The Cal Poly men’s soccer team bounced back after a scoreless first quarter and took three shots in the second half, but eventually lost 4-2 to the UC Irvine Saturday at Irvine.
Cal Poly’s defense was insufficient as they allowed 20 shots by the Anteaters, 10 of which were on goal.
“Saturday night we were scoreless, but showed how we can be by closing the gap to 2-3,” coach Wolfgang Gartner said.
The Mustangs fell to 0-8 in the Big West Conference and 4-13 overall. The team has failed to win a game since Sept. 25 at San Jose State.
“We have an extremely young lineup on the field,” Gartner said. “They are a promising group.”
With the exception of two players, the entire starting lineup is made up of underclassmen.
The Mustangs scored two goals against the Anteater’s defense. Defender/mid-fielder Justin Woodward scored Cal Poly’s first goal after defender Marcus Griffin rebounded a ball for an assist. Then Woodward assisted mid-fielder/forward Mike Marchione for his first goal of the season.
Mustang goalie Jeremy Coupe recorded four saves against the Anteaters’ defense. UC Irvine’s goalie Ryan Mathy recorded one save.
The Mustangs return to action at home on Nov. 4, taking on UC Riverside at 7 p.m. Cal Poly lost to UC Riverside 1-2 earlier this season.
“We have a good chance to win the next two home games,” Gartner said. “We will take it from there.”