The Cal Poly men’s soccer team (8-8-1, 6-2-0 BWC) came out firing for a 3-0 shutout of the UC Riverside Highlanders (1-13-1, 0-6-1) on Wednesday. With the win Cal Poly maintains a tie for the lead in the Big West with UC Santa Barbara.
The Mustangs performed aggressively in the first half, scoring their first goal only 2:36 into the game. Junior forward Tim White put in the first goal for after an assist by junior forward David Zamora.
The Mustangs kept the ball on the Highlanders’ side of midfield, not allowing a Highlander shot on goal until the twenty-second minute of the game. The Mustangs passing and defensive strategy were a focus for the game this week, White said. He felt they were especially effective in the first half.
“We’ve been taking it one game at a time,” White said. “When you do that you don’t get overwhelmed by the pressures of the season,” he said.
The game marks the first even record the Mustangs have had all season.
The Mustang attack continued as freshman midfielder Michael Hocker got a yellow card on a loose ball for cleating the Highlander’s starting keeper Cody Suppe, who had to be taken to the sidelines for the rest of the half.
During Suppe’s absence, Cal Poly freshman midfielder Chris Gaschen rolled a shot over Riverside’s second string keeper, Ryan Schmitz, with an assist by senior forward Daniel Cumming. Mustangs head coach Paul Holocher said the first two goals were at good momentum-builders.
“We scored those goals at the two best possible times,” he said.
Gaschen’s goal was the first of his career as a Mustang. He added his second goal, and the third of the game, early in the second half after a botched Highlander pass back to goalkeeper Suppe, who had returned for the second half. The ball bounced off Suppe and left the goal unattended for a tap-in by Gaschen.
Gaschen credits the goals to getting more experience on the college playing field.
“I’ve gotten a lot more confident,” he said. “The first couple games I would have a touch, look up, and someone would steal the ball. Now it’s like touch-pass. I’m faster in my thinking.”
Other Mustangs put up career performances as well. Cal Poly junior goalkeeper Patrick McLain tied his career-high seven saves for the game. Coach Holocher said he was very happy with the shutout noting that he’s been pleased with McLain’s recent performances.
As the Mustangs maintained their lead, shoving matches and bickering between teams started to occur more frequently as the Highlanders tried to regain some momentum. A yellow card was given to Cal Poly junior defender Michael Gray for rough play. A red card and subsequent ejection was given to a Highlander assistant coach for being to vocal to the referees during the exchange that resulted in Gray’s yellow card.
When a team gets careless and reckless teams get dangerous, Holocher said.
“It’s a team that has nothing to lose,” he said. “They put more pressure on us the second half.”
The Mustangs will focus on their Halloween match with UC Davis before focusing on the game with their rivals, UCSB, Holocher said.
“One game at a time is what the team needs,” he said. “You need to try and get a little bit better each week.”
Wednesday’s match against the Gauchos will potentially be the last home game for Mustangs senior players and will also decide the top two places in the Big West Conference. If they win the next two games, the Mustangs will host a conference playoff game at Alex G. Spanos Stadium.