November 3, 2007

College Roundup: Poly drops key game
Women’s soccer team’s winning streak snapped by 49ers and Mustangs fall out of Big West lead

There was only so much Alli Tramel could do.

The Cal Poly women’s soccer goalie made four saves in the second half but that only served to slow down a Long Beach State squad that pulled off a 3-1 win Friday. The Mustangs was outshot 9-1 in the second half.

“In the second half we started pressing a little, giving balls away and didn’t have much rhythm,” Cal Poly head coach Alex Crozier said.

Cal Poly and Long Beach State sit tied for second place in the Big West Conference standings, and Cal Poly suffered its first loss since Oct. 5.

The 49ers (12-6, 5-2 Big West) claimed an lead early when Lindsay Bullock headed a Kim Silos corner kick into the upper-left corner 12 minutes into the game.

Long Beach State’s main onslaught began in the second half, as its eight-shot advantage meant the Mustangs spent a lot of time on defense.

Cal Poly (7-9-1, 5-2) finally scored but it was too late. Jenny Sparks ended the shutout in the 87th minute when she scored by heading in a cross from Ashley Vallis.

The loss dealt Cal Poly a blow in the standings and it comes with one game remaining in conference play. The Mustangs must win at Cal State Northridge (5-10-2, 2-4-1) on Sunday in order to host the Big West Tournament, otherwise, that honor will be awarded to Cal State Fullerton.

The Titans (11-6-1, 6-2) are in first place with a one-game lead but their conference season ended Thursday.

Even though the 49ers could earn a share of a three-way tie for first place with a win against UC Santa Barbara on Sunday, they cannot host the conference tournament because their venue doesn’t have the necessary lighting.

• Cuesta 3, Allan Hancock 1: Emily Miller scored a goal and had an assist as the Cougars won their final home game of the season.

Miller’s goal came in the 16th minute off a loose ball following a corner kick. She helped put Cuesta (7-9-3, 3-5-1 Western State Conference) up by two scores when she assisted Krista Marsh’s goal in the 33rd minute.

After leading 2-0 at halftime, goalie Madison Urtusuastegui was beat on Hancock’s first shot of the game.

Cuesta bounced back to a two-goal lead when Esther Neel scored an unassisted goal in the 73rd minute.

Women’s Water Polo

• Cuesta 19, Santa Monica 1: The top-seeded Cougars advanced to the finals after beating host Santa Monica at the WSC Championships.

Cuesta (21-9, 5-0) raced to a 14-0 lead at half and secured itself a spot in today’s championship game against Ventura at 1 p.m.

Chelsea Curtis led the Cougars with five goals, followed by Meagan Bebb’s four. Ashley de Goede and Tammy Barksdale chipped in three scores apiece.

De Goede also had five of the team’s 13 saves in goal.

Men’s Water Polo

• Cuesta 18, Citrus 8: Twelve players scored to lead the No. 1 seed Cougars to victory at the WSC Championships in Santa Monica.

With the win, Cuesta advanced to today’s championship game against L.A. Valley at 2:30 p.m..

The Cougars (24-8, 5-0), who scored at least four times in each quarter, were led by Trevor Frimond’s three goals.

Women’s Volleyball

• Cuesta 3, Moorpark 0: Julie Coelho had 11 kills and 17 digs, and Jessica Hood added nine kills as the Cougars increased their winning streak to eight matches.

Libero Ali White had 18 digs for Cuesta (15-3, 5-0), which won 30-19, 30-18, 30-24. During the streak, Cuesta has lost only one game.

Swimming and Diving

• Big West Shootout: Cal Poly’s Matthew Waggoner set a school record in the men’s mile, leading three first-place Mustangs finishes at the five-team meet in Irvine.

Waggoner’s 15 minutes, 54.94 seconds bettered the old mark by about 8 seconds.

Cal Poly’s Kyle Smith had a season-best time in the men’s 200 butterfly, finishing in third in 1:53.8.

Leading the Cal Poly women, Stacey Sorensen won the 100 freestyle in 52.6, and Gloria Benfield won the 200 butterfly in 2:05.6.