Cal Poly Opens Big West Title Defense Tuesday Morning
8/4/2025 9:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
SAN LUIS OBISPO – Featuring one of the nation’s deepest returning squads, the defending Big West regular season champion Cal Poly men’s soccer program opens its 2025 preseason camp Tuesday morning.
The Mustangs, who welcome back all five All-Big West selections from last fall along with nine starters, 18 letterwinners and 79 percent of its 2024 goal production, enjoy 16 days of preparation ahead of the program’s Thursday, Aug. 21 regular season opener at San Jose State. In between, Cal Poly visits Pacific (Sunday, Aug. 10) and nationally-ranked Stanford (Saturday, Aug. 16) for exhibition tuneups.
Cal Poly’s 2024 record-setting defense – the Mustangs finished second nationally among 205 programs last fall with a 0.68 goals against average while recording nine shutouts – returns 2024 Big West Goalkeeper of the Year Nicky McCune, reigning Big West Defensive Player of the Year Parker Owens, senior Nico Baltazar and junior Joaquin Torres.
McCune, named by United Soccer Coaches on Friday as one of nine “Players to Watch” in goal this fall, closed 2024 with a program record 0.63 goals against average and conceded multiple goals in a match just twice in 19 appearances. Owens, a 2024 United Soccer Coaches All-Far West region selection alongside McCune, co-captained a side last season that conceded just seven times from open play in 19 matches. Baltazar, meanwhile, played all 1,730 minutes last year and scored twice while Torres averaged 90.0 minutes per outing and was one of five Mustangs to start all 19 matches.
In midfield, third-year Cal Poly head coach Oige Kennedy welcomes back defending Big West Freshman of the Year Quinn Mahoney, 2024 All-Big West first team pick Diego Guerra (above, center), senior Bakuena Ramakatsa and junior Jackson Miller. Mahoney led Cal Poly last season with four goals while Guerra added three. Ramakatsa and Miller started in 32 of a combined 37 appearances with the former providing two assists in his first season with the Mustangs.
Up front, senior Oren Stuppel (above, right) returns after scoring twice last season. Alternately, Cal Poly returns senior forward Luke Schaefer, who co-led Cal Poly with four goals in 2023 before being limited to two appearances last fall. Cal Poly’s offense is also buoyed by junior forward Sean McTague (two goals in 2023) and sophomore midfielder Rylen Firouznam (three goals in 2023) – both of whom missed last year following preseason injuries.
Cal Poly’s nine-player incoming class covers all positions of the field and includes three Division I transfers – graduate midfielder Nalu Mack (UC Santa Barbara), junior forward Jack Civitts and junior forward Keagan Rhodes (both Santa Clara) – one promoted Cal Poly club program player and five freshman.
We're live with our 2025 schedule! Four matchups against 2024 NCAA Tournament qualifiers and eight home games at Mustang Memorial Field ... including a Saturday, Oct. 18 showdown with rival UC Santa Barbara.#RideHigh
— Cal Poly Men’s Soccer (@CPMensSoccer) July 3, 2025
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