By Megan Sanders and Annika Salant, September 9, 2025
The Cal Poly Pomona women’s soccer team and reigning NCAA Division II National Champions kicked off the season Sept. 4 with a 3-1 comeback victory against the Azusa Pacific Cougars at Kellogg Stadium.
CPP struggled in the first half and were down 1-0 at half-time.
Marisa Salazar, a CPP senior midfielder, walked away from Thursday’s game with the team’s first goal of the season and an assist. After a back-and-forth first half, Salazar found the back of the net and tied the game 1-1 in the 58th minute, setting the tone for the remainder of the match.
“I kind of just felt like using that energy from the goal to kind of like set the tone for the second half,” Salazar said. “Our intensity just increased after the lull.”
Salazar picked up her assist on senior forward Anna Schellpeper’s goal in the 81st minute, which brought the score to 2-1 and gave the team the motivation it needed to start the season off with a win.
“We talked about how we really needed to show APU that we wanted it, and we needed to keep our foot on the pedal because they thought they were winning this game,” Schellpeper said. “We just needed to show them that we’re here for a reason.”
Tensions were building late in the second half, resulting in CPP senior defender Giselle Samayoa and APU junior midfielder Victoria Castro receiving red cards in the 86th minute and getting ejected from the game.
The tensions seemed to only motivate the Broncos, as senior forward Vanessa Cruz went on to secure the win by scoring the team’s third goal off a penalty kick in the 87th minute.
Going into Thursday’s game, the Broncos were ranked No. 1 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association Preseason Coaches’ Poll after securing 141 points and nine first-place votes.
According to head coach Jay Mason, all eyes are on the Broncos this season, with the team knowing their opponents are going to bring everything they have when going head-to-head.
“I think it’s going to be exciting, especially for the upperclassmen,” Mason said. “They did so much for the program last year, and I think they really take a lot of pride in who we are.”
Mason also mentioned this year’s roster is showing a strong underclassmen presence and voiced his excitement to see how the upperclassmen accept this challenge for the program.
“I think we have some good young players, and I think, seeing them grow in confidence will create some momentum,” Mason said. “I just want them to enjoy it. I think it’s pretty tricky if they’re constantly worrying about defending a national title or whatever they’re thinking in their heads. … So, I just need them to really enjoy it, enjoy each other and understand that the energy that we have is contagious.”
Feature image courtesy of Megan Sanders
