Mackenzie Pridham blasts the game-winning goal on Sunday afternoon vs. Yale. By Owen Main

The first Cal Poly soccer match I went to this year was a dud. The Mustangs looked listless, didn’t create many good chances, and lost to Gonzaga in overtime. It looked like it was happening all over again.

On Sunday, it looked nearly like a carbon copy of the Gonzaga match, except Yale took advantage of Cal Poly’s mistakes and went ahead 2-0 at halftime. While they had the run of play, they used a lot of less-effective long passes and were to crack the middle part of the final third of the field. A defensive mistake by Cal Poly and a timely counter fr

Connor Drechsler put Cal Poly within 2-1 early in the second half on a cross from Chris Bernardi. Bernardi, who comes off the bench for Holocher, has looked like the fastest, most effective Mustang with the best first touch in the two games I’ve been to this season. In short, he puts a lot of pressure on defenders. Dreschler has three career goals on only three career shots on goal.

During the final 20 minutes of the second half, Yale did everything they could to legally bleed the clock. As Cal Poly’s offense started to turn up the pressure, two Bulldogs went down with what seemed like leg cramps. They subbed players every few minutes. They took their time on free kicks.

But in the end, it wasn’t enough.

With less than 90 seconds left in the match, sophomore Matt LaGrassa fired a left-footed blast into the right side of the net to tie the match. Yale’s collective hands went to their heads. Mustangs players climbed briefly onto the barrier with the stands in front of the Mustang Manglers section.

In overtime, Cal Poly persevered. Mackenzie Pridham, who had played a very physical second half, finally found himself free and quickly buried the game-winner past Yale keeper Blake Brown in the 100th minute to cap the comeback.

Chase Minter celebrates with Matt LaGrassa (20) after LaGrassa’s game-tying goal. By Owen Main

The final 55 minutes of the match– the second half and overtime — were a dominant display by Cal Poly. As discussed in my soccer preview, if the Mustangs are going to have any chance at the Big West title, careless mistakes at the back line cannot happen. A team like UCSB, Davis, or Cal State Northridge will be nearly impossible to come back on from 2-0 down in a game like Sunday’s.

I always find Paul Holocher’s comments about style of play interesting. While Yale consistently played in the second half with 8 players behind the ball defensively, Cal Poly did their best to keep the field open, maintain possession, and use the whole pitch.

I would rather lose trying to play this way than win in another way. I think our fans appreciate how we get things done as much as the outcome,” said Holocher.

In other words, the team needs to get better at the style of play, particularly with turnovers deep in the defensive zone. Holocher’s team will play two games in Colorado next week before starting conference play.

Photos by Owen Main

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Pridham’s Goal – Video

Mustangs goal keeper Chase Hauser makes a flying attempt to punch the ball out of danger. After giving up a first-half goal, the Mustangs came back to defeat the Crimson 2-1. Photo by David Livingston

Cal Poly forward Ian Clark did not start the Mustangs’ first ever match with Ivy League visitor Harvard. While Clark was only on the field for 28 minutes at Alex G. Spanos Stadium on Friday night, his contribution helped turn a one-goal defecit into a 2-1 Cal Poly victory in front of a season-high home crowd of 3,592.

The Mustang faithful were put on their heels in the first half. Zach Wolfenson dribbled around three Cal Poly defenders and slid a shot past Cal Poly keeper Chase Hauser. It was the first time Cal Poly had been behind in 388 minutes. The last time the Mustangs were down in a game was August 26 during their 2-0 loss at Washington. Since then, the Mustangs have won five in a row, including the first four of a five-game homestand.

In the 33rd minute, Harvard keeper Evan Mendez was issued a red card for handling the ball outside the penalty box. With the backup keeper on the field, Clark struck a goal (his 2nd of the season) in the 53rd minute on a cross from George Malki. In the 73rd minute, Chris Bernardi blasted his 3rd goal of the season off a pass from Chase Minter. Bernardi’s strike turned out to be the game-winner.

The final game of the Mustangs’ five-game homestand is tomorrow (Sunday) at 4:00 pm at Alex G. Spanos Stadium against 12th-ranked UCLA. The Bruins tied 3rd-ranked UCSB on Friday night 1-1. The UCLA game will mark the finale of the Nike Central Coast Challenge.

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