Getting prepped and getting amped — Prepare yourself for the Cal Poly-UCSB soccer match

This wasn’t a UCSB game, but Cal Poly and their fans hope they can celebrate like they did during this game. By Owen Main

Blue and Green. They go together like oil and vinegar. Peanut butter and ketchup. Toothpaste and apple juice.

Bounce-back kids

Both UCSB and Cal Poly kicked-off Big West North action with losses on Wednesday. The Mustangs fell on a golden goal to UC Davis in overtime and the Gauchos, playing with 10 men for most of the match, were upended by Sacramento State 5-2.

So, which team will bounce-back?

Who scores first?

This match will feature great 1-1 and offense-defense matchups. Most notably, Cal Poly’s defense is much-improved from a season ago and UCSB has the Big West’s most potent attack.

Cal Poly’s attacking players can also be potent though, and they better find a way to score first. Cal Poly’s Justin Dhillon is the only player on the current roster to have notched a goal in the Blue-Green rivalry, and he has three of them. Dhillon, who was a top-40 national recruit coming out of high school, has been nursing a sore hamstring while still getting comfortable in new coach Steve Sampson’s system. Cal Poly will need him to provide attacking support and smart midfield decision-making.

For UCSB, Nick DePuy scored four goals just last season against the Mustangs. The UCSB junior has scored nearly a goal per game this year. He’s an imposing presence in the middle and alongside freshman Geoffrey Acheampong, DePuy has thrived once again this season.

Mustang seniors

Cal Poly’s senior class, which includes at least four players with professional aspirations, finds itself in a familiar position. In each of the past few years, Cal Poly has seen a decent start to Big West Conference play fizzle into weak finishes to the season. There are only five more games for the Mustangs to prove they belong in the tournament and to get right for a possible playoff run.

The play of the entire team will make a big difference. This senior class has been through a lot over the past 18 months and nothing would be sweeter for them than a home win against the team from Goleta.

Seriously, Nick DePuy has been amazing this season. By Owen Main

DePuy dominance

Did I mention that Nick DePuy is a dominator? The 6′ 4″ junior has 12 goals in 14 games so far this year after tallying 10 goals in 2014. DePuy gave an infamous “quiet” sign to the Cal Poly student section after scoring last year. He’d love nothing more than to do it again on Saturday night.

UCSB has a lot of players to watch who are dangerous and talented. Acheampong is among the best, but DePuy is the guy who always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Look out for number 6 in blue.

Youth and depth

UCSB has a good baseline of young players. Their starting lineup at Sac State included seven underclassmen and just one senior. Cal Poly starts four seniors and, while veterans of this game like DePuy won’t be phased at all, playing in front of 11,075 (or more) screaming fans can have an effect on players who are new to this game. Let me be clear, this goes for players on both sides.

Who wants to be a hero?

I had a high school football coach who used to ask this question for big games.

When it comes to games in SLO, this is the biggest one. Who’s going to be the hero?