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. 

Last week, I got a message from Elise Krieghoff. It was simply a video that showed Krieghoff scoring on a bicycle kick in the professional league, where she plays in Norway. Krieghoff, Cal Poly’s all-time leading scorer, had a stint as a pro with the Boston Breakers of the US-based NWSL before moving to Norway this season.

The goal by itself is just rad, but the other shoe dropped when Krieghoff told me who the keeper was — former teammate Alyssa Giannetti. Giannetti also plays in the Norwegian league, and her former teammate’s goalazo came directly at her expense. 

I still think this goal Krieghoff scored in college was even better. 

Together, Giannetti and Krieghoff led Cal Poly women’s soccer to a pretty great three-year run. During their first three seasons, the Mustangs were 18-4-2 in Big West play, won a Big West regular season title, and earned the right to host the Big West Tournament. 

When I tweeted the video, Giannetti’s response was great:

It was only a matter of time before this surfaced haha

— Alyssa Giannetti (@AlyssaRozae) September 9, 2017

Props to Alyssa being a wonderful sport about the whole thing. Props to Elise for an amazing goal. 

It’s always fun when I can get footage of a Cal Poly athlete playing professionally. Ride High, ladies. 

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

Elise Krieghoff smashed the career goals record at Cal Poly in less than three full seasons. By Owen Main

Cal Poly women’s soccer beat rival UCSB 2-0 on Sunday afternoon. People could talk about the fact that Cal Poly clinched a bid into the Big West Tournament they’ll host in two weeks. They could also talk about the fact that, with the win, the Mustangs’ men’s and women’s teams went a collective 1-0-1 against rival UCSB this weekend. But neither of them will.

Because, Elise Krieghoff, you guys.

Krieghoff, a junior at Cal Poly, has put together a three-year assault on the Cal Poly and Big West Conference record books. On Sunday, she scored her 46th goal of her career — a new Cal Poly record. The Big West Conference record-holder is  Jennifer Borcich of UCSB, who scored 56 goals between 2001-04. Krieghoff, who scored five goals in a match against Fresno State earlier this season, could threaten that record by early next year.

Aside from a two-game losing streak at the beginning of conference play, the Cal Poly women’s soccer team might be having a better season than a year ago. They are playing with real confidence and purpose right now, and they host the conference tournament. It will be interesting to see if the students at Cal Poly come out and support the women in the tournament like they do the men during a UCSB game.

Thanks for waiting

I decided to ride my bicycle to today’s game, and it almost cost me a chance to see history. Getting across town took about 10 minutes longer than I anticipated, so when I saw the 1-0 score as I approached the stadium, my heart sank a little.

Lucky for me, Cal Poly’s first goal was by Megan Abutin with a Krieghoff assist. I quickly changed out of my cycling shoes, but before I could even tie my tennis shoes, the Mustangs broke on offense and Krieghoff netted the record-setting goal — after which I tied my shoes.

Krieghoff’s’ record-setting goal. By Owen Main

Senior day

Sunday was Senior Day for the four seniors on their roster. After the game, Krieghoff spoke highly of them all, but especially spoke highly of Sara Lancaster. Lancaster, a freshman when Krieghoff was being recruited, scored eight goals that season. As Krieghoff came to SLO, Lancaster was someone she looked-up to. After today, everyone is looking-up at Krieghoff in the Cal Poly record books.

Senior Tracy Hong, a key outside defender for the Mustangs, once again did not play. She is working to rehab an injury and hopes to be back in time for the conference tournament.

Cal Poly finishes their regular season at Cal State Fullerton next Saturday night before hosting the conference tournament starting the following Thursday. The game at Cal State Fullerton can be watched on ESPN3.

Photos by Owen Main

To view on 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

Red cards can be the kiss of death in soccer.

Against St. Mary’s on Friday night, Cal Poly defender Robin Mertens was shown a red card in the 33rd minute. Down a player, Cal Poly regrouped and played close with the Gaels until a foul in the box led to St. Mary’s first goal. Samantha Dion fired the ball past a diving Alyssa Giannetti and St. Mary’s was up 1-0.

Cal Poly junior striker Elise Krieghoff drew a foul just outside the box and scored on a shorthanded free-kick. The strike was a thing of beauty — something Cal Poly fans have come to expect from Krieghoff — who is quickly approaching the Cal Poly all-time scoring title.

Here’s the goal:

To tie the game with a kick like that in a shorthanded situation is pretty clutch.

While an argument could me made that Cal Poly had as many good chances as Saint Mary’s during the game, eventually, those red cards do catch up to a team. The Mustangs made it to overtime tied at one apiece before Dion put a golden goal past Giannetti in the 93rd minute.

The Mustangs finish their non-conference schedule at home against San Francisco on Sunday. Big West play begins on Friday at Long Beach State.

Photos by Owen Main

To view photos on an iPad or iPhone, click here

Elise Krieghoff is now five goals away from the all-time lead at Cal Poly. By Owen Main

Elise Krieghoff tied a school record with five goals against her hometown Bulldogs and Cal Poly upended Fresno State 6-1 at Alex G. Spanos Stadium on Friday night.

Krieghoff, a junior, now has 40 career goals. The Cal Poly all-time record is 45.

Wendy Jones also had five goals for Cal Poly in a 1993 game.

Megan Abutin added the sixth Mustang goal, scoring on a penalty kick she drew for herself. The Mustangs emptied the bench over the final 15-20 minutes, getting some other players some time on the pitch.

Cal Poly will play at Stanford on Sunday at 3:30 pm on the Pac-12 Network.

The video below is a little fuzzy, but you get the idea.

Photos by Owen Main

To view photos on an iPhone or iPad, click here. 

Junior Sara Epps and a group of Cal Poly attackers out-shot Lamar 12-2 in the second half. By Owen Main

Sorry, Alex Crozier. I should have left earlier.

With Cal Poly down 1-0 to Lamar, I had watched 70-plus minutes of action. There had been a saved penalty by the Lamar goalkeeper and several other potential scoring chances for Cal Poly that had not found the back of the net.

With a honey-do list that wasn’t getting any smaller, I figured I had taken all the photos I’d need and the photographer next to me remarked that maybe this wasn’t Cal Poly’s day.

So I left.

By the time I drove back out past the stadium, the Mustangs had tied the game. Sophomore Kendra Bonsall had evened the match in the 79th minute I was told via text.

Before I was home, the next text came.

“Krieghoff too.”

Boom. 2-1. Ballgame.

Maybe I need to stay for all 90 minutes next time. That, or leave earlier.

Photos by Owen Main

To view the photos on an iPhone, click here.

Elise Krieghoff earned her sixth career Big West Conference Player of the Week last week. By Owen Main

Cal Poly’s Elise Krieghoff has had a historic start to her career. With five games to go in her sophomore campaign, Krieghoff already holds the Mustangs’ single season goals record. Here are some other numbers that put into perspective the wonderful start that Cal Poly fans have been lucky enough to see.

18 Goals so far in 2013

Krieghoff has 18 goals in 16 games so far this season.  With two conference matches and postseason play still yet to happen, that number could go up still. Eighteen goals breaks the Cal Poly single season record and is third all-time in the Big West (the record is 25, held by Krystal Sandza of UCSB).

Five-time Conference Player of the Week in 2013

Krieghoff has earned Big West Player of the Week honors five times this season and six times in her career. The five in 2013 smashes the previous conference record of three and should almost guarantee her Big West Conference Player of the Year.

90 Shots so far in 2013

To get to 18 goals, Krieghoff has put the ball on-frame 90 times so far this season, tying her for third all-time in the single season shots category.

29 Career Goals

In less than two seasons, Krieghoff is within striking distance of breaking into the top-ten in all-time goals in the Big West Conference. Six more goals would get here there into the conference’s all-time top-10 and the record is 56, which she is on-pace to break if she keeps up something close to the pace of her first two seasons.

Krieghoff’s strength and ability to shed defenders is one reason why she has had the third-best goal scoring season ever in the Big West. By Owen Main

157 Career Shots

Much like her goal tally, Krieghoff’s shots tally should put her in the top-10 in the Big West all-time before the end of her junior season.

Part of what is fun about college sports is the opportunity for record-breaking performances. Krieghoff would probably tell you that the most important

I don’t want to toot my own horn… well, I guess I actually do because I’m adding this part. If you’re interested in Cal Poly soccer, you should go back and read my soccer preview.