By Cesar Rivas, November 25, 2025
The No. 1 seed Cal Poly Pomona women’s soccer team faced a major upset in the CCAA Tournament semifinal against No. 5 seed Cal Poly Humboldt Nov. 14, losing 1-0.
The lone goal of the match came in the 54th minute from Lumberjack midfielder Nicole Beauchemin, who rifled a freekick from about 25 yards out, knocking the Broncos out of the tournament.
This was the second round of the Cal Poly Clash this season, as these two teams met Oct. 24 in Pomona and ended in a 2-2 thriller with two penalty kick goals for the Broncos and two set-piece goals for the Lumberjacks.
Head coach Jay Mason spoke on the strength and the competitiveness the CCAA brings.
“We got a lot of great coaches in the conference,” Mason said. “Obviously, playing a team a second time, each team’s a little more prepared for what the other is trying to do and on the flip side of that, what the other team’s going to try to exploit.”
The first real chance was in the Broncos’ favor in the ninth minute, when the ball worked up the right side of the pitch and crossed by forward Angelina Rivas to midfielder Marisa Salazar, whose shot from the middle of the box was collected by Humboldt goalkeeper Carson Thomson-Terrel.
Humboldt created an opportunity in the 17th minute from a set piece that floated into the box,, which Bronco goalkeeper Jenna Tetrault ultimately caught.
Another chance for CPP came in the 30th minute from a free kick taken by CCAA Player of the Year Vanessa Cruz just on the right edge of the penalty area, but her shot sailed over the bar.
The best chance of the half came just four minutes later when a missed played pass by the Broncos that Humboldt forward Sari Murphy intercepted, forcing Tetrault off her line and forced the shot wide for a goal kick.
No real dangerous opportunities came about, which led to a 0-0 standstill at halftime.
“We did have a lot of good moments in the first half, so we were optimistic going into the second half,” said CPP defender Liberty Ortiz.
Cruz opened the second half when she received a pass from Rivas at the top of the box, but her shot was just wide right. Another cross in the 53rd minute by Rivas from the right touchline didn’t cause any real trouble for the Lumberjacks backline.
The Broncos kicked it up a gear after going down 1-0, figuring there was still plenty of time left to find the equalizer.
“It was unfortunate, but there were still I think when I looked at the clock, like 36 minutes left in the half, so it really wasn’t a big deal,” Ortiz said. “I think panicking in situations like that is probably one of the worst things that you can do. So, we kind of just brought everybody in, took a collective deep breath.”
A corner kick found Ortiz in the middle of the box in the 56th minute, but she was able to connect to the ball and pushed her shot wide right of the goal.
CPP defender Georgia Rink had the best chance for the equalizer in the 72nd minute, when a cross from defender Giselle Samayoa found Rink at the top of the penalty area. Rink controlled the bouncing ball and hammered a shot that bashed against the crossbar.
With the Broncos pressing to keep their CCAA Tournament hopes alive, the Lumberjacks were comfortable sitting behind the ball, clearing away any dangerous opportunities that could level the match.
The final whistle blew and the three-time CCAA Regular Season Champions were eliminated.
“It was a good game,” Rivas said. “I mean, we played good soccer. We had a couple chances at (the) goal but didn’t get to put them away, but sometimes that’s how the game works, and ultimately, Cal Poly Humboldt took away for the win.”
The Broncos outshot their opponents 11-6 with only three of them being on target. CPP also ended with five corner kick opportunities throughout the 90 minutes.
Humboldt went on to win the CCAA Tournament, beating No. 2 seed Chico State 1-0.
The Cal Poly Clash will happen one last time Nov. 21 in the first round of the NCAA Division II Tournament in a single game elimination.
Ortiz spoke on the mindset of the Broncos when facing such a familiar opponent in a match that will end someone’s season.
“I definitely think we’re going in with a different mindset,” Ortiz said. “I think especially because our first game is against Humboldt, I don’t think we could be more excited to get another chance at them. … I mean, it’s win or go home, but we always say pressure is a privilege, so we’re just grateful to be in the opportunity that we’re in, and we’re definitely going to make the most of it.”
Feature image courtesy of Katie Tozier
