Mustangs Advance to Big West Championship Semifinals with 2-0 Win

Wednesday, November 5

7 p.m.

9-5-5, 5-2-2

No. 6 UC San Diego

2-9-7, 2-2-5

UC San Diego

Cal Poly

Photo by: Owen Main

Mustangs Advance to Big West Championship Semifinals with 2-0 Win

11/5/2025 10:47:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

Cal Poly Men's Soccer

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SAN LUIS OBISPO – A 54th-minute goal from sophomore forward Finn Linas was followed by a 72nd-minute UC San Diego own goal as the third-seeded Cal Poly men’s soccer program advanced to the Big West Championship semifinals with a 2-0 first-round victory against the No. 6 Tritons Wednesday evening.

Two-time Big West Goalkeeper of the Year honoree Nicky McCune produced three saves for his ninth shutout of the season for Cal Poly (9-5-5), which will face No. 2 UC Irvine in the Saturday, Nov. 8 semifinal round. Kickoff from Anteater Stadium is 7 p.m.

Top-seeded UC Santa Barbara, which split the Big West regular season title alongside Cal Poly and UC Irvine, hosts No. 5 UC Davis in Saturday’s other semifinal.

The Big West Championship final is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 14 at the highest remaining seed.

Winners of four straight for the first time under third-year head coach Oige Kennedy, Cal Poly’s Wednesday win was its first at the Big West Championship since 2015.

54' | GOOOOOOAL Mustangs! Finn Linas with the breakthrough effort in tonight's Big West Championship first round matchup!#RideHigh pic.twitter.com/d3VWAWKLWi
— Cal Poly Men’s Soccer (@CPMensSoccer) November 6, 2025

“What we’ve wanted to see here every year is progression and these guys have taken the jersey and left it in a better place by showing how well they’ve done with back-to-back (regular season) championships,” Kennedy said. "It’s nothing to do with me. It’s to do with all these guys and how much effort and time they put into it.”

Cal Poly, which controlled 61 percent of Wednesday’s possession, forced UC San Diego goalkeeper Nic Thiele into three first-half saves while junior forward Sean McTague struck the crossbar in the 27th. Outshooting UC San Diego, 19-6, Cal Poly produced 11 first-half corner kick opportunities.

The Mustangs, however, found the breakthrough effort nine minutes into the second half. An initial shot attempt from junior forward Jack Civitts was parried away by Thiele, but the ball fell to Linas at the right post who tapped his second goal of 2025 over the line.

Cal Poly, which defeated UC San Diego at home during the regular season on Oct. 11, 4-0, doubled its lead 18 minutes from full time after a shot by freshman defender Michael Vick was blocked, but inadvertently played into the back of his own net by Tritons defender Keenai Braun.