The bounces finally went the Mustangs way on Wednesday night as the men’s soccer team defeated No. 7 UC Irvine. It was the first time Cal Poly defeated the Anteaters away from home since Nov. 3, 2004. Three days after the team hit the crossbar three times in a 3-1 loss to Denver, Patrick Sigler found the back of the net on a penalty kick in the 53rd minute.
The team played the final 33 minutes with 10 men after defender Cameron Walters received a red card.
The Mustangs were outshot for just the second time this season as the Anteaters attempted 18 shots while Cal Poly had just three, but the team managed hold strong on defense to capture the win. True freshman goalkeeper Chase Hauser started in goal and made eight saves. It was the first Division I start of his career.
Cal Poly last defeated the Anteaters in 2007 when the Mustangs won a 3-2 match at home.
The team will have the rest of the weekend off to prepare for a Wednesday night match against UC Davis at home in Alex G. Spanos stadium.
Head coach Paul Holocher said in a press conference he has never seen anything like the misfortune the Mustangs have run into this season in reference to the multiple shots off the post.
Other Mustang athletics will take on Big West opponents this weekend.
Women’s Volleyball
Interim head coach Caroline Walters has 11 matches under her belt as the team enters its first home Big West games with Walters at the helm. The team faces UC Davis at 7 p.m. on Friday, then turns its sights on Pacific for a match the following night.
Last weekend, the Mustangs dropped to 0-2 in the Big West with losses to Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton. The 49ers were picked to finish atop the conference in the preseason coaches poll, while the Mustangs were predicted to be the runner-up, receiving two first-place votes.
Sophomore Kristina Graven leads the team with 203 kills through 15 matches with junior Jennifer Keddy having 179 of her own. The team slightly edges its opponents in hitting percentage (.194 to .193), but, statistically, the Mustangs are outplayed with nearly 100 fewer kills than their opposition.
The Mustangs finished third in the Big West last season and missed out on an NCAA tournament berth for a third consecutive year. Former head coach Jon Stevenson was relieved of his coaching duties earlier this month amid allegations of sexual harassment and unprofessional conduct.
Women’s Soccer
One of the surprises this fall for Mustangs athletics has been the women’s soccer team, which was picked to finish sixth in the Big West. Despite the lack of confidence from other coaches in the league, the women exit their non-conference schedule with a 6-4-1 record.
The team opens Big West play in Alex G. Spanos Stadium with a pair of matches this weekend. On Friday, Cal Poly faces Cal State Fullerton at 7 p.m. The Mustangs fell to the Titans in 2010 in a 1-0 match.
The team finishes off the weekend set with a match against Long Beach State. The Mustangs tied the 49ers 1-1 in a double-overtime game last October. The match begins at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Senior midfielder Tiffany Gummow leads the team in goals with six, but freshman Sara Lancaster is close behind with five.
Men’s and Women’s Golf
Both the men’s and women’s golf teams compete in the San Luis Obispo area this Sunday in the Cal Poly Firestone Invitational. Twelve men’s and seven women’s teams, all from the West Coast, will descend on the Monarch Dunes Golf Club in Nipomo, Calif. for the event hosted by the Mustangs.