In what was probably their best showing of the young season, Cal Poly’s men’s soccer team drew 11th-ranked San Diego State 0-0 on Saturday night at Alex G. Spanos Stadium on the Cal Poly campus.

Cal Poly’s defense was well-organized all game long, only allowing three shots to the visiting Aztecs. Goalkeeper Eric Kam recorded the first clean sheet of his career.

Despite the cast on his right wrist, Kenneth Higgins has provided a lot of energy and ball control for a Cal Poly team that is still looking to find its identity. By Owen Main

Shoot it!

Cal Poly out-shot SDSU 12-3. The Aztecs actually had the most possession, but Cal Poly created opportunities on counter-attacks and set pieces all night. Justin Dhillon played as a lone striker for most of the match while Kenneth Higgins, Kaba Alkebulan, and Adam Olsen provided some support. Especially intriguing is the play of lefties Jack O’Connor and Nick Carroll down the left side of the field. As head coach Steve Sampson put it early-on, the connection between those two will continue to be important. O’Connor’s hustle and ability to get forward and get service to the Mustangs’ tall, athletic forwards looks like a recipe Cal Poly is trying to master.

WOW crowd… kind of

Week of Welcome had not started at Cal Poly at game time, but lots of students were at this match. The attendance was listed at 1223, but I would say they were low by probably a thousand. Most of the new side of Alex G. Spanos Stadium was full for this one.

Another ranked opponent

Cal Poly will host another ranked opponent on Saturday, this time welcoming 7th-ranked UCLA into town. The Bruins have hosted the Mustangs in recent years and it will be interesting to see if Cal Poly can get a result from a ranked team. UCLA will be the fourth match (out of 7) Cal Poly has played against a top-11 opponent and the Mustangs hope that it nets them their first win against a Division I team this season.

If they were looking for inspiration, the WOW week crowd should be out in full force on Friday. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were eight to ten thousand fans on-hand for this one. A few years ago, against San Francisco, the Friday night WOW Week game netted over 6,000 fans — mostly WOWies. With UCLA’s name brand and some good weather, 8,000 could be in the cards.

Kickoff against UCLA is at 8:00 pm.

Photos by Owen Main. To view them all, click here. 

Last Wednesday, LA Galaxy won a US Open Cup game 6-1 against PSA Elite, which featured Cal Poly’s Justin Dhillon, who came on in the 61st minute.

Dhillon didn’t get a ton of chances — LA Galaxy were really tight in the second half — but he did show a little bit of nice control and delivered a decent cross into the middle from the left wing.

Photos by Owen Main

On my way back to San Luis Obispo from a soccer game in Los Angeles on a Wednesday night, I blather on about God-knows-what… .

During a day off from training on Monday, Cal Poly men’s soccer junior-to-be Justin Dhillon spoke with me over the phone. Dhillon’s first two years at Cal Poly have certainly been interesting. The highest-ranked soccer recruit (and maybe recruit in any sport?) Cal Poly has ever landed, Dhillon came in with a freshman class that joined a team with big expectations.

Justin Dhillon scored the game-winning goal for PSA Elite a few weeks ago to get them into Wednesday’s US Open Cup match against the LA Galaxy. By Owen Main

At the end of his sophomore school year, though, Dhillon and his teammates have had three coaches at Cal Poly. I talked to Dhillon about what stability Steve Sampson brings to the program, what summer club soccer is like for a player of his caliber, and how his club team, PSA Elite (which also includes Cal Poly goalkeeper Wade Hamilton), got themselves into a fourth round US Open Cup match against the LA Galaxy on Wednesday night.

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Fansmanship: How was the the end of the school year?

Justin Dhillon: Good, finals were a little stressful but got through all of them and really excited to be home for summer.

F: Can you give me an idea about your spring quarter schedule and how that rolls into what you’re doing into the summer and beyond?

JD: In spring, we started the quarter with some baseline testing and fitness lifting. We went through our training cycle and did a lot of extra fitness work and lifting and stayed on a complete regimen. At the end of the quarter we retested and saw our improvements on things like vertical, power lifts, and fitness mile time.

F: So the goal is for you to stay fit year-round then?

JD: Definitely. Winter quarter we went a little lower on the fitness and more lifting and then spring quarter we slowly worked our way up with the fitness and now in the summer it’s kind of our own job to maintain and to grow with the fitness. One of our team goals is to be one of the most fit teams in the country.

F: That was something your team dealt with a lot last year with depth and guys getting hurt. How much are you looking forward to having a healthy team next school year?

JD: It was a little tough last year with all of our injuries. There was myself and a couple other guys who played in every single game and because we had very little subs we really didn’t get much time to rest but I’m hoping that for our whole team to come together from a starting fitness point. With more depth on our roster this year, we hope to maintain a strong performance throughout the year.

F: Club soccer is something that a lot of guys go play in the offseason. Tell me how that works in terms of planning. How does that all go down as the school year progresses.

JD: It’s a little bit different for everyone individually, but basically wherever you’re planning on staying for the summer usually you can contact the coach and say, “I go to Cal Poly and I’m looking to continue training.” Sometimes the coaches set them up. I know some of the guys on our team are going to Costa Rica over the summer to train. With regards to myself, PSA has been around Orange County for a while and I do know the head coach, so he contacted a group of college players who are from Orange County. In addition I’ll be attending the Galaxy because that’s where I grew up playing.

F: Tell me about what that’s like when you’re a member of a team’s (LA Galaxy’s) academy and what kind of influence that has on you as a player?

JD: For the academy, they’ve done a really good job of staying in touch with a lot of the college guys. I feel like moving past the academy, even though you might graduate from the program you’re still not done necessarily there because every year in the summer they’ll invite some people back to continue training. Last year we trained with LA Galaxy II and we got to do their whole summer training program. It was all the same equipment they use, we were in their locker room with a complete professional environment. I haven’t been there yet this summer, but I’m assuming it will be something similar to that. It’s really good training to be practicing with the first team guys and all the Galaxy II players in a professional environment to help all of us college guys prepare for the next season.

F: You mentioned LA Galaxy II. A former teammate of yours, Ari Lassiter, is currently playing with them and playing well, scoring a lot of goals and getting a lot of time. How much do you stay in touch with former teammates like him and Mackenzie Pridham? Is that a road map for you to play professionally in the future?

JD: Ari was actually my roommate last year and we’re still very very good friends. I’ve been texting him letting him know I’m going to be coming up there and playing with them. He’s been doing well. He actually played against Mac yesterday and he scored a penalty, so that’s pretty cool to see both the Cal Poly guys out there again. As far as a road map for us, it’s definitely what we want to achieve. It’s a big advantage to have the opportunity to be put in front of first team and Galaxy II coaching staff over the summer and training with them, so it’s pretty advantageous. Ultimately, that is a road map that I hopefully can achieve — being able to go play with the team I grew up with. It’s always been a dream of mine. Hopefully one day it can work out.

F: With Steve Sampson as your college coach now, do you feel like you’re getting more exposure or a level of preparation from a guy who has coached in a World Cup? How does having a coach like him prepare you guys (Cal Poly players) to play professionally if that’s something you want to pursue?

JD: I respect all my coaches I’ve had. We’ve seen dramatic changes ultimately for the better. He’s definitely harder on us, but he’s also so much more professional. He’s giving us all the tools we need to be successful with any other coach. He’s made it clear to us that he’s well respected at the next level and if we can continue to improve and show that that’s something we want to do and fight for it then we 100% have his support in the future. I think it’s a huge motivation even for recruits to come to our school because nobody else in the country has a coach like Steve Sampson with his resume and his connections.

F: Tell me about going to play at StubHub Center (with PSA Elite). Have you ever played there before? How does it feel to go back to play against the team you trained with when you were younger.

JD: I have played in that stadium for a scrimmage. Just playing in that stadium even back then without the fans was something really spectacular. Having the opportunity to play against the first team in the Open Cup, that’s pretty unbelievable for an amateur team in college to have an opportunity to essentially be playing in a professional game. I’m a little bit torn, being a supporter of the Galaxy and playing for them growing up and now ultimately having to play against them and wanting my team to move on to the next round. It’s a little change of heart, but ultimately I do want PSA to win and my team to be a part of the next round.

F: Do you think you have another upset in you? It would be the biggest upset in US Open Cup history…

JD: It would be a HUGE upset and obviously the Galaxy is one of the best teams in the MLS. For a team like us to be able to challenge them and play against them is an upset in itself. From the guys I know on PSA, some of them were on the Galaxy with me and some were on the (junior) national team with me, so it’s going to be an interesting game. We obviously have something to prove. Obviously (the Galaxy) are not going to take us lightly, they’re professionals, but it’s going to be a real fun test.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 at StubHub Center on Wednesday night. General admission tickets are just $10. 

A little like college baseball players who go away to play in summer leagues, college soccer players who are good enough often play for clubs during the offseason.

On Wednesday evening in Ventura, Justin Dhillon entered the game in the 79th minute of a tie US Open Cup third round match. Less than 30 seconds later, he had a game winning goal that will send his team, PSA Elite, into the fourth round to play the LA Galaxy at the StubHub Center.

Justin Dhillon will be an upperclassman on a talented Cal Poly soccer team next season. By Owen Main

Dhillon’s strike came off a long free kick that his teammate was able to settle and feed to him. After one quick touch, the winger from Tesoro high school popped a left footed shot into the back of the net. Dhillon, who will be a junior at Cal Poly next season, slotted the game-winner past incoming UCSB goalkeeper Justin Vom Steeg of the Ventura County Fusion for the game winner.

In the second round, Cal Poly midfielder Matt LaGrassa’s strike placed the Fusion on the winning side against the USL’s LA Galaxy II, a professional side that included former Mustang Ari Lassiter. On Wednesday, it was his teammate Dhillon who ended Ventura County’s US Open Cup run.

Also on the PSA Elite side that will play against the LA Galaxy is Cal Poly keeper Wade Hamilton. Hamilton made a few diving saves during the game to help keep PSA Elite in the match.

Chase Minter’s shirt is almost ripped-off as a Drake defender executes the physical game plan to perfection. By Owen Main

Cal Poly fans were poised to explode. The team gave itself numerous opportunities.

The goal never came.

Against a tall and physical Drake side, Cal Poly men’s soccer played 110 goalless minutes in a game that ended in a scoreless draw.

Drake looked the more aggressive of the two teams early-on. Without a tall defensive option, Cal Poly was left scrambling to defend arial passes into the box. Midway through the first half, Cal Poly began to get their legs under them, and while the possession favored the Mustangs through most of the remainder of the game, the two teams both had numerous opportunities to put themselves on the scoreboard.

Mostly content to sit back and counter-attack, Drake managed 16 shots, three on goal. The Mustangs, who dominated more possession, couldn’t find the combination in the final third of the field and ended with 19 shots, six on-goal. The Mustangs’ best chance came within the final ten minutes of regulation when Justin Dhillon found himself unmarked at the back post. Dhillon headed a cross just wide of the net. As headers go, I’m sure it’s one he would like back.

The run of play was probably the best I’ve seen from the Mustangs at Spanos this season. Drake was a disciplined team that executed a physical, defensive game plan to keep the game scoreless. Cal Poly, who relies more on quickness than strength, has a little work to do to try to figure out how to play against a more physical style, especially when the officials are letting grabbing and pulling go.

The Big West is a physical conference and Drake was indicative of what many teams in the conference will try to do against Cal Poly.

Out of depth

Cal Poly, already playing without defensive midfielder Kody Wakasa, was also missing winger John Chronopolis (illness) and Kaba Alkeibulan (ankle). Both are expected to be ready for the conference opener on Friday against UC Irvine at Spanos Stadium, but their absence meant that Cal Poly head coach Phil Ruskin only used one substitution all match against Drake.

I’ve talked and written about how missed, in my opinion, Ari Lassiter is, too. Along with all the injuries, him not being on the roster is simply a blow to the team’s depth.

Cal Poly has a very solid 1-13 or 1-14 on their roster, but to win at the college level, where there are free substitutions, teams generally need 15-16 players to provide some contribution. On the back-end of a weekend in conference play, legs do get tired and mistakes are made. I’m interested to see how well the Mustangs do in those second games, given their usual rotation of 13-14 players.

Conference schedule front-loaded

Cal Poly’s schedule in conference is pretty heavily front-loaded this season. They’ll start conference with a pair of home matches against UC Irvine (currently ranked fourth in the nation) and Cal State Northridge, who knocked the Mustangs out of the Big West Tournament a year ago. The Matadors also feature the single biggest scoring threat in the conference in Sagi Lev-Ari. Thursday night’s match starts at 7:00 pm and Sunday’s kicks-off at 3:00 pm.

Photos by Owen Main

To view photos on an iPad or iPhone, click here

Mustang captain, Matt LaGrassa’s headed goal and subsequent celebration drove the crowd of nearly 7,000 fans at Alex G. Spanos Stadium into a frenzy. By Owen Main

Yes, Cal Poly men’s soccer is a somewhat improbable 5-1-1 this season.  Yes, they’ve scored more than one goal in five of their seven matches. Yes, they are unbeaten in six straight after beating San Francisco 2-1 on Friday night at Alex G. Spanos Stadium.

The key stat of the night — 6,856. That’s how many fans — mostly WOWies — showed up to take-in the game. The WOWies came ready — faces painted, and impressed with chants and songs that they clearly had studied-up on.

On the pitch, San Francisco played as well as the Mustangs for much of the match. Cal Poly got on the board in the 12th minute when freshman, Joseph Bolous tapped a rebound into the corner, sending the WOWies — many of whom were still finding their seats — into a frenzy.

USF outplayed Cal Poly for most of the second half, but the Mustangs scored again. Captain Matt LaGrassa sailed high in the air to head Cal Poly’s second goal home in the 70th minute to put the Mustangs up by two.

The way the second half went, it would have been a miracle if San Francisco didn’t find the net at some point. The Dons finally emerged when Joshua Smith put one home in the 87th minute, but it was too little, too late for the Mustangs’ West Coast Conference opponents.

If Cal Poly freshmen wanted to know whether the soccer environment was all it was cracked-up to be, they found out on Friday. Interim Cal Poly coach Phil Ruskin has talked about wanting to get big crowds for games that aren’t UCSB games. He got one on Friday.

One British USF fan summed up the atmosphere quite nicely.

“Brilliant,” he said. “This is better than some of the professional games back home.”

The Mustangs next face former Big West rival Pacific on Sunday at 1pm at Alex G. Spanos Stadium.

Photos by Owen Main

To view photos on iPhone or iPad, click here

Along with Justin Dhillon, Ari Lassiter headlined a talented freshman recruiting class for Cal Poly this season. By Owen Main

Cal Poly had its highest-ever rated recruiting last year – a testament to the program head coach Paul Holocher continues to build. A big reason for the team’s highly-rated class of freshmen has been the blue-green rivalry game and the Mustangs’ success over the past few years.

Cal Poly attacker Justin Dhillon was ranked as the number-eight recruit in the nation. One look at the rivalry and his mind was made-up.

“On my official visit I came during this game and went in the locker room with the team and everything and we ended up winning and the fans rushed the field,” said Dhillon. “When I got home, I was like, ‘Mom, dad, I have to come to this school. I have to be a part of this.’ So, it was pretty awesome to be a part of it. I mean I’ve been looking forward to it for a whole year.”

While UCSB has been to two National Championship games over the past decade, the more recent two-sided nature of the rivalry has had an effect on high-profile recruits for Cal Poly. Freshman Ari Lassiter, who is second on the Mustangs with 13 points and third on the squad with five goals this season was also at last year’s final leg of Cal Poly’s first season sweep of UCSB in recent memory.

“I was at the one last year — the one here at home that we won,” said Lassiter.

George Malki put the game-winner home in the second half and the crowd stormed the field as time ran-out. How big of a determining factor was it in Lassiter’s decision to come to Cal Poly?

“It’s a huge factor,” said Lassiter. “Who wouldn’t want to come to play in a packed stadium? They’re just behind you, behind the team, and it makes it so much easier to play.”

Despite the tie, Holocher has to be happy about the atmosphere that has become a staple at the UCSB game and has begun to spill over into other home games as well.

“I’m really very proud of the Cal Poly fans for coming out,” said Holocher. “This is a great rivalry and it was an exciting game. Unfortunately we weren’t able to get the winner tonight, but we’re proud of the effort.”

Fan Photos below by Owen Main

[See image gallery at www.fansmanship.com]

It’s not just football.

Yes, the Cal Poly football team has high expectations this year, but all three teams who play their fall home games at Alex G. Spanos Stadium at Cal Poly have strong postseason aspirations. Here’s a look at the men’s and women’s soccer teams at Cal Poly and how their seasons could be as good as (if not better than) the football team.

Men’s Soccer

Mackenzie Pridham scored the second most goals in the Big West last season and has his sights set on a big senior season. By David Livingston

Coach Paul Holocher’s team is on the upswing. After a 2012 season during which they beat rival UCSB twice, went 11-7-1 overall, and reached the Big West Tournament semifinal match, this year’s team loses only three key contributors from a season ago.

While Ian Clark, Dakota Collins, Benny Estes, and Chris Gaschen all made positive contributions to Cal Poly’s changeover to an “FC Barcelona” style of play, Holocher’s top-40 recruiting class this season is probably the program’s best ever.

Meet the Freshmen

The freshman class starts with top-10 national recruite Justin Dhillon. Dhillon, whose brother Sean will be a redshirt freshman this season, brings promise of a fast, skilled wing player to take the place of Gaschen in Cal Poly’s fast-paced attack.

Ari Lassiter is another name soccer fans might recognize. His father, Roy, was a member of the US National Team, appearing in 30 games for his country throughout his career.

Add striker Kaba Alkebulan, midfielder Joseph Bolous, midfielder Brett Foreman, and goalkeeper Eric Kam, and there is good reason for optimism for Cal Poly.

Senior Leadership

While last year’s team boasted a few seniors in key positions, the 2013 Mustangs will depend on seniors all over the pitch. Mackenzie Pridham, the 2012 Big West offensive player of the year, returns up front for Cal Poly. Last year, he notched 11 goals.  Midfielder George Malki, who scored one of the most electrifying goals in Cal Poly history to help beat UCSB in Isla Vista a year ago also returns along with fellow seniors Ronald Medrano Williams (MF), Chris Bernardi (F), Mike Hocker (MF), Connor Drechsler (D), Kevin Atkins (MF) and Brett Finkelstein (G), who returns to compete with sophomore Wade Hamilton for net-minder duties.

Last season, Hamilton earned all-Big West Honorable Mention for his play.

The Back Line Could be the Key

For all the talk about the FC Barcelona style of play the Mustangs have adopted, the focus has been on midfielders and forwards. Last season, Cal Poly nearly doubled their goal output from the previous year, scoring 26 goals (they only netted 15 in 2011).

But the ball control, possession-oriented attack they are trying to build depends on defenders and midfielders reading the field and making the right pass. Mistakes from defenders can and will prove costly. Even with the “attractive” style of play the Mustangs are sure to bring, the sure play of defenders will be as big a variable as any other in determining this team’s season result.

The Big West North is TOUGH

The Big West’s Northern Division includes recent national champion and arch-rival UCSB, defending conference champion UC Davis, and Sacramento State, who Cal Poly only managed one point against in two matches last season. To even make the playoffs, the Mustangs will have to be playing their best soccer at the right time.

The coaches preseason poll ranked Cal Poly 3rd in the Northern Division, behind UCSB and UC Davis respectively. The poll results were close, though, and if newcomers like Justin Dhillon can make an immediate impact, the Mustangs can go into the final few games of conference play contending for the division title.

Women’s Soccer

OK, I’ll admit it, I’m a little late on the women’s soccer side of things. I’ll also admit that I’ve watched them play already, though I don’t know how much I learned in their 3-0 defeat of Loyola Marymount. Here’s what I do know about Alex Crozier’s squad.

Sarah Lancaster scoots the first Cal Poly goal of 2013 past the LMU keeper on Friday night. By Owen Main

They were good last season

The women’s team went (9-7-3) overall last season, (6-1-2) in the Big West, but lost to Cal State Northridge 1-0 in the Big West Tournament.

This season, the Mustangs return their leading goal scorer from last season, Elise Krieghoff. Krieghoff’s freshman season was one to remember. She scored 11 goals and notched 22 points in only 15 games, earning Big West Conference Freshman of the Year and first-team All Conference honors.

In their first game…

In the first game of the 2013 season last Friday night against Loyola Marymount, Cal Poly earned a 3-0 victory. Krieghoff managed to get off 8 shots in the game, including her first goal of 2013.

Krieghoff will be the rock at the top and should put lots of pressure on defenses, but a few other players impressed in the first game of the season. Tracy Hong, a junior defender looked quick and assertive in possession on Friday night — a good sign for a wing back.

Senior Jordyn Zander looked strong from the midfield, supporting a balanced offensive attack for Cal Poly. Sarah Lancaster, an attacking midfielder, scored the game’s first goal and had the speed and possession to push the ball up the right hand side into the attacking zone. Sophomore goalkeeper Alyssa Giannetti looked comfortable in goal after starting there most of her freshman campaign.

Elise Krieghoff will be Cal Poly’s main goal-scoring threat once again this season. By Owen Main

The Schedule

Alex Crozier’s team is set to play a pretty remarkable preseason schedule. Three of their first four games are at home — all against non-conference teams from California.

Then they hit the road for the remainder of their non-conference schedule. Six straight games. Three straight weekends.

Their opponents will include Baylor, Texas A&M, Oregon State, Seattle, Saint Mary’s, and Santa Clara. By the time they open conference play at Alex G. Spanos Stadium on October 4 vs. Long Beach State, Cal Poly will have gone nearly a month without a home match.

Conference Outlook

So much in women’s soccer seems to hinge on star players, and Cal Poly does have that in Krieghoff. Last season, the Mustangs had a fantastic conference regular season, scoring 4 or more goals in four of nine games. This season, don’t look for it to be that easy. Opposing teams will key on Krieghoff. Look for players like Lancaster, Sarah Epps, and Lauren Heer to benefit from the space that will open-up.

Alex Crozier is a 21st year coach with a winning pedigree. So many things depend on players health and new faces in the conference, but expect Crozier to have his team ready to be in the running for a Big West Conference title once again this year.

Paul Holocher looks on during spring practice this week. By Owen Main

It isn’t just the football team that gets to play in the spring. If you are out on the turf fields at the upper sports complex early in the morning, you will find that soccer players are sharing the vast fields with the football team, bundled-up as the strong canyon breeze makes the early morning air frigid.

Head Coach Paul Holocher’s men’s soccer team had what was probably their best recruiting class ever. The centerpiece of the incoming class is Justin Dhillon, a striker from Southern California whose brother is also on the Mustangs’ roster. With strong winds blowing across the practice field, I talked to coach Holocher about the spring, the outlook for the 2013 regular season, competitions for playing time for both strikers and goalkeepers, and the upcoming spring game against Stanford.

Cal Poly Soccer vs. Stanford, Saturday, April 20, 7:00 PM