When former Cal Poly soccer goalie Alyssa Giannetti met me on-campus on Friday afternoon, she had her skateboard under her arm and her last final behind her. After two years playing professional soccer in Finland, Giannetti came back to Cal Poly to finish her degree. 

In our conversation, she discussed choosing Cal Poly in part because it was a good surfing school, other reasons she chose Cal Poly, how she became a professional soccer player, and what’s ahead now that her soccer career is over. 

Sometimes, being able to go cover a game means that I can’t come alone. Sometimes, I bring a munchkin along with a camera. For those who don’t know, I’m a blogger and a photographer and a dad, among a number of other things, which means that sometimes I have to do lots of things at once. Like keep track of a 4 year-old and photograph a game. 

Munchkinland

Sunday was one of those days, as I brought my daughter to the Cal Poly women’s soccer game along with me. 

It wasn’t the first time I’ve brought her to a game. When she was about six months old, I would dress her in warm clothes and put her in the front pack while I shot games at Baggett Stadium from the top of the dugout behind the net, ducking low to keep her tiny, slumbering self out of the line of fire. 

As she’s gotten older, it’s become more and more difficult to BOTH bring the munchkin and take photos or cover games with any kind of thorough energy. 

When we got to the game on Sunday, I had been talking-up scarves. The women’s soccer team had advertised that they were giving them away. We got there right at kickoff, and all 100 scarves had already been given away (though I was told that several students came in, got theirs, and left — weak move guys.) 

No scarf didn’t mean a total meltdown though. We stood behind the UOP goal and I got some shots of Mustangs attacking. We went and talked to one of the security team who is a student. Munchkin got a water and climbed the empty, sun-soaked bleachers behind the benches. I got a few shots.

Not a bad day for some @calpolysoccer . 0-0 at half time vs uop.

A post shared by Fansmanship.com (@fansmanship) on Sep 17, 2017 at 12:54pm PDT

Grass glare

I’m generally a big fan of shooting from a raised angle — Spanos offers a unique opportunity there. The more I do it though, the more I hate it. When it’s really sunny — like it was on Sunday — there’s a glare that basically bounces off the grass field. It creates weird color balancing and messes with exposure quite a bit too if you’re not careful. It’s the kind of thing that I might notice were my full attention on the task at hand. 

Kneeling on the sideline wasn’t an option when you’re keeping just one eye and half your attention on your camera, though.

About 15 minutes into the game, it was getting hot for the muchkin. So we went upstairs. Walking around in the shade and paying a quick visit to the press box, she was rejuvinated and it was time for a snack.

I should know better by now, but at halftime I found myself walking away from the snack bar with a seven pound camera/lens, a ketchup-filled hot dog, and a drink in my hands. The munchkin carried her drink, and we found a place to sit in the shade and eat. 

Senior Megan Abutin puts away a penalty kick equalizer for Cal Poly on Sunday. By Owen Main, assisted by The Munchkin

Munchkin stamina

The first ten minutes of second half is about as far as she had gone in the past. The attention span of a four year-old wanders. Somehow, I was able to string it out a little longer than usual. With a comfortable temperature in a shady part of the stadium, she found a stick and was entertaining herself until Megan Abutin put in a penalty goal for Cal Poly. 

What I learned 

Photos Category

• My daughter’s stamina for being at games is getting better. Slowly. This makes me happy and hopeful for the next 2-4 years. 
• I can still get some OK soccer photos, even with her there. I just have to adjust my priorities in terms of how many I’m going to end up with and whether they’re ideal.
• Grass Glare — It’s a thing I have been aware of, but I’m really starting to see more clearly why photographers want to be closer to the ground as they shoot during the day. If there’s a photography lesson I learned, it’s that. Get close to the ground on a sun shiny day like Sunday. I’m not sure if knee pads will ever be my thing, but there is some technical reasoning behind low shots, aside from just looking cool.
• When you’re paying attention to a four year-old, little things like “where the sun is” can be lost on you as you shoot. 

Sports Category

• Cal Poly women’s soccer looks really resilient right now. Going down a goal, there was a little bit of unsure body language on the field, but Megan Abutin and the team stayed totally focused. Abutin is playing healthy and loose and was the key to unlocking some nice Cal Poly chances throughout the second half. The Mustang attack seemed much more connected than I saw last year. Let’s hope that keeps up.
• Leaving early, you always risk something like this happening without me being there. 

2OT FINAL: Megan Demijohn (104') her 2nd game-winner of the week – @CPWomensSoccer 2-1 over Pacific!#RideHigh & #PlayBig Thurs. vs Denver. pic.twitter.com/qDezSFXPW1

— Big West W-Soccer (@BigWestWSOC) September 17, 2017

To sum it up, if you bring a four year-old, try to enjoy the game a little and accept the fact that neither your photos nor analysis will be what they probably could be. 

And, for now, that’s just fine with me. 

Photos by Owen Main with an assist from The Munchkin. For all the photos from the game click here.

In case you haven’t noticed, the students are back. Grocery stores are packed, Target is insane, and don’t even try to go to Costco at 2pm on a Saturday afternoon right now. Last night, the WOWies invaded Farmer’s Market, and this weekend Cal Poly Athletics has a huge chance to make another first impression.

Their first impressions have been a mixed bag in the past. Two years ago, most of Alex G. Spanos Stadium filled-up for a WOW week men’s soccer matchup against San Francisco — one that the Mustangs won. Last season, Cal Poly’s football team had a great opportunity. After starting the season with a thrilling win at Montana and playing Arizona State close, they laid a WOW Week-sized first-quarter egg, trailing 21-0 before the Spanos student section could get warmed-up.

This weekend, there are more opportunities to WOW the WOWies. Starting today at 5:00pm, there are four events at Alex G. Spanos Stadium and a volleyball match at Mott Athletics Center too.

Three of the games are against top-15 teams in the country in three different sports.

For attendance, the two games to keep an eye on are Friday night’s men’s soccer matchup with UCLA and the noon football game on Saturday, and the way I see it, this is a huge oppoortunity for both teams.

With the two marquee games happening 16 hours apart against top-10 opponents, one has to wonder — can the freshmen bring THAT much noise at the end of WOW Week? After a late soccer game on their first Friday night in college, will they even be awake by noon?

Which makes the potential for some noon-game weirdness so, so real.

The last early start at Spanos I remember was the Yale game in 2013. If you don’t remember that, I’ll jog your memory — it was the most or second-most disappointing game I’ve witnessed at Spanos in my five or six years covering the team. There was weird mid-day sun. The student section was lethargic. The team was slow-footed. Yale didn’t have any business being in the game, but they punched the Mustangs in the mouth, got a few key turnovers, and beat Cal Poly. The game day crowd, the team, and the student section can all be ready to help keep Cal Poly on-track against Montana. If they do show, it will be an impressive start to the week for everyone involved, including the WOW leaders and RA’s in the dorms.

Adlee Van Winden and the Cal Poly Volleyball team’s match against #14 Hawai’i might be the most underrated game of the weekend. By Owen Main

The most underrated game of the weekend might be volleyball’s matchup with #14 Hawai’i. Hawai’i is a perennial Big West and national power, but this is a big year for Cal Poly volleyball. Sam Crosson’s first major recruiting class are all now juniors. The Mustangs’ best players are not freshmen and sophomores for the first time in three years, and this could be an early-season upset if Taylor Nelson and co. can get hot against Hawai’i. If you’re up for hanging around Cal Poly after the football game, volleyball should be a good time against another great opponent.

Which brings us to the bookend games for the weekend: women’s soccer. This year’s team is 4-4-1, having lost some close games and games to Pac-12 opponents already this year. After nine matches, they should be starting to find their identity and groove in preparation for their Big West schedule. Sometimes when a team’s identity is so linked to a single player — all time goal scorer Elise Krieghoff in this case — it can take a team a while to figure out who they are the following year. I’m anxious to see how some of the team leaders like Megan Abutin and underclassmen like Caitlyn Kreutz are playing in the final weekend before Big West play.

Back to the title of this meandering post — opportunities. All four teams who play this weekend have opportunities right in front of them. In a way, it mirrors the opportunities and fresh start new college students have, starting right now. Conference play is right in front of all of these teams and along with it, a ripe opportunity to achieve goals set long ago.

They’re all there. Right in front of them. Which will take them?

If you’re a sports junkie, these are the kinds of weekends you love. There’s a smorgasbord of action to choose from. See ya out there.

Sharon Day-Monroe is gunning for her third Olympic bid. By Owen Main

Sharon Day-Monroe is the winningest multi-event athlete in US history. A three-time US Heptathlon champion, Day-Monroe has competed in the Olympics twice and the World Championships three times.

An amazing high jumper and track athlete coming out of high school, Day-Monroe talked about why she chose Cal Poly, the importance of having multiple-sport opportunities, and what it’s like to train to be a world-class multi-event athlete.

After tying a top-15 Cal team on Sunday afternoon, Cal Poly used an early Elise Krieghoff goal to manage another tie, this time with BYU. The Cougars, who came into the game ranked sixth nationally and third in the RPI, ripped-off 31 shots, but only four on-goal in the tie.

Krieghoff’s goal was the 48th of her career.

BYU answered with a goal in the 20th minute, but neither team could find the net over the final 90 minutes of the match (including overtime). Alyssa Giannetti made three saves for Cal Poly, which put eight shots on goal themselves.

Cal Poly has now played at least four top-15 teams in the nation and will complete their non-conference schedule against Pepperdine on Sunday in Malibu. Effectively ranked 27th in the nation, Pepperdine received the second-most points in the coaches poll for teams outside the top-25 this week.

Cal Poly’s record is now (4-2-4).

Photos by Owen Main – To view all photos, click here

On Friday night, Cal Poly women’s soccer hosted the second-ranked team in the country and 83 minutes into the game, it looked as though they may at least escape with a tie.

Unfortunately for Alex Crozier, Ry Walker-Hartshorn spun and fired a shot past a sprawling Alyssa Giannetti for the game’s only goal. Giannetti, who holds the Cal Poly all-time saves lead, added seven to her career total in the game.

Cal Poly, who was without top scorer Elise Krieghoff, managed three shots in the game — none on-goal.

Photos by Owen Main

Cal Poly women’s soccer announced the signing of seven recruits on Thursday. Since they posted good-looking graphics, I’ll take them off the bottom of the football post and give them their own.

It looks like Alex Crozier has put together a nice recruiting class this year. It’s also nice to see local girls coming to school at Cal Poly. The Mustangs have players from both Righetti and San Luis Obispo High Schools.

I added videos where I could. Since I know nothing more than what’s below and on GoPoly.com, I’ll let the videos speak for themselves. Spring soccer is just around the corner and I’ve heard Cal Poly has some Pac 12 schools coming to town.

Kreutz comes from Buchanan High School. You know what other forward came to Cal Poly from Buchanan?

No pressure or anything… . (Welcome to SLO, Caitlyn)

This Sara Lancaster effort made it to goal, but was saved by the Long Beach State keeper. by Owen Main

By virtue of their regular season conference title a year ago, Cal Poly is hosting the women’s soccer tournament this year. On Thursday night, top-seeded Cal State Fullerton beat Cal State Northridge 1-0. CSUN had the possession advantage and seemed to even have more chances, but soccer isn’t always a fair game that way and Titan Christina Burkenroad cleaned up a bouncing ball in front of the goal for the game-winner.

The semifinal nightcap wasn’t exactly what the home team was looking for. Second-seeded Cal Poly played third-seeded Long Beach State.

Both teams played a similar style, and neither team gave up a goal through 90 minutes of regulation or a 20 minute overtime. A shootout ended when a CSUN player scored in the seventh round, ending Cal Poly’s season and sending the 49ers to the tournament championship on Sunday.

Sunday’s Championship Game at Spanos Stadium between Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State starts shortly after 1:00PM.

Home crowd?

Much of the home crowd throughout the season comes from students, who get into the game for free with their student ID. When the Big West Tournament comes to town, student tickets go for $5. Whether it was because of the cost or lack of awareness on-campus, the Cal Poly match’s attendance was a disappointment. Up to about 100 students did show up at some point during the match — most were fellow student-athletes who came to root the soccer team on.

I asked someone how many student tickets the Athletic Department at Cal Poly was going to buy to create a real home field advantage if the Mustangs made the final. My suggestion was met with a little bit of an eye roll. Cal Poly doesn’t get to show itself off very often, so they need to take advantage of these opportunities like hosting a conference tournament.

I think student tickets were $5 each, so paying for 500 tickets would have cost the university $2,500. I don’t know whether it would have made a difference, but the Cal Poly students who did show up made for a much more festive atmosphere in the second half.

Cal Poly seniors play last game

For four Cal Poly seniors, Thursday night marked the end of college careers. The senior group included Sara Lancaster, Tracy Hong, Megan Heddinger, and Christina Eichinger.

Hong’s knee injury was especially of note, as Cal Poly’s back line seemed pretty tired at the end of the double-overtime game.

A champion will be crowned

The final will be at Spanos on Sunday at about 1:00 on Fox Sports Prime Ticket.

Photos by Owen Main

Long Beach State 0-0 Cal Poly (Long Beach State wins on penalties)

To view on an iPhone or iPad, click here

Cal State Fullerton 1-0 Cal State Northridge

To view on an iPhone or iPad, click here

 

Elise Krieghoff continues to amaze. On Sunday, the junior tied Cal Poly’s all-time career goals record at 45.

I’ve seen Elise score in lots of different ways over the past three years. She’s made penalty kicks and fended off defenders and slotted balls past goalkeepers. Krieghoff has taken a goalie clearance off her back and put it into the goal. She’s put free kicks in the only possible place the keeper couldn’t get to them. She has pounded rebounds into the back of the net and skillfully touched crosses in with either her head or foot.

What I hadn’t seen until now was a goal from this far out, at a time in the game like this.

In the 82nd minute on Sunday, with the score tied, Krieghoff unleashed this cannon from, I’m thinking 30? yards out. See for yourself.

Go ahead, watch it again. I had to. Make sure you process it fully.

There are lots of things that could be said about that goal. It was surely a wonderful goal, but the most notable thing and the biggest complement to the player is how used to it Cal Poly fans have likely become. Ho-hum, another Krieghoff goal.

At least for today, not so much.

Sophomore, Lydia Anderson, has become much more aggressive offensively during conference play, but the Mustangs will need increased efficiency from other offensive players if the conference tournament is still a goal. By Owen Main

The Big West Women’s Soccer Tournament will be at Alex G. Spanos Stadium in San Luis Obispo this season. If Cal Poly wants to be a participant, they’re going to have to start playing a lot better.

After winning their conference opener on the road last week in Long Beach, Alex Crozier’s defending conference regular season champs have dropped two straight matches at home — the latest to UC Davis on Friday night.

In that match, the Mustangs out-shot the Aggies 15-5, including a 13-3 advantage in shots-on-goal. It didn’t matter though, as two of Davis’ three shots on goal found the back of the net.

Cal Poly has the conference’s reigning player of the year and a top goal scorer in Elise Krieghoff, but the junior hasn’t found a way to get into the score book in the first three conference games. Teams are definitely keying on Krieghoff in the middle — sending three defenders at her sometimes. The Mustangs are also seeing teams with faster, stronger outside defenders who are disrupting service to Krieghoff from the likes of Megan Abutin and Sara Lancaster.

It will be intriguing to see whether the Mustangs might have to find some more varied movement if they want to get back on a winning track and fight their way back into contention, or if the results are abberations and will start to fall more in-line with the shot numbers, which generally favor Krieghoff and Cal Poly.

One important player who has been absent of late is Tracy Hong. The senior outside defender has a knack for linking through the midfield or directly to Cal Poly’s attackers and is known to sometimes take it herself up the wing.

Whatever the reason, Cal Poly has struggled to find their attackers in the same dangerous places they found them during the preseason. There are only eight conference games for each team in the Big West, so every match is crucial. Cal Poly hosts Hawai’i on Sunday and three points seems like a must. Anything less, and the road to a spot in the Big West Tournament really begins to become treacherous.

Sunday schedule:

Time: Sunday, Noon Pacific,

Opponent: Hawai’i

Watch the game online here. 

Photos by Owen Main

 Click here to view photos on an iPad or iPhone