By Ashanti Velez, October 21, 2025
The Cal Poly Pomona women’s soccer team faced its first loss of the season in a tough 1-0 match against Chico State Oct. 10, despite dominating much of the game and creating numerous scoring opportunities.
CPP lost its first match in 348 days, which brought their unbeatable streak to an end. The Broncos dropped their record to 9-1 and a conference record to 2-1 play after their setback, despite dominating with 14 shots on goal compared to Chico State’s four.
Chico State gained momentum early in the first half after a corner kick, leading midfielder Hannah Pieri to assist defender Malia Bell in the Wildcats’ first shot as a header just three minutes into the game.
The Broncos stepped up the pressure, looking to make up for the early goal as forward Vanessa Cruz attempted a shot from the top left corner of the box. However, she hit a wide shot, missing to the side of the goal.
It wasn’t long before Chico State pressed forward again, with Pieri rushing at the net, but the Bronco’s goalkeeper Jenna Tetrault quickly reacted, slamming the ball halfway up the field.
With 26 minutes left in the first half, Cruz stormed her way toward the net before Wildcat defender Madison Schuler shoved her past the turf line and onto the track, earning the Broncos a free kick.
Defender Liberty Ortiz took the free kick and aimed toward the wall, but goalkeeper Kennedy Briseño punched it away.
“I think we just need to switch on from the first minute,” said midfielder Marisa Salazar. “That was a big thing that wasn’t good. We lost a little bit of focus and that’s what punished us.”
CPP remained scoreless as the first half wrapped up, despite multiple shots from midfielders Abria Smith and Salazar. The Broncos ended the half in a 1-0 match.
The Broncos opened the second half with forward Anna Schellpeper building up momentum to strike a clean goal but missed towards the left, drawing gasps from the crowd after a near equalizer.
CPP continued its ongoing offensive streak, pushing three consecutive shots from forward Morgan Huff, who aimed toward the bottom left of the box and once out right. Forward Angelina Rivas created another chance by also targeting the bottom left corner.
However, Briseño stood firm with easy saves, not allowing any attempts to get passed her, keeping the Broncos from scoring.
Cruz did not back down, following up with three more attempts of her own with 20 minutes left in the clock, targeting each side of the goal, but couldn’t find the mark. Briseño remained unbreakable, refusing to let anything slip past her.
Cruz noted the team reminded each other not to get complacent, especially with the unpredictable results happening in the conference. The team was aware anything could happen, and it did.
She acknowledged the team didn’t look like it had gone 9-0, showing a different side of themselves in this game, but felt they would regain control and composure in the second half.
“Adjustments, apart from the first half that we talked about a little bit, in the second half were to be composed a little bit and control the game a little bit more,” Cruz said. “I think that’s what drove the intensity in the second half. We didn’t get the result we wanted, but I think overall we adjusted a little bit better.”
Chico State looked to get a second shot attempt late in the match with 13 mins left to the clock, this time by midfielder Olivia Hohnstein and Pieri, but they were unable to convert.
Still, they walked away with the 1-0 win over the formerly undefeated Broncos.
“Like any match, we want to learn,” said head coach Jay Mason. “Sometimes, when you lose, you tend to learn a little bit more than when you win. As long as we take a healthy approach and perspective to what happened today and really try to push a growth mindset in this moment, the girls will be fine. I think the positive is that no one got hurt and that we have other opportunities to right the ship and keep rolling through the conference.”
Feature image courtesy of the CPP Athletics
