In their final match before beginning regular season play, the Dons fell to the Cal Poly Mustangs 2-0 on Friday in San Luis Obispo.
The Dons’ defense held the score at 0-0 throughout much of the first half. Cal Poly was able to place many shots near the Dons’ goal, forcing San Francisco to stay on defense for a majority of the first half and creating a limited number of chances for them to score.
One of the Dons’ opportunities to score came in 36th minute of the game, when sophomore midfielder Joshua Smith attempted to head in the ball off a pass from junior forward Sixto Porras. To the Dons’ dismay, the shot missed wide right.
San Francisco’s defense struggled with the Cal Poly offense as the game went on, and in the 45th minute the Mustangs were able to score on the Dons. The Mustangs drove the ball down the left side of the field, making a series of passes leading to a shot that found the back of the net. The Dons were down 0-1 going into halftime.
Right off the bat in the second half, the Mustangs made quick work of the Dons’ defense, and scored a second goal in the 50th minute of the game. The Dons tried to recover, but they could not get the ball away from their net as they tried to build momentum for a comeback.
There would be no such comeback, and the game concluded with Cal Poly up two goals and the Dons scoreless. The Mustangs outshot the Dons 25-9, and six different Mustang players were able to put shots on the goal. Cal Poly commanded the game.
This was the second game in a row that San Francisco has been shut out. They also did not have more than ten shots in either of those games. The Dons’ record now stands at 3-3-1.
This was the final game of a three-game road trip, and the Dons now have two weeks to prepare for West Coast Conference play. Their next game is against University of Portland on Oct. 4 at Negoesco Stadium at 7:00 p.m.
