6-2-8, 4-2-1
Long Beach State
5-6-3, 2-2-2
Cal Poly Moves into Tie for Second With Shutout Win at LBSU
10/16/2025 10:30:00 PM | Women's Soccer
LONG BEACH, Calif. — Midfielder Madelyn Dougherty sent a volley to the back of the net and the Mustangs earned their seventh shutout of the season as the Cal Poly women’s soccer team secured a 1-0 victory at Long Beach State on Thursday night.
With the win, the Mustangs (6-2-8, 4-2-1 Big West) moved into a tie for second place in the Big West standings with 13 points. They trail first place CSUN (6-6-3, 4-0-2 BW) by just 1 point with three matches remaining in their season.
“Massive road win at a really hard place to play,” head coach Bernardo Silva said after the match, “… really proud of the gritty performance.”
It was Cal Poly’s second straight shutout victory and their seventh of the year, the team’s most since recording 10 during the 2022 season — when they claimed their first outright Big West regular season title in nine years.
“This team, we work so hard,” Dougherty said after the match. “Bernardo preaches the effort, the grit, the dog and I think we just brought that out tonight, and we’re going to keep bringing it out.”
In the 21st minute of Thursday’s match, senior forward Jessie Halladay played the ball back to sophomore defender Ava Mirelez on the far-left side, who sent a booming cross from well over 30 yards out into the box. The ball found Dougherty, who fired a volley with her right foot off the bottom of the crossbar and into the back of the net to finish off a perfectly executed goal by the Mustangs.
“We had a really thought-out scout,” Dougherty said, “and part of it was just being ready for the ball coming on the weak side and they weren’t tracking me so I was just kind of waiting for that ball to come in … and Ava sent a beautiful ball in.”
The goal was Dougherty’s fourth of the season and seventh of her collegiate career. Mirelez earned her first collegiate point and assist on the tally, while Halladay registered her third assist of the season and the 10th of her career. With the assist, Halladay moved in a tie with teammate Annika Smith for the Big West lead in points this season. Currently, the Mustangs boast the top three point scorers in the conference — Halladay (17), Smith (17) and Dougherty (15).
The Mustangs were able to stave off the Beach (5-6-3, 2-2-2 BW) the rest of the way thanks to some stellar defensive play, holding LBSU to just four shots on goal in the match.
“Huge defensive effort by the whole group,” Silva said, “… like I said before, defenses win championships and I think we have a really clear understanding within our team of that concept right now, so really excited to continue to build upon what we’ve been able to find internally to be able to close out games.”
Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Shannon Porubski — the reigning Big West Freshman of the Week — made four saves to secure her sixth clean sheet of the season.
Halladay’s assist allowed her to move into a tie with Camille Lafaix (2019-22) for 15th on Cal Poly’s all-time points list with 42.
Halladay, seniors Brennan Cole and Sophia Minnite, and redshirt sophomore Siena Urzua were the only field players for the Mustangs that never stepped off the pitch in the match.
Cal Poly continues its Southern California road trip on Sunday when the team visits UC Irvine for a 1 p.m. showdown with the Anteaters. The two teams are currently tied for second place in the Big West standings and the match will be televised live on ESPN+.
Team Stats
Madelyn Dougherty (4)
Assisted By: Ava Mirelez , Jessie Halladay
Chip over keeper off of long entry from left
20:16
