Cal Poly falls to UC Irvine women’s soccer in Big West Tournament championship game
Cal Poly fell to the UC Irvine women’s soccer team in the Big West Conference Tournament championship match Sunday afternoon at Anteater Stadium.
The No. 2-seeded Mustangs and the No. 1 Anteaters entered the match having split the Big West regular season title, but with a 1-0 victory, UC Irvine earned the Big West’s NCAA Tournament spot.
Coach Alex Crozier said while the result was disappointing, he is proud of the Mustangs.
“It’s hard to swallow right now because we feel like we have more soccer in us, but overall I’m really happy with the team,” Coach Crozier said. “We played well and had good opportunities, but just didn’t get the breaks.”
Sunday’s contest was Cal Poly’s first Big West Tournament championship match in 12 years, and the Mustangs have not won a title game since 2004.
Freshman goalkeeper Mackenzie Samuel made fives saves for the Mustangs, matching a career high. Four of those happened before the 20th minute.
UC Irvine scored in the 32nd minute. The Anteaters played the ball out to Cal Poly’s penalty box for Alex Jaquez to strike over Samuel’s reach under the middle of the crossbar. The goal was Jaquez’s first of the season.
While Cal Poly was outshot 8-2 in the first half, the momentum shifted during the second half.
“We opened the game up and that allowed us to keep the ball a little bit more and create some opportunities in the attack,” Coach Crozier said.
In the 55th minute, defender Emma Brown’s header was denied by UC Irvine goalkeeper Glo Hinojosa.
Cal Poly’s chances continued in the 61st minute, with attempts from midfielder Kate Reedy and defender Kylie Rojas.
As the clock ticked toward 90 minutes, forward Olivia Ortiz looked to equalize in the 83rd, but her strike did not find the back of the net.
Rojas made Cal Poly’s final scoring attempt but her shot was caught by Hinojosa.
Coach Crozier said that overall the Mustangs had a fantastic season, and a new crop of young, hardworking players will continue working to earn spots on the field next year.
“No one expected anything out of us, except us. This group got better every week, getting results and playing with confidence,” Coach Crozier said. “We have a very, very bright future and I think the best is yet to come. “
This story was originally published November 7, 2021 at 5:43 PM with the headline "Cal Poly falls to UC Irvine women’s soccer in Big West Tournament championship game."
