2-0-7, 0-0-0
Seattle
4-0-4, 0-0-0
Cal Poly Caps Unbeaten Nonconference Season with Thrilling Draw Against Seattle
9/14/2025 11:55:00 PM | Women's Soccer
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — The Cal Poly women’s soccer team made history in thrilling fashion on Sunday night against Seattle as senior Julia Moore buried an equalizing goal with 10 seconds left to allow the Mustangs to finish unbeaten in nonconference play this season.
Trailing 3-2 in the dying moments of the match, graduate student Madelyn Dougherty played a ball from about 40 yards out toward the top of the penalty box. From there, junior Annika Smith flicked the ball forward and found a streaking Moore, who flew past the Seattle backline and blasted home a shot toward the bottom right post.
The goal from Moore allowed Cal Poly (2-0-7) to secure a 3-3 draw against a talented Seattle team (4-0-4) after trailing 3-1 for over 17 minutes in the second half. With the result, the Mustangs remain unbeaten through nine matches this season, tied for their longest unbeaten streak to open a season in program history. It’s also their longest unbeaten streak overall since starting the 2005 season 6-0-3.
This is the first time in program history Cal Poly has gone unbeaten in nonconference play during a season.
“We set out a really challenging nonconference schedule,” head coach Bernardo Silva said after the match, “and so to come out of it unbeaten is absolutely incredible, and it’s a credit to the team and players who’ve been putting in work with me and my staff since January.”
The seven draws are a new single-season program record and are currently the most in the country this season. Cal Poly — along with Seattle — is now just one of 18 teams in the nation yet to suffer a loss this season.
“I think we’ve pretty much experienced all sorts of ties in this nonconference season,” Silva said. “There’s been some good time ties, some not so great ties, this one felt like a great tie because of the resilience, grit and fight that the team showed.”
For Moore — the Senior Night savior — the goal was her second as a Mustang and the 10th of her collegiate career. The Santa Cruz, Calif. native bested Monserrat Hernandez Marquez (2022, 16 seconds left) for the latest equalizing goal in program history, and she said the dramatic equalizer was a result of the Mustangs’ commitment to never giving up.
“We talk about putting in the work in the game and you’ll get that bounce, you’ll get that touch,” Moore said, “and you don’t get that finish without putting in the work collectively as a team throughout that whole game, so I think that was a special moment not only for me, but the whole team.”
Cal Poly struck first in the match in the 14th minute when senior Brennan Cole headed home a corner kick played into the box by Dougherty. It was Cole’s second goal of the season and the fourth of her career.
The Mustangs carried the 1-0 lead and an 11-2 shot advantage into halftime. But the Redhawks found life early in the second half, scoring three goals in less than 11 minutes to take a 3-1 lead in the 59th minute.
With the match slipping away and momentum all in Seattle’s favor, Cal Poly dug deep and found a way to stay in it.
Phenom Jessie Halladay cut the deficit in half in the 76th minute, intercepting a pass off a deflection just outside the 18-yard box and blasting home a shot to make it 3-2 Seattle. It was Halladay’s Big-West leading fifth goal of the season and the 14th of her career. She also leads the Big West in points (12), shots per match (32) and points per match (1.71).
The Mustangs were on the hunt in the final 10 minutes of action before finally finding an equalizer. Bouncing back after surrendering three second-half goals and securing a draw says a lot about the character of the team, Moore said.
“I think that took a lot of heart from this group,” she said.
Dougherty recorded two assists on the night and now has five this season, which leads the conference.
Halladay finished with a game-high eight shots and played all 90 minutes.
Prior to the match, Cal Poly honored its nine seniors — Alyssa Szarlacki, Brennan Cole, Julia Moore, Madelyn Dougherty, Caylie Button, Jessie Halladay, Sophia Minnite, Camryn Penn and Emily Lieber.
“Obviously, you always want to win the game, but that tie is a tremendous effort and it’s a product of a lot of work that we’ve been putting in since January, so we’re definitely ready for conference play.”
Cal Poly travels to Blue-Green rival UC Santa Barbara (7-1-1) at 7 p.m. Thursday for its Big West opener.
Team Stats
Brennan Cole (2)
Assisted By: Madelyn Dougherty
GOAL by CP Cole, Brennan Assist by Dougherty, Madelyn.
13:47
Caroline Penner (6)
Assisted By: Kyla Schuster
GOAL by SEA Penner, Caroline Assist by Schuster, Kyla.
47:35
Kyla Schuster (1)
GOAL by SEA Schuster, Kyla.
51:42
Kailee Wilson (3)
GOAL by SEA Wilson, Kailee.
58:10
Jessie Halladay (5)
GOAL by CP Halladay, Jessie.
75:37
Julia Moore (2)
Assisted By: Annika Smith , Madelyn Dougherty
GOAL by CP Moore, Julia Assist by Smith, Annika and Dougherty, Madelyn.
89:50
