Mustangs Open 2025 Regular Season Thursday at San Jose State
8/20/2025 9:43:00 AM | Men's Soccer
SAN LUIS OBISPO – Returning all five All-Big West selections from last fall along with nine starters, 18 letterwinners and 79 percent of its 2024 goal production, the Cal Poly men’s soccer program – under the direction of third-year head coach Oige Kennedy – opens the 2025 regular season Thursday, Aug. 21 at San Jose State. Kickoff for Big West regular season champion Cal Poly is 7 p.m. from Spartan Soccer Complex (stream and live stat links above). Beginning a four-match road trip with Thursday’s contest, Cal Poly – selected second in the Big West Preseason Coaches’ Poll – closed the 2024 season unbeaten in six of its last seven games away from home.
PRESEASON IN PERSEPCTIVE: Starting its preseason camp Aug. 5, Cal Poly contested two exhibition warmups, first enjoying five different goalscorers in a 5-0 road triumph at Pacific (Aug. 10) before sustaining a 1-0 setback at Stanford (Aug. 16).
CAL POLY VERSUS SAN JOSE STATE: Dating to 2003, the Mustangs take a nine-match unbeaten run against the Spartans into Thursday’s season opener. Cal Poly has won four straight in the series and five of the last seven. Behind a 35th-minute strike from junior midfielder Diego Guerra, Cal Poly prevailed in last season’s Sept. 5 home matchup, 1-0.
DEFENSE IN FOCUS: Fueling Cal Poly’s 2024 Big West title run was a record-setting defensive effort that posted new program marks for fewest goals allowed per game (0.68) and fewest goals conceded (13). Cal Poly allowed just seven total goals in its final 15 games of 2024 without conceding more than a solitary goal in any of those outings.
LOOKING AHEAD: Following a nine-day break, Cal Poly resumes its season-opening road trip Saturday, Aug. 30 at California Baptist. Kickoff on ESPN+ is 7:30 p.m. in the first Division I meeting between the two sides.
Two Mustangs were selected among https://t.co/rJ3iG6kx73's Men's National Top 100 players with senior goalkeeper Nicky McCune ranked No. 10 and junior defender Parker Owens at No. 37!#RideHigh
— Cal Poly Men’s Soccer (@CPMensSoccer) August 19, 2025
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