School is back in session, and Mustangs athletics is approaching conference play as men’s soccer, women’s soccer, football and volleyball are all in action this weekend.
Women’s Soccer
The women’s soccer team is 9-3-1 in its last 13 matches dating back to 2010 and have one last tune up on Friday against Fresno State before the conference schedule starts on Sept. 30 with a match against Cal State Fullerton.
With the team playing well, senior forward Tiffany Gummow said the Mustangs were not making major changes, and instead, were working on narrowing the field, not getting too spread out and making it difficult for the opposition to dribble through.
The Mustangs were picked to finish sixth in the Big West this season, but they are using the low expectations to drive them in 2011.
“We are a very underestimated team,” Gummow said. “No one really expects us to do well, so we want to prove to everyone that we’re better.”
Gummow received some help in the forward position this year in the form of freshman Sara Lancaster who leads the team with 5 goals.
“I think it’s great to have some new blood,” Gummow said. “We have some good chemistry. She’s not a ‘freshman,’ she’s just a teammate and a great player.”
Chemistry is the word of choice for the players this season.
“As a team, we’re really coming together, especially these last couple weeks,” Lancaster said. “Everyone gets along and that’s a huge factor, on the field and off.”
In contrast to the men’s team, the women have been an offensive engine this year scoring a goal in all but one of their matches. The combination of youth and experience on the front line has helped the team score 18 times in 10 games.
The team has not lost since a 1-2 defeat on Sept. 4 against Saint Mary’s.
Football
Cal Poly football team faces a tough battle on the road against a Northern Illinois squad that defeated Fresno State in the Humanitarian Bowl last year.
Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams, such as the Huskies, defeat Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) teams more than 80 percent of the time.
But that does not mean an upset is out of the question. The Cal Poly Mustangs defeated San Diego State in 2006 and 2008 and missed three extra points in an overtime loss to Wisconsin in 2008.
At a press conference after the Mustangs’ victory over South Dakota State, head coach Tim Walsh said his team is mature enough to handle the pressure of facing an FBS school and is ready to continue winning football games no matter which team they play.
Andre Broadous effectively showed his abilities on Saturday, keeping the South Dakota State’s defense off-balance, going over the top to Jarred Houston for the Mustangs’ first score then rolling out of the pocket and scampering 23-yards for the second.
Cal Poly was more run-heavy against San Diego State in their first game of the season throwing the ball just 14 times. Broadous and back-up Doug Shumway passed 48 times on Saturday.
The Huskies are also 1-2 on the season and lost to No. 6 Wisconsin on Saturday.
Cal Poly owns a 1-2 record this year and with the FCS recommended seven Division I victories to qualify for a playoff spot, a loss on Saturday would force the Mustangs to run the table or be left out once again. The team has not made the postseason since 2008 when they were sent packing in the first round by Weber State.
Men’s Soccer
Goalkeeper Patrick McLain described the Mustangs’ match on Sunday against the Denver Pioneers as a must-win following a weekend tournament in Ohio and head coach Paul Holocher did not back down from the bold statement.
“It absolutely is a must-win,” Holocher said. “We need to approach it like it’s an NCAA tournament game. We need to go into conference with a winning record.”
While a loss does not necessarily remove the Mustangs from playoff contention, it is the Mustangs’ last opportunity to fine tune a struggling offense before they enter conference play.
The team, which lost its leading scorers David Zamora and Junior Burgos in 2010, defeated the Pioneers 1-0 in Denver last season.
Holocher said that he does not anticipate compromising the Mustangs’ defense in order to produce more goals because the shots have been there, they just have not reached the nylon in the back of the net.
“We are producing shots, if we weren’t I’d be more concerned,” Holocher said. “We are attacking, we are playing aggressive soccer.”
The team has out shot its opponents 97 to 53 while they lead their opponents in goals just 5 to 4.
Overall, Holocher was encouraged by the Mustangs’ performance against No. 4 ranked Akron as the team was not outplayed by a wide margin, but to move the program to the next level he said that those are the games Cal Poly needs to start winning.