Early non-conference play will continue for the Cal Poly women’s soccer team this week in the Bay Area, starting at 2 p.m. Friday against San Jose State on Spartan Soccer Field and then at 4 p.m. Sunday versus No. 12 Cal on Goldman Field.
The trip will be something of a homecoming for a sizable portion of the Mustang roster, as 14 players came to Cal Poly from surrounding locales.
Cal Poly is looking to bounce back from a rare home loss — 2-0 to Florida Atlantic (just the second defeat in the past 14 games in San Luis Obispo). The Mustangs outshot the Owls 15-5, but two second-half goals by Scottish U-19 captain Claire Emslie made the difference for FAU.
Student admission for home games is always free with a valid PolyCard. For the general public, tickets can be purchased in-person at the on-campus Recreation Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on business days, at GoPoly.com or by calling (805) 756-4849.
Live stats for Friday’s match will be available at this link http://www.sjsuspartans.com/gametracker/launch/gt_wsoccer.html?event=1356132&school=sjsu&sport=wsoccer&camefrom=&startschool=& ).
On Sunday, the action can be followed here http://www.calbears.com/liveStats/liveStats.dbml?SPSID=749441&SPID=126514&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=30100&LIST_SPORT_KEY=W_SOCCER ); the Pac-12 Network will also televise the game. (To find the channel from your provider, go to http://pac-12.com/getpac-12networks .)
The San Jose Spartans earned their initial win under first-year head coach Lauren Hanson on Sunday, 1-0 over visiting Sacramento State.
Kareli Rodriguez scored the goal on a throw-in by Mireya Wathen-Mayorga. Zoe Makrigiannis made four saves in the shutout.
In Rodriguez, Lupita Estrada and Alexis Venegas, SJSU returned its top three scorers from 2013.
In last year’s game between the two teams, Elise Krieghoff had a hat trick in a 3-0 win at Alex G. Spanos Stadium.
There’s one common opponent so far this season, as the Spartans opened with a 1-0 loss to Lamar (which Cal Poly in turn defeated 2-1 two days later by overcoming a second-half deficit).
The Cal Golden Bears (4-0-0) finished last week with a four-goal second-half output, leading to a 5-0 result over Portland State at the San Francisco Tournament. It snapped the Vikings’ 16-match unbeaten streak.
Cal has relied on a balanced attack through the first two weeks, with five players each scoring twice.
The Mustangs last played the Bears in 2012, falling for the first time that season, 4-1. Taylor Comeau scored two years ago, and Ifeoma Onumonu (who went on to become the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year), Kory Lamet and Thelma Einarsdottir (all of whom are still with the program) had assists.
In the previous match in the all-time series, Cal Poly left the East Bay with a 1-0 overtime win in 2009. Future USWNT star Alex Morgan accounted for four of the Bears’ nine shots on goal that night, but Whitney Sisler ensured Coral Hoover’s shutout with a 93rd-minute golden goal off a cross by Bria Park.