Graig MantleThe Cal Poly men’s soccer team hasn’t lost a game since toppling the defending national champion UC Santa Barbara on Oct. 17. It hasn’t won either.
On Saturday, the Mustangs pushed a scoreless game against UC Riverside into two overtimes resulting in a 0-0 tie.
Cal Poly (9-1-3, 4-0-2 Big West Conference) also tied the Highlanders (4-4-6, 1-2-4 BWC) 2-2 in the teams’ last meeting Oct. 6.
“They’re a tough team,” Cal Poly coach Paul Holocher said. “They’re a team that bends and doesn’t break.”
Despite its many chances to score, Cal Poly failed to put one in the net off of 13 shots.
“We worked hard, gave it a hundred percent. We just couldn’t finish our chances and that happens sometimes,” Mustang defender Josh Didion said. “We got a point, so, you know, that’s what matters.”
The Mustangs caught a break in the ninth minute when Kyle Montgomery was fouled in front of the box during an offensive transition.
The result was a direct penalty kick taken by freshman David Zamora.
Zamora’s shot was heading toward the inside of the right post, but UC Riverside’s Charles Alamo, a San Luis Obispo High School graduate, dove and was able to get a hand on the ball to deflect it out of bounds.
The play set up a Cal Poly corner kick. Montgomery placed the kick across and in front of the goal, but K.J. Lenehan failed to complete the header for the score.
Later in the half, Riverside crossed from the left. The ball got past Mustang goalkeeper Eric Branagan-Franco but Brian Jones was at the right post and headed the ball away from the goal to pick up a team save.
At the half, Cal Poly had taken seven shots, four of which were on the goal. Alamo was credited for saves on all four.
Zamora was credited for three of the shots on goal in the first half and Jose Garcia with the other.
In the second half, the Highlanders came out more aggressive by posting six shots on goal to Cal Poly’s two. The top shooter for UC Riverside was substitute forward Cito Soriano with three.
About midway through the second half, Cal Poly had several close scoring opportunities within minutes of each other.
“We got through them plenty of times. We were attacking the whole game,” Didion said. “I think we should have put a few goals in for sure.”
The most notable was on transition as Kyle Montgomery and Zamora were charging down the field during a two-on-one play. Montgomery kicked a pass out to Zamora on the right to set up a one-on-one play with Alamo.
Zamora’s shot was to the left side but bounced off of a Highlander and went out of bounds.
Cal Poly failed to score on the ensuing corner kick.
In the fifth minute of the second overtime Zamora leaned around a Riverside defender to head one into the net, which appeared to be a goal, but he was whistled offsides.
“I thought we might have had another (penalty kick) call that didn’t go our way,” Holocher said. “But, you know, that’s the game.”
Cal Poly finished the game with 13 shots to the Highlanders’ nine and outfouled UC Riverside 12-10. Cal Poly’s Julian Alvarez and UC Riverside’s Scott Dailey each drew a yellow card in the match.
With UC Santa Barbara’s 3-0 win over Cal State Northridge, the Gauchos have reclaimed first place in the Big West with 16 points. Cal Poly is second in the standings with 15 points and UC Davis trailing in a distant third with 10 points.
“We weren’t sharp enough in front of the goal,” Holocher said. “Our defense played great for 110 minutes of shutout soccer. We were just let down in our finishing.”
Cal Poly will head south for its next two games against Cal State Northridge 2 p.m. Wednesday and UC Santa Barbara Nov. 3 at 7 p.m.