Mustang Sports
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The Cal Poly men’s soccer team hosted UC Santa Barbara in the 41st installment of the Blue-Green Rivalry on Sunday night in Alex G. Spanos Stadium.
The Gauchos (9-6-3, 5-2-2) clinched the Big West Conference Northern Division with a 2-0 win over Cal Poly. The Mustangs will hit the road to face UC Davis on Wednesday at 2 p.m. Cal Poly (8-6-4, 3-4-2) needs a win against the Aggies to have any chance of a postseason berth.
If you missed out on the action, read below for photos, tweets and in-game updates.
UCSB 1, Cal Poly 0
The Gauchos strike first.
Though UC Santa Barbara couldn’t capitalize on sophomore defender Sean Dhillon’s yellow card in the fifth minute, the Gauchos were quick to create a second scoring opportunity. In the sixth minute, sophomore midfielder Nick DePuy rolled one by Cal Poly’s goalkeeper Wade Hamilton, putting UC Santa Barbara on the board first.
UCSB 2, Cal Poly 0
With tortillas flying and iPhone flashlights flickering, Depuy continued his dominance. In the 22nd minute, the sophomore headed one into the top left corner of the net, giving the Gauchos a 2-0 lead. It’s the first time UC Santa Barbara has ever had a two-goal lead against Cal Poly in Spanos Stadium. Neither team has scored three goals against the other since 2007.
HALF: UCSB 2, Cal Poly 0
It’s been all UC Santa Barbara in the first frame. With two goals in the first 22 minutes, the Gauchos notched seven shots in the first half. Cal Poly found its legs in the final ten minutes and created more opportunities, though none were ultimately successful. The Mustangs have mustered only one shot on goal.
11,075 is the total attendance tonight, the 12th largest regular season crowd in NCAA men’s soccer history.
66:22 UCSB 2, Cal Poly 0
The Mustangs look sharper after halftime.
They’ve outshot UC Santa Barbara so far in the second frame, but their attempts have all been from at least 25 yards out. A corner kick from junior midfielder Chase Minter created a solid header opportunity for Kaba Alkebulan, though the ball found only air, soaring over the net.
In the 71st minute, UC Santa Barbara’s Armand Bagramyan received his second yellow card of the night, ejecting him from the match and forcing the Gauchos to play a man down for the remainder of the game.
85:00 UCSB 2, Cal Poly 0
The Mustangs are desperately firing shots, getting closer and closer each time. But the clock is ticking, and nothing seems to be going Cal Poly’s way. Junior midfielder Matt LaGrassa had a penalty kick opportunity in the 85th minute, but couldn’t find the net.
FINAL: UCSB 2, Cal Poly 0
