzie Samuel made her 47th appearance and 46th start in net for the Mustangs.
The Most Returners in the Nation
- Experience is certainly something the Mustangs won’t be lacking this fall. Cal Poly returns 26 letterwinners, 10 starters and 90 percent of its goal production from its 2023 team that advanced to the program’s ninth Big West Championship match, tied for the most all-time in conference history.
- In total, the Mustangs boast 30 returners, the most of any team in Division I this season.
- Cal Poly returns all seven of its All-Big West honorees from a year ago — senior defender Emma Brown, senior forward Kate Reedy, senior goalkeeper Mackenzie Samuel, junior defender Camryn Penn, redshirt sophomore midfielder Sophia Minnite, sophomore forward Annika Smith and sophomore midfielder Sophia Moness.
- Cal Poly has 39 players on the team this season — tied for the second most in the nation — with only nine newcomers, eight freshmen and one transfer.
Brown, Reedy Receive Preseason Praise
- Seniors Kate Reedy and Emma Brown both earned a spot on the 11-player All-Big West Preseason Coaches Team released Monday, marking the first time since 2022 the program has had multiple players secure preseason honors.
- For Reedy, this is her first time receiving All-Big West preseason accolades. Last year, the All-Big West Second Team honoree led the entire conference in game-winning goals (three), tied for the team lead in goals (five) and was second on the team in points (13).
- Brown grabbed an All-Big West Preseason selection for the second straight season. The center back was also one of 26 players in Division I tabbed as a “Defender to Watch” by the United Soccer Coaches ahead of the upcoming season. Brown is the reigning Big West Defensive Player of the Year and started in all 21 matches for the Mustangs a year ago, playing every minute in 19 of them and racking up 1,837 total minutes on the pitch, the most on the team among field players.
The Mustangs' Returning Offensive Firepower
- Cal Poly’s top seven point-getters from a year ago are all back this season, including Jessie Halladay who led the team in points with five goals and four assists.
- In 2023, the Mustangs set a program record for players to record a point in a season (21) and matched a 27-year-old program record for goal scorers in a season (15).
Building Through the Backline
- Cal Poly will rely heavily on its experience-laden backline this season, as the team brings back three of its four starters from a year ago — center backs Aynsley Conner and Emma Brown and outside back Camryn Penn.
- Between the three of them, the trio boasts 137 appearances and 130 starts across their Cal Poly careers.
- Brown and Conner are two of the Mustangs’ three captains this season, along with senior McKenna Carbon.
- Brown, a two-time All-Big West First Team selection, has logged over 5,220 minutes on the pitch during her career without receiving a card.
One Last Ride for Coach Crozier
- The Mustangs will have a little extra motivation on the pitch this fall as head coach Alex Crozier announced back in June that he will retire at the end of the 2024 season after 33 years at the helm.
- The only head coach in the history of the Cal Poly women’s soccer program, Crozier has been named the Big West Coach of the Year a record six times and enters the 2024 season ranked 23rd nationally in career victories among active Division I head coaches and No. 42 all-time with a 321-223-67 overall record.
- Crozier has led the Mustangs to 10 regular season conference championships, six NCAA Tournament appearances and three Big West Tournament titles, and he has the most career victories among Big West coaches all-time, both in conference play (127-66-30) and overall.
- He is one of the longest active tenured women’s soccer head coaches in all of Division I and has coached long enough to mentor the daughters of some of his former players.
- Cal Poly is seeking its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 20 years in Crozier’s final season this fall.
Cal Poly remains at home to host No. 11 UCLA at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 22, capping off a three-match homestand to open the season. To celebrate soccer on the Central Coast, all soccer teams (youth, adult, recreation and competitive) are invited to attend the match for just $10 with the promo code CCSAN or by purchasing tickets HERE! Youth teams that sign up HERE will be recognized at halftime of the match!
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
