By Cael Cross, October 20, 2026
The No. 12 nationally ranked Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s soccer team took down Cal State Dominguez Hills at home 2-0 Oct. 9 off the back of a first-half brace from midfielder Charlie Gallardo.
Gallardo scored her third and fourth goals of the season, putting her as the top scorer for the Broncos this campaign. It also marked the first time a Bronco has scored multiple goals in a single match since Ally Henry scored twice in a 3-1 win over Fort Lewis last season.
Outside of an early shot from Toros defender Aaliyah Payne, the Broncos dominated the first half. The first-minute shot was the only attempt CSUDH had the entire half.
Gallardo struck three minutes into the match, latching on to a pass from midfielder Sabine Ramos off a scramble and firing a shot into the top-right corner from well outside the box.
The goal broke the Broncos’ 407-minute goalless streak, having not scored since the 46th minute against San Francisco State Sept. 20. CPP tied four straight matches 0-0 against UC Merced, Cal State Monterey Bay, Chico State and Cal Poly Humboldt during the span.
The Broncos continued their attacks with crosses from both wings and long balls over the top following the goal. Defender Georgia Rink created multiple opportunities for CPP in the first half through long balls, overlapping runs and taking on defenders. She credited her teammates for her attacking contributions.
“My team gives me the confidence to be able to go up,” Rink said. “Charlie’s always giving me simple balls forward, and whoever’s behind me is giving me confidence to go forward. I feel like it’s a connected effort that allows me to be able to play up in those wide areas.”
Rink created an opportunity for forward Carly Radke in the sixth minute, but the two Toros’ center backs collapsed on Radke before getting a shot off.
Radke had another chance in the 15th minute after dribbling past defender Alexa Monge on the touchline but could only steer her effort into the hands of Toros’ goalkeeper Marlies Nauman.
Forward Morgan Huff continued the onslaught of attacks in the 22nd minute with an outside-the-foot attempt from distance, forcing Nauman into another save.
Radke found the net in the 25th minute off a corner, but the goal was disallowed because of a foul on Huff during the delivery.
Gallardo gave the Broncos their second goal three minutes later, putting another outside-the-box strike into the top-right corner.
“They were giving me space, so I was like, ‘I got to just take these shots,’” Gallardo said. “I just want to put everything out there on the field.”
Three of Gallardo’s four goals this season have come from outside the box, scoring one against Concordia Irvine Sept. 10 in a 1-1 tie.
Ramos nearly scored her own outside-the-box goal in the 33rd minute, hitting the right post. The ball rebounded off the post to defender Jenna Santos at the edge of the six-yard box, but she couldn’t direct her shot on target.
Gallardo, Santos and midfielder Lauren Karp created a couple more opportunities for the Broncos at the end of the half, but none were able to put any shot attempts on frame, closing out the half 2-0.
CPP outshot CSUDH 14-1 in the first half, marking the 12th consecutive game the Broncos have attempted double-digit shots. Head coach Jay Mason noted the teams’ consistency in creating chances, despite the recent goal drought.
“We’ve been getting tight in those moments because we want it so bad,” Mason said. “Tonight I said it doesn’t have to be pretty. It could be an ugly goal, but our belief has to continue to stay there. I didn’t want them to stop doing the things that got them into dangerous areas.”
The Broncos lead the California Collegiate Athletic Association in shots per game, averaging 17.1 attempts, over two more than Cal State San Bernardino, who ranks second.
CPP continued its attacking pressure to start the second half, creating a chance in the 47th minute through another long ball from defender Angelina Santana. Ramos flicked on the pass to Radke, who dribbled past two defenders in the box, but couldn’t get a shot off.
Mason highlighted long balls as a focus for the Broncos in their game plan coming into the match.
“Their back line would kind of sink off a little bit,” Mason said. “Our field is a little bit smaller, so when we spoke to the kids, I said, ‘Look, center backs, you pick your head up, you find the space in front. If their back line holds, we can get into the channel.’”
Radke created another chance in the 59th minute, skipping past a Toros’ defender, but her shot from the edge of the box went over the bar.
CPP generated more chances through crosses from forward Bailey Guerrero, forcing Nauman off her line to parry the ball away. Defender Mikaela Marr steered her header wide in the 73rd minute off a corner.
Although Marr’s shot was the last in the game for the Broncos, the backline stifled any attacking opportunities for the Toros to climb back into the game. CSUDH only attempted three shots all game and just one on target, a shot from forward Alexis Butz in the 85th minute that went straight to CPP goalkeeper Parker LaMont.
The Broncos’ defense ranks among the best in all of Division II, sitting fourth in the nation in goals against average (.237).
“Defense is our foundation,” Mason said. “We want to make sure that we’re not allowing teams to feel comfortable in what they’re trying to do.”
CPP improved its record to 6-0-6 overall and 3-0-4 in conference play after the win. A 2-0 win over Menlo two days later boosted the Broncos to second in the CCAA table, four points behind leaders Cal State San Bernardino.
Mason talked about the importance of getting back in the win column, especially in the CCAA.
“Our conference is probably one of the toughest in the country,” Mason said. “It’s always super tight. There’s not a lot of points that separate the first nine, 10 teams, so every point is really, really important.”
Feature image courtesy of CPP Athletics
