Pridham and co. dismantle UC Riverside 5-1

Mackenzie Pridham winds up for the first goal of the game. By Owen Main

Two years ago, Cal Poly men’s soccer head coach Paul Holocher talked to me about a more open, visually pleasing style of play Cal Poly was trying to implement. It has taken some time and has been a process, but the benefits are being reaped for the Mustangs and soccer fans who like goals.

With a 5-1 dismantling of UC Riverside on Friday night, Cal Poly is now second in the nation with 2.7 goals per game. Just as importantly, the team moves to (1-0) in Big West Conference play and (8-3-0) overall. Mackenzie Pridham, who scored Cal Poly’s first goal on Friday, came into the game 11th in the nation in goals and netted his ninth in 11 games. He took a pass, spun to his left and scored with his left foot into the far right corner.

Cal Poly took their 1-0 lead into halftime, but turned up the intensity in the second half. Freshmen Ari Lassiter and Justin Dhillon provided a spark off the bench as Lassiter netted two goals to match Dhillon’s two assists. Dhillon also scored the first goal of his career within the final minute of the game to cap-off Cal Poly’s seventh game this season where they’ve scored 3-plus goals.

While there are always some scary moments with Cal Poly’s wide open style of play, the Mustangs continue honing their craft. The question remains whether their ball-control, open style of play can stand-up through an entire Big West Conference season with the likes of 6th-ranked Cal State Northridge, 25th-ranked UC Irvine, and two games against UCSB still on the schedule.

On Sunday, Holocher’s group hosts Cal State Fullerton at Alex G. Spanos Stadium at 3:00 PM.