Amelia Parreira
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The Cal Poly women’s soccer team (5-6-0) outplayed San Francisco (4-5-2) on Sunday, defeating the Dons 3-1 in Alex G. Spanos Stadium.
After a shaky start, junior forward Elise Krieghoff slotted home a pass from freshman midfielder Katarina Drake in the 23rd minute.
“Getting the goal calmed us down,” Krieghoff said.
The goal is Krieghoff’s 10th of the season and 42nd in her Cal Poly career. She is four goals away from taking the top spot on Cal Poly’s all-time goals list in just her third year of collegiate soccer.
The Cal Poly defense remained strong throughout the first half, limiting the Dons to just seven shots and one corner kick.
The beginning of the second half proved to be just as fortunate for the Mustangs, as sophomore forward Megan Abutin scored in the 48th minute.
After going back and forth for the majority of the second half, Abutin scored her second goal of the game in the 88th minute. Abutin is the Mustangs’ second-leading scorer, with five on the season.
“It felt nice to get (the ball) in the back of the net,” Abutin said.
Junior goalkeeper Alyssa Giannetti was unable to maintain the shutout, however, as the Dons’ sophomore midfielder Amanda Whittle put one into the Mustangs’ net. Giannetti, second on the Cal Poly all-time saves list, added a season-high eight more to her already impressive total.
Though the win gave the Mustangs a confidence boost, head coach Alex Crozier still looks to improve performance in preparation for their first Big West Conference game against Long Beach State.
“It was a good win, (but) there’s still some areas we’ve got to clean up a bit,” Crozier said.
The Mustangs were dynamic going forward, taking a total of 17 shots against San Francisco, 11 of which were on goal.
Cal Poly faces Long Beach State on Oct. 3 at 6 p.m.