With all due respect to the Cal Poly men’s basketball and football teams, the Cal Poly – UCSB soccer game on Saturday night was the most exciting, most electric sporting event maybe in the history of San Luis Obispo. Perhaps it matched sold-out Blue-Green rivalry games of 2008 and 2011, but the energy was palpable.  The stadium was full — 11,075 in attendance — and that wasn’t counting the fans who couldn’t get in.

George Malki (2) had his game-face on before Saturday’s Blue-Green Riavalry game. His second-half goal was his fourth of the season and the first game-winner of his career. Photo by Owen Main

Fans inside and outside of Alex G. Spanos Stadium scrambled for a better view. Those who arrived 15 minutes before game-time might not have been allowed in — the place was already full. Some of those left outside needed police officers to get them off of fences or trees as they were packed 2-3 deep in places outside of Alex G. Spanos Stadium where the field was visible.

Inside the stadium, the pregame Cal Poly! chant was deafening. The Mustang Manglers, Cal Poly’s soccer fan club, were standing, chanting, and dancing 75 minutes prior to the game.

When junior midfielder George Malki slotted a 77th minute shot into the Gaucho net, his fourth of the season and first game-winning goal of his career, Spanos Stadium exploded.

As time expired, Cal Poly fans stormed the field for the second time this year after a Blue-Green game, celebrating their first soccer sweep over UCSB since 1997. The loss ended the Gauchos’ season. UCSB will not play in the postseason this year after a run of 10 consecutive NCAA appearances.

Along with the Marauders, most of the eastern stands were filled with white shirts for the “white-out,” creating a wall of support behind the Mustangs’ bench.

The most important stat of the game for Cal Poly, though, was number of tortillas that littered the field at Alex G. Spanos Stadium: 0.

Cal Poly will head South for the Big West Tournament starting on Wednesday at Cal State Northridge vs. the Matadors. If they win and Cal State Fullerton knocks off UC Davis, the Mustangs could host the Big West Championship on Saturday.

The Big West’s divisions were unbalanced this season — UCSB was in last place in the North, but had the same number of points (13) as Cal State Fullerton, who finished second in the South and qualified for the Big West Tournament. Sacramento State, the third-place finisher in the North with 16 points, also did not make it into the Big West Tournament.

Photos by David Livingston

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Photos by Owen Main

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