By Benjamin Grover, October 27, 2026
The No. 13 nationally ranked Cal Poly Pomona women’s soccer team defeated Cal State East Bay 2-0 Oct. 17, courtesy of a pair of late goals from defender Sasha Redshaw.
With four minutes left on the clock and the score at zeros, the Broncos were staring down a sixth goalless tie of the season until Broncos’ head coach Jay Mason subbed in Redshaw. Redshaw attacked a cross into the penalty area from midfielder Jenna Santos 40 seconds later and scored with a diving header.
“I noticed the whole game the team was just serving in crosses exactly like that, and they were so dangerous,” Redshaw said. “I was just watching it happen so much that I was ready to be in the right position.”
Redshaw made her mark on the game again just two minutes later, drawing and scoring the Broncos first penalty of the season from Pioneers’ defender Vivianna Bravo to secure the 2-0 win.
Mason said the choice for Redshaw to take the penalty was not a decision he made, rather a decision from the whole team.
“I like to give them responsibility,” Mason said. “I always put it on the team, and we look for someone who’s confident. She just stepped up and grabbed the ball, and I was like, ‘OK, she’s got it.’”
Redshaw’s brace marks the second time the Broncos have had a multi-goal scorer in a game this season, following midfielder Charlie Gallardo’s brace against Cal State Dominguez Hills Oct. 9.
Redshaw’s performance also earned the California Collegiate Athletic Association Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week award. It’s the first time a defender has won the award since the 2024 season.
Aside from Redshaw’s late heroics, the Broncos’ offense struggled against Pioneers, especially in the first half, recording a season-low three shots in the first half.
The Broncos began the game on the front foot, with most of their attacks stemming down the wings and finishing with service in the center of the box.
The first sight of goal came in the fourth minute, after a pass from midfielder Braedyn Kincade found forward Kailey Powers, who put a shot on frame. But it resulted in a comfortable save for Pioneers goalkeeper Yvette Torres.
After the opening attack from the Broncos, the Pioneers grew into the game. Both teams equally shared the possession, taking turns pinning each other in their respective halves with no threating opportunity.
“Saturday and Sunday games are really difficult,” Mason said. “East Bay did well getting numbers behind the ball and made it really difficult for us to play through them.”
The second big chance of the half fell to the feet of Powers again in the 15th minute. A cross from Broncos forward Carly Radke, following a careless pass from Pioneers goalkeeper Torres, was just inches away from connecting with the head of Powers in front of an open goal.
After the second opportunity for Powers, the stalemate in midfield continued, with neither team creating a clear goal scoring opportunity.
Despite the Pioneers continuous pressure, the Broncos’ back line never broke, only allowing an outside the box shot from forward Brooke Waelbrock that Broncos’ goalkeeper Parker LaMont easily saved.
Kincade credited the Broncos’ solidity on defense to their experience and knowledge in high stress situations.
“I think something that makes us really solid in the back is our experience,” Kincade said. “Mikaela who’s been on the team for a while, Georgia who’s been on the team and also our goalkeeper Parker, … as a group collectively, we’re all really solid, but I think something that helps a lot is the experience we have.”
The Broncos created one more chance on goal before the end of the first half in the 35th minute, as a loose ball from a corner fell to Radke. However, the shot was a tame effort at the center of the goal, making an easy save for Torres.
The Broncos began the second half at a higher tempo than the first, gaining possession early on and keeping hold of it and threatening early. A through pass 32 seconds into the half sprung Santos into a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, putting the chance over the bar.
The Pioneers found the back of the net in the 57th minute off a deep free kick that was ruled out for a handball, but the Broncos’ defense continued to hold the score at zeros.
“The group from the front to the back works really hard, and our back line has done an amazing job at limiting teams’ opportunities,” Mason said. “At the beginning of the season, one of our identity goals was to be hard to play.”
The Broncos continued to threaten throughout the second half, primarily through long crosses into the penalty area. Headers from Radke and Gallardo came from corners in the 64th and 65thminute, both forcing saves from Torres.
However, for each spell of attacking possession the Broncos had, the Pioneers responded. Both teams forced onslaughts of pressure against each other, spending a combined 6 minutes and 30 seconds attacking the opponent half over a period of 12 minutes and 30 seconds, resulting in multiple chances but no threating opportunities.
The Broncos had a breakaway in the 77th minute after a pass found Radke head-on with Torres, forcing Torres into a save at her bottom left post.
The Pioneers had their own breakaway chance in the 82nd minute through forward Taylor Hodges, but a foul in the buildup foiled the chance for the Pioneers.
Redshaw checked into the game four minutes later and provided the game-winning spark for the Broncos to defeat the Pioneers 2-0.
Radke credited the Broncos’ ability to stay energized throughout the game to the team’s victory.
“I think our beliefs really made us successful,” Radke said. ” We just kept believing it was coming. Everybody on the field and the bench was super positive.”
The Broncos now set their sights on their final game at Cal State San Marcos Oct. 29 after defeating Fresno Pacific 2-0 Oct. 23 and Cal State San Bernardino 1-0 Oct. 25.
With the two wins, the Broncos leapfrog past CSUSB and CSUSM to second place in the CCAA standings, trailing Cal State LA.
The Broncos can take the No.1 spot with a win against CSUSM and a CSLA loss or tie against CSUDH.
“This win was crucial for us,” Radke said. “We’re really excited to be back on our home field this weekend to keep working toward a spot in the CCAA tournament.”
Feature image courtesy of CPP Athletics
