SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Two goals in a six-minute span proved to be enough as Cal Poly downed visiting UC San Diego, 2-0, Thursday night on the turf at Spanos Stadium. The Mustangs are 3-1-7 on the season and 1-1 in Big West action, while the Tritons fell to 2-5-4 overall and 0-2 in The Big West.
 
The Mustangs earned their first home win of the season, now 1-0-4 in San Luis Obispo. Thursday's Cal Poly win snapped UC San Diego's two-match win streak in the all-time series.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego came out applying pressure, taking the first four shots of the match. The Tritons were quick to the ball and played strong on both ends of the pitch. Sophomore Lana Gilligan had a couple of shots blocked. UC San Diego had its lone shot on frame in the 28th minute when Anya Lin fired a shot towards the bottom left of the net, but Cal Poly keeper Shannon Porubski moved to her right and made the save.
 
The Tritons had another look in the 41st minute when newcomer Chloe Yates had a shot from 25 yards out which had great pace but clanked off the left post to keep the match scoreless. UC San Diego had four first half corner kicks to one for the Mustangs. On the other end, Triton freshman keeper Charlotte Wilfert made two saves.
 
In the second half, Cal Poly took the lead in the 53rd minute when Annika Smith tumbled into Wilfert and the ball trickled past into the net for a goal. The Mustangs added a second score in the 58' as Smith fed Jessie Halladay, who gave the home team a two-nil lead.
 
UC San Diego seemingly got on the scoreboard in the 63rd minute. Natalie Abel took the corner and bent the ball directly into the net for what would have been her second Olimpico goal this month. However, the goal was waved off when a foul was called on Kennadi Borg in the box. Minutes later, Abel took a free kick from 40 yards that caromed off the crossbar.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• UC San Diego's six corner kicks matched a season high.
• Sophomore forward Lana Gilligan made her fifth consecutive start of the season for the Tritons.
• Triton midfielder Lindsey Park checked into the match in the 31st minute, her first action since Sept. 4.
• Thursday marked UC San Diego's second match on an artificial surface this season. The other was a 3-2 Triton victory at Colorado College (Sept. 4).
• The Tritons wore their navy kits, with Wilfert in red.

 
UP NEXT
Big West play rolls on for the Tritons next weekend, when UC San Diego welcomes CSUN to Triton Soccer Stadium on Oct. 5. The match kicks off at 2 p.m. and admission is free. There will be a live broadcast on ESPN+ and live stats on UCSDTritons.com.
 
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 has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 24-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 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered 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 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.