SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Cal Poly made a late second half goal stand up, blanking visiting UC San Diego, one-nil at Alex G. Spanos Stadium on Wednesday night. The Mustangs improved to 4-4-2 overall and remained unbeaten in Big West play at 2-0-1. The Tritons are now 4-6 (1-2).
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Neither team had many scoring chances in the first half, though the Mustangs out-shot the Tritons, 6-3, over the first 45. UC San Diego tried to capitalize on a Cal Poly turnover in its defensive third in the 37', but Omar Sabbagh's shot was stopped by the Mustangs' Carlos Arce-Hurtado.
 
Less than two minutes later, Cal Poly registered its first shot on goal but UC San Diego keeper Dominic Peters made a waist-high save to keep the match scoreless.
 
The Mustangs earned four corner kicks in the first half to one for UC San Diego.
 
In the second half, Cal Poly broke the scoreless deadlock in the 73rd minute. The Mustangs used a throw-in to set up a goal from Emmanuel Perez, whose quick strike from inside the 18 gave his side a 1-0 advantage. Daniel Normann and Ori Bitton assisted on the score.
 
Trailing by a goal, UC San Diego pushed forward but was unable to net the equalizer. The Tritons held a 5-3 advantage in shots after halftime, and a 3-1 edge in corners.
 
Each keeper finished with one save.

QUOTABLE
"I thought we played well and played hard tonight," said UC San Diego head coach Jon Pascale. "We seem to be a second half team and get a little sharper as the game wears on. We've learned quickly that the Big West is a tight league, and if you don't get goals when you have opportunities, then they'll get you. Despite the result, we have a lot of positives to take from tonight. I'm optimistic we will bounce back."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• This was a meeting of the Big West's two stingiest defenses. Entering the match, UC San Diego allowed 0.89 goals against – best in the conference. The Mustangs were second at 1.11 allowed.
• Wednesday marked the first-ever meeting between the two sides.
• The match was scoreless at halftime, the fifth match in the Tritons' 10 this season to head into halftime at 0-0.
• Cal Poly posted its third clean sheet of the season in the win.
• The Mustangs were whistled for 13 fouls (nine in the second half), compared to seven for the Tritons.

UP NEXT
UC San Diego continues its road trip with a match at CSUN on Saturday. First kick is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Northridge.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.