By Christian Magdaleno, Nov. 12, 2024
Cal Poly Pomona women’s soccer team claimed its second consecutive regular season California Collegiate Athletics Association title, and the men’s team clinched a spot in the conference tournament.
The wins at home came after a challenging week on the road for both teams, where the women’s team suffered its first loss of the season, and the men’s team earned its fourth consecutive draw.
CPP women’s team clinched the No.1 seed in the CCAA tournament and came in at No. 1 in the first National Collegiate Athletics Association West Region rankings.
After not earning a conference title since 1991, the women’s team finished with an 8-1-2 CCAA record to capture its second regular season title in back-to-back seasons with victories over Cal Poly Humboldt and Sonoma State.
The Broncos defeated the Lumberjacks 1-0 in the first annual Cal Poly Clash for women’s soccer.
“I am really proud of this group,” said Jay Mason, the head coach for the women’s team. “They are tired. They are dealing with midterms and there’s a lot of stuff going on, but they found enough energy to be connected and to find ways to score.”
The No. 4 Broncos maintained control in the first half, collecting seven shots to the Lumberjacks’ one attempt.
CPP carried its offensive momentum into the second half when forward Angelina Rivas broke the scoreless drought for both teams and scored her second goal of the season.
Goalkeeper Bella Hara hit 3,000 total minutes in goal in her two seasons with the Broncos after playing all 90 minutes and making three crucial saves to complete the shutout against the Lumberjacks.
The win over the Lumberjacks marked the first point awarded to CPP for women’s soccer in the Cal Poly Clash.
The Broncos showed no signs of slowing down in the second matchup against the Seawolves, resulting in another shutout 2-0.
Forward Chloe Green opened the scoring for the Broncos with a dynamic goal in the second half assisted by forward Tara Oper. This was Green’s first goal of the season as a Bronco.
“I was so relieved when it went in,” said Green. “I have been wanting to score for so long. I’ve had so many chances, so I really needed that, and I was just so happy to get the goal.”
Midfielder Auburn Burnett scored shortly after with a goal in the 69th minute.
Hara remained poised at the net for CPP, recording three saves to preserve her 10th shutout of the season.
The Broncos outshot the Seawolves 22-7 with nine of the Broncos’ shots being on goal.
Defender Bella Anderson earned CCAA Defensive Player of the Week after limiting both teams to only three shots on goal.
The men’s soccer team returned home with two dominant wins after a four-draw streak to clinch its spot in the CCAA tournament.
The Broncos scored a total of eight goals while limiting their opponents to one between both games.
“I thought we played really well,” said Matt O’Sullivan, the head coach for the men’s team. “The conference is hard and it’s hard to score goals, but to score eight goals this weekend? Fantastic.”
This was O’Sullivan’s 100th game as head coach in his sixth year and his 60th career win.
The Broncos set the tone early against Cal Poly Humboldt with two goals in the first 30 minutes and allowed only one shot in the first half by the Lumberjacks.
Forward Mads Frederiksen scored the Broncos’ first goal off one of his four attempted shots during the game.
Midfielder Mike Moser followed with a goal off a 22-yard free kick shortly after, giving the Broncos an early lead over the Lumberjacks 2-0.
Goalkeeper Luke Garciduenas earned three saves in his seventh shutout this season.
The Broncos outshot the Lumberjacks 21-7.
Midfielder Mauro Rafael closed out the game with his first CPP career goal in the 79th minute, assisted by midfielder Ethan Benham.
The Broncos extended their offensive campaign against the Sonoma State Seawolves in a 5-1 victory.
Frederiksen broke into the game with a goal in the first 57 seconds with an assist from Moser — the team’s quickest of the season.
Frederiksen earned CCAA Offensive Player of the Week honors after collecting two goals on the weekend including the game-winner against Cal Poly Humboldt.
The match did not see another goal until the 65-minute mark when forward Rocco Ben earned his second career goal off an assist from midfielder Max Laguna.
In the next 15 minutes, the Broncos managed to score two more goals over the Seawolves.
One by forward Jakob Singh behind an assist by Aleksandar Somov, who scored his own goal, and the team’s fifth eight minutes later in a play assisted by Laguna.
“I was mad after missing, and I gradually started to play better, so I knew I was going to get my chance, and I made sure to bury the next one,” said Singh.
The Seawolves managed to get on the board late in the second half off a penalty kick, but Benham responded with his own to close out the game 5-1and earn his first collegiate goal.
The Broncos improved to 10-1-6 overall and 5-0-5 in conference play, earning a No. 5 spot in the West Regional Rankings and a chance to compete in their seventh consecutive NCAA tournament.
Featured images courtesy of Leroy Crook
