Ryan ChartrandKyle Montgomery scored the first goal for the Cal Poly men’s soccer team just 22 seconds into its Sunday afternoon match against No. 11 UC Davis before 2,817 at Alex G. Spanos Stadium, leading to a 2-0 victory.
“I actually thought I had one of my better performances, but the goal definitely helped boost my confidence,” said Montgomery, a sophomore midfielder.
With the win, the Mustangs (10-4-4, 5-2-2) moved into first place in the Big West Conference standings with 17 points, one ahead of No. 15 UC Santa Barbara.
Freshman midfielder Jacob Hustedt, who assisted Montgomery on his score, tallied the second goal of the day in the 32nd minute.
A penalty kick by the Aggies’ Dylan Curtis brought suspense in the 80th minute, but goalkeeper Eric Branagan-Franco was able to make a diving save.
“It was really important for us to come out strong and get this win,” said Branagan-Franco, who made five saves – two of them on close-range shots by UC Davis star Quincy Amarikwa.
The Aggies (12-3-3, 4-2-3) established an 11-10 shooting advantage.
“We had a couple mistakes, but that’s expected in a game like that, especially when you’re playing the 11th-ranked team in the nation,” Branagan-Franco said.
Cal Poly will visit UCSB (10-5-2, 5-2-1) at 7 p.m. Wednesday in a rematch of the 1-0, double-overtime Gauchos win Oct. 17, when the third-largest regular-season college men’s soccer crowd ever filed into Alex G. Spanos Stadium.
If the Mustangs hold on to the top spot, it would be their first regular-season Big West title in program history.