The Mustangs’ women’s soccer season came to an end Sunday night at Harder Stadium following a 1-1 draw with rival UC Santa Barbara after double overtime.
Cal Poly was able to hang on for a draw in the Blue-Green Rivalry match, despite the Gauchos out-shooting the Mustangs by a large 19-5 margin, and edged the corner kick battle 11-5.
The Gauchos took the lead early when senior defender Kate Shoemaker headed in a corner from sophomore defender Colby Parker in the 19th minute.
Cal Poly almost found the equalizer in the 35th minute when senior midfielder Megan Abutin and redshirt freshman forward Georgina Stiegeler each got shots off, but both were saved by UC Santa Barbara junior goalkeeper Brittany Rogers. In 110 minutes of play, Rogers tallied two saves.
The Mustangs evened the score in the 47th minute when junior defender Chelsea Barry sent a free kick that was deflected by Rogers. The deflection was then kicked in by senior midfielder Emily Hansen, who scored her two goals of the season in the last two games.
The Gauchos were on the brink of scoring again after attempting three shots in the 94th and 95th minutes, but sophomore goalkeeper Sophia Brown was there to save all three shots. Brown notched nine total saves in the game.
After both scoreless overtime periods, the Blue-Green Rivalry match ended in a 1-1 draw.
The Mustangs (7-9-3, 2-4-2 Big West) finished the season tied with UC Santa Barbara (6-8-5, 2-4-2 Big West) for seventh place in the Big West Conference. Abutin is graduating this year, meaning the team will need someone to step up to replace the senior leader.
There is good news for the Mustangs though: Brown is currently only a sophomore. The stellar goalkeeper should be back on the pitch to hold down the Mustangs’ defense next season.
The Big West Conference Semifinals will begin Thursday when Cal State Fullerton takes on UC Irvine and UC Riverside plays Cal State Northridge. The Matadors will host all three tournament games due to their first place regular season finish in the Big West Conference last year.