Amelia Parreira
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The Cal Poly women’s soccer team (6-7-0) dropped its second Big West Conference game to Cal State Northridge (5-7-1) in a double-overtime thriller on Sunday in Alex G. Spanos Stadium, losing 2-1.
Heat was a major factor in the match. With temperatures in the mid-90s, the referee implemented water breaks throughout, but the players were visibly affected by the tough conditions.
Despite the slow start, the action culminated in the 27th minute when sophomore midfielder Lydia Anderson, assisted by freshman defender Emily Hansen, put away her first goal of the season.
“I haven’t scored since my freshman year, so it was surreal,” Anderson said.
The second half was nothing but a powerhouse of aggression. In the 52nd minute, Matador forward Breanna McCallum received a yellow card for colliding with junior goalkeeper Alyssa Giannetti. Just three minutes later, the Matadors were penalized again after a violent knockdown of sophomore defender Kendra Bonsall.
The second half was not only aggressive, but also resulted in a rally of possession switch-offs and attempted shots. The back-and-forth action resulted in 13 total Cal Poly shots.
After a foul on Cal Poly near its defending goal, the Matadors’ junior defender Kendall Moskal, assisted by sophomore midfielder Kourtney Kutscher, booted one into the net, tying the game at 1-1 in the 75th minute.
Since 90 minutes passed with no team in the lead, golden-goal overtime was next. The brutality of the heat continued to show, and 20 more minutes of play took its toll. In the second 10-minute overtime period, the Matadors were able to slip a game-winning goal past Giannetti.
“Northridge came out and did a good job at what they do,” Cal Poly head coach Alex Crozier said. “I knew they were better than their record.”
After keeping the lead for the majority of the game, the loss left the Mustangs disheartened.
“It was disappointing,” Anderson added. “In the end, we were a more skilled team, but we let ourselves down.”
Cal Poly will return to Spanos Stadium to play its next conference game against UC Davis on Oct. 10 at 7 p.m.