kiel carreauCal Poly suffered its second Big West loss of the season to Cal State Fullerton 2-0 at Mustang Stadium on Friday night behind goals from Lauryn Welch and Kandace Wilson.
Cal State Fullerton (11-3-0, 3-1-0) took control of the game early, peppering Cal Poly goalie Liz Hill with a barrage of shots. Hill faced eight shots in the first half, saving five of them. Cal Poly (9-3-3, 1-2-0) only managed four shots in the half, with the first not coming until the 26th minute of play.
Fullerton had complete control of the first half, not allowing a shot on goal until the final minute of the first half, when Sharon Day found a loose ball in front of the net. But goalie Karen Bardsley was there to corral the shot.
Two-time Big West Defensive Player of the Year Sierra Simmons did everything she could to keep the Titans from breaking the scoreless tie, defeating many of Fullerton’s one-on-one offensive threats in the first half and early in the second half.
The Mustang defense eventually succumbed to the Titans’ sharp offense as defender Erin Shelton set Welch up for a header two feet in front of Hill in the 56th minute. It was Welch’s third goal of the season.
Cal Poly continued trying to crack the Cal State Fullerton defense as Mustang scoring leaders Sharon Day and Becky Clark began finding open shots. Bardsley had five saves on eight Cal Poly shots.
The Titans added another goal in the 73rd minute as Fullerton scoring leader Kandace Wilson rifled a shot from 35 yards into the top corner of the goal. It was Wilson’s fifth goal of the season.
Cal Poly was outshot 15-8 and held the advantage in fouls 15-12.
Hill had a busy night, making nine saves.
The 2-0 home loss ends a 23 game home winning streak for the Mustangs. The Mustangs’ last home loss came against UC Irvine on Oct. 27, 2002, 2-0. The two Big West losses this season mark the first times the Mustangs have lost more then one conference game since 2001 when Cal Poly dropped three matches.