The Cal Poly women’s soccer team kept its winning streak alive with their win against UC Irvine on Friday night. It was Break the Attendance Record Night at Spanos Stadium and the Mustangs (6-6-5, 2-4-0 Big West) didn’t seem to miss a beat during their 2-0 victory over the Anteaters (6-9-1, 2-3-0).
With 2,067 people in attendance, the Mustangs were quick to excite the exceptionally large crowd. Two early shots from the Mustangs proved unsuccessful — one on a fast break attempt by senior forward Elise Krieghoff while the other on a penalty kick from senior defender Robin Mertens.
The scoreless drought ended in the 30th minute when Krieghoff converted on a free kick attempt from 23 yards out. It was the Krieghoff’s 6th goal of the year and the 52nd of her Mustangs career.
“Sophomore year I scored against the same goalie it just went under her legs. We got lucky because she made a save but unfortunately for her it still went in the net. Sometimes that is the way that soccer goes,” Krieghoff said.
The Mustang lead was extended in the 58th minute when sophomore forward McKenzie Flood scored her second goal of the season off an assist from freshman defender Chelsea Barry. The second goal ultimately proved to be more than enough as Cal Poly spent most of the night successfully fending off Anteaters attacks.
“I thought we did a good job collectively defending and connecting passes,”Cal Poly head coach Alex Crozier said. “We did a better job playing out of the back and we were able to produce some good quality chances.”
The Cal Poly defense held its own, as senior goalkeeper Alyssa Giannetti and company held UC Irvine scoreless for the entire length of the game. The Anteaters never mustered a convincing comeback all night; the Mustangs were simply too strong when it mattered most.
“2-0 is definitely one of the most dangerous leads to have because one goal and the other team is right in it,” Giannetti said. “For us, the main objective was to hold them off and we did just that.”
Despite having a much larger turnout than normal, Cal Poly’s effort to break the women’s college soccerattendance record fell well short of the 10,128 fans who watched UCLA and USC play at the Rose Bowl last year.
The Mustangs will take on UC Riverside in another Big West Conference home match on Sunday. The game, which will take place at noon, is Faculty Appreciation Day at Alex G. Spanos Stadium.