By Jacob Rodriguez, Nov. 26, 2024
Cal Poly Pomona women’s soccer secured its first California Collegiate Athletic Association tournament championship since 1999 and first under Head Coach Jay Mason, and the men’s team suffered a heartbreaking loss in penalty kick shootouts against Cal State Dominguez Hills in the tournament finals.
CPP opened with Stanislaus State in the semifinals of the tournament after receiving a first-round bye.
In the previous matchup between the two teams, the Warriors handed the Broncos their only loss of the season in a 2-0 victory Oct. 27.
The Broncos’ defense held the Warriors to one shot throughout the span to CPP’s six, outshooting the Warriors 25-5 overall, but neither team found success for the first 22 minutes of the game.
The Warriors broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute with a cross from forward Kaley Miller that sent the ball into the box, allowing forward Aliah Avila to find the back of the net for a 1-0 advantage.
Despite shooting 12 shots in the first half, the Broncos trailed by one going into halftime as history looked to repeat itself.
“We had a bit of a déjà vu moment,” said Mason. “We felt similar during the regular season game at Stanislaus, where we felt like we created a lot of good chances but weren’t able to find the back of the net.”
Cruz took the initiative and scored the equalizer five minutes into the second half off a mishandled ball by the Warriors’ goalkeeper in the 50th minute.
The floodgates opened from there as forward Angelina Rivas fired a 20-yard strike into the back of the net to give the Broncos a 2-1 lead.
“I just remember getting the ball on the outside part of the field, taking my first touch as I felt pressure on my left shoulder and another one coming on my back,” said Rivas. “I took an extra touch and knew I had to shoot it. It was either pass or shoot, and I decided to shoot.”
Oper received a pass from Cruz and wasting no time, sent a left-footed shot into the goal for a 3-1 advantage that favored the Broncos at 62:34.
CPP piled on the pressure as Rivas netted her second goal of the game in the 74th minute after an error by a Warriors’ defender, extending the margin to 4-1.
Midfielder Kiarra D’Arcangelo finished the performance with a goal in the 76th minute, capping off an attacking display from the Broncos for a 5-1 victory.
CPP advanced to face off against Cal State East Bay in the finals.
The Broncos were on the board first as midfielder Marisa Salazar came off a cross to send the ball into the box, allowing Oper to head the ball into the net for a 1-0 lead at 9:01.
“I think what helped us a lot was staying together at every moment,” said Oper. “No matter what the game is giving us, what the refs are doing, the atmosphere, whatever it is, we just try to play our game, which ultimately has driven this team to have as much success as we had.”
The Broncos’ defense held the Pioneers’ offense to three shots in the first half, clearing the ball every chance they got and allowing no room for their opponent to breathe.
CPP remained aggressive on offense to pressure the Pioneers’ defense, outshooting CSUEB 13-5 in the second half and 15-8 overall.
Defender Liberty Ortiz sent the ball into the box off a free kick, giving Oper space to put a right-footed kick into the net to secure the championship victory, 2-0.
“This was really rewarding because I was here last year, and it sucked losing in the finals last year,” said Oper. “It was a little bit of a redemption for this year, and we set the goal at the beginning of August, but it just shows all of our hard work. It paid off, and it took everyone to achieve this goal.”
Five student-athletes earned CCAA All-Tournament honors: Oper was named the offensive MVP and goalkeeper Bella Hara was selected as the defensive MVP, alongside Rivas, Cruz and Salazar.
The Broncos are set to host the National Collegiate Athletics Association regional tournament after securing the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye as they await the winner of No. 4 Azusa Pacific and No. 5 Western Washington.
The men’s team began its CCAA tournament run with a semifinal matchup against Cal State East Bay Nov. 15.
The Broncos grabbed an early lead, as forward Sam Lena found the back of the net off a cross from forward Mads Frederiksen at 7:40. The goal was Lena’s first of the season and fourth at CPP.
CPP maintained possession of the ball, putting pressure on the Pioneers’ defense and recording nine shots to CSUEB’s three.
Tri-captain defender Jasper Winslow blasted the ball into the net off an assist by Frederiksen, increasing his assist tally to five this season.
Forward Jacob Singh scored the third goal of the game off a rebound from a Pioneer defender, extending the lead to 3-0.
“We were incredible in the first half and dominated,” said head coach Matt O’Sullivan. “Took the early lead in the seventh minute and then played well. It was probably one of the best first halves we played all season.”
The second half was a different story.
The Pioneers recorded six shots within the first 10 minutes of the half, with one on frame saved by goalkeeper Luke Garciduenas.
The Pioneers’ offense challenged the Broncos on defense, recording 12 shots to CPP’s five.
The constant pressure rewarded CSUEB in the 65th minute, as Valle scored two consecutive goals to cut the deficit to one as the comeback looked within reach.
The drama was far from done as CSUEB came close to tying the game in the 85th minute following a corner kick, but Garciduenas made a save to preserve his team’s 3-2 victory.
With the win, the Broncos moved on to the finals of the CCAA tournament for the second consecutive season and fourth time under O’Sullivan, where they faced off against Cal State Dominguez Hills.
The Broncos struggled offensively in the first half as the Toros’ defense maintained a stranglehold of the ball, allowing zero shots from CPP to its 10.
It wasn’t until the second half CPP attempted its first shot of the game by Winslow within the first minute.
“We didn’t play great in the first half, which probably was our worst performance of the season,” said O’Sullivan. “Bounced back a little in the second again very resilient, which helped us, and I was very excited about that part.”
The Toros struggled to find the net behind an effort by Garciduenas with four saves as the game drew near the end and went into overtime.
Singh held off the final defender to latch onto a long ball and dribbled into the penalty area, but the Toros’ goalie Arturo Magaña made a save that forced the game into penalty kick shootouts.
In the tiebreaker, forward Rocco Bon, midfielder Woody Angell and midfielder Marc Birkelund converted their efforts to match the Toros with three goals made.
Garciduenas completed a diving save to his right, turning away midfielder Sergio Valenzuela and keeping the Broncos’ hopes alive after the fourth round.
Midfielders Kenny Lee and Logan Kaufman answered Winslow and midfielder Mike Moser’s successes in the fifth and sixth rounds.
Finally, in the seventh, Magaña matched his counterpart with a diving save to his right, enabling midfielder Davien Karanikolas to steal the win with a right-footed attack into the right side.
Frederiksen, Garcideuenas, Lena and defender Fin Jackson represented the Broncos on the CCAA All-tournament team.
Despite the loss, the Broncos received an at-large bid to the NCAA regional tournament, where they will travel on the road as the No. 7 seed to face Westmont in the first round Nov. 22.
Photos courtesy of Elliot Portillo