6-5-5, 3-2-2
UC Riverside
3-8-4, 1-5-1
Torres Goal Sends Cal Poly Past UC Riverside
10/22/2025 9:44:00 PM | Men's Soccer
RIVERSIDE – A 52nd-minute free kick from junior defender Joaquin Torres – his first goal of the season – marked the winning difference for the Cal Poly men’s soccer program as the Mustangs edged past UC Riverside Wednesday evening, 1-0.
Senior goalkeeper Nicky McCune produced four saves for Cal Poly (6-5-5, 3-2-2), which improved to 11 points in the Big West standings to move into a tie for fourth place alongside Cal State Bakersfield. With two regular season matches remaining, Cal Poly trails leader Cal State Fullerton (16 points), UC Santa Barbara (15) and UC Irvine (13).
Cal Poly returns to Mustang Memorial Field to host eighth-place CSUN on Sunday, Oct. 26. Kickoff for Cal Poly’s final regular season home matchup is 3 p.m.
“Extremely proud of how the guys played tonight. Their energy and commitment was first class throughout the game,” Cal Poly head coach Oige Kennedy said. “Obviously, when you have a setback in a previous result mixed with some injuries it has to be all about the reaction and the next man up and that was embodied by the boys tonight.
52' | Jooooooaquin! Torres free kick goal puts Cal Poly up 1-0 at UC Riverside!#RideHigh pic.twitter.com/KokzeopR3Q
— Cal Poly Men’s Soccer (@CPMensSoccer) October 23, 2025
“We’ve always been a group whose strength relies in the collective effort of the entire team. We’ve shown that with how some guys who haven’t played as much as they would have liked stepped in tonight.”
After McCune chalked up three first-half saves to keep Wednesday’s matchup scoreless at the break, Cal Poly utilized its only shot on target of the second half to collect all three points. With senior midfielder Cole Aman fouled at the top of the penalty box, Torres – playing just his sixth match of 2025 – and junior midfielder Jackson Miller stood over the dead ball before the former fired his third career goal into the top right corner of the UC Riverside net.
McCune then recorded his final save in the 78th minute before senior defender Jake Oetinger (right) sealed off Highlanders midfielder Jona Martinez with 15 seconds remaining following a pass over the top of Cal Poly’s defense.
90' | Jake Oetinger with the defense to preserve Cal Poly's 1-0 victory at UC Riverside!#RideHigh pic.twitter.com/qhb3Xo2vo3
— Cal Poly Men’s Soccer (@CPMensSoccer) October 23, 2025
Team Stats
Joaquin Torres (1)
GOAL by CPS Torres, Joaquin.
51:54
