The Cal Poly women’s soccer team (4-4-0) notched a 4-0 victory Sunday afternoon against winless Weber State.
Despite Weber State’s struggles so far this season, they were able to challenge Cal Poly early on. Weber State posted two shots on goal by the four-minute mark, while maintaining possession of the ball and fending off the Cal Poly offense. On paper, Weber State seemed determined to earn their first win.
To add momentum for Weber State, Cal Poly’s challenge became greater when their leading scorer, senior forward Whitney Sisler, was escorted off the field with an injury after a collision with a Weber State defender.
Sisler has been Cal Poly’s main offensive weapon this season. She leads the team with six goals and 12 points on 15 shots. Her most notable goals include the go-ahead goal against San Jose State and two goals against Long Island in the Hawai’i tournament.
Despite Sisler’s absence, Cal Poly was able to turn the game around and establish control of the game. Ten different Cal Poly players recorded shots, and four of their six shots on goal found their way into the back of the net. Cal Poly outshot Weber State 15 to 6 in the game, holding them to only two shots in the entire second half. Weber State’s only shot on goal in the half came with 11 seconds remaining.
Bianca Burright scored Cal Poly’s first goal in the 19th minute with a shot into the upper left corner of the net. It was Burright’s third goal of the season and the goal was complemented with two assists later in the game. The go-ahead-goal helped Cal Poly to snap their own three-game losing streak.
“The season has been a little rough,” Burright said. “We lost a couple players with injuries so getting back on our feet again felt good … (Sisler) has been a big asset to our team but we have players that can step up.”
Her teammates echoed her words, as senior Morgan Miller and sophomores Haley Walker and Lauren Miller all scored their first goals of the season against Weber State.
Morgan Miller scored the second goal of the game with less than four minutes left in the first half off of an assist from Julie McKee.
Walker scored in the 75th minute, with assists from Burright and Cristina Farrington from the right corner of the field.
The fourth and final goal from Lauren Miller came with two minutes remaining off a deflected shot from Burright. The goal capped off a convincing win, both offensively and defensively, for Cal Poly.
Junior goalkeeper Brooke Gauvin posted her second shutout of the season while playing all 90 minutes. She had four saves on six shots. Her other complete game shutout was a 2-0 win against San Jose State.
Head coach Alex Crozier said he remained confident Cal Poly would persevere through the rough start to the game.
“I never felt like our team wasn’t going to get it done. Although I thought we didn’t play that well in the first half, we did much better in the second half,” Crozier said.
The players were all excited after the game for their strong performance and were eager for their next game, Morgan Miller said.
“The team was stoked to win at home, which is always fun for us, and we are ready to dominate this season,” Morgan Miller said.
The Mustangs’ next game will be on the road versus Pepperdine, Friday Sept. 24.