The Cal Poly Mustangs men's soccer program represents the

Cal Poly Mustangs The Cal Poly Mustangs are the athletic teams representing California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California. The university fields twenty-one teams and compete in NCAA Division I; they are primarily members of the Big Wes ...

California Polytechnic State University California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (California Polytechnic State University, Cal Poly"Cal Poly" may also refer to California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt in Arcata, California or California State Polytechnic Univ ...

in men's soccer at the

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athleti ...

level. Like most teams from Cal Poly, they play in the

Big West Conference The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacific ...

. Since becoming eligible in the mid-1990s, Cal Poly has appeared in 3

NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament The NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament, sometimes known as the College Cup, is an American intercollegiate soccer tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the Division I men's national champ ...

s, most recently in

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

. The Mustangs, coached by Oige Kennedy, play at Mustang Memorial Field Presented by Dignity Health French Hospital Medical Center (capacity of 11,075) on the campus of the

History

1950 to 1960: The beginning

On April 28, 1950, Cal Poly hosted Fresno State for a friendly as part of the Country Fair on a College Campus event, marking the first-ever time soccer had been played on campus during Poly Royal. By 1954, the campus' International Relations Club sponsored the team, which defeated UCLA in an exhibition match on campus. In 1955, then-coach Hans Mager commented he "hope(d) to obtain some backing from the (athletic department) funds" in order to expand the team's schedule. Later in 1955, Cal Poly won the regional Southern California Championship, advancing to face

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

for the state title. The team took a hiatus from 1957 through 1959, returning in 1960 (playing only two matches) under the coaching of Anatol Hellman.

1967-68: First intercollegiate teams and the SCCSA

By the 1966–1967 academic year, the Cal Poly Student Affairs Council began discussing an appropriation of a fund to allow the Mustangs to join the NCAA. In July 1967, then-athletic director Robert Mott announced the addition of soccer after the council recognized the sport on a varsity level during the spring. In the fall of 1967, Cal Poly (coached by Terry Ward) fielded its first intercollegiate team, going 7-2-1 while finishing second in the Southern California Collegiate Soccer Association. Erwin Hildenhagen, Richard Kibushi, Luis Mejia and Dieter Thomas earned all-conference selections. Cal Poly enjoyed its second year in the SCCSA in the fall of 1968, again finishing in second place (behind UCLA), this time with a 7-2-2 record under coach Mike Cirovic. The first two seasons also saw the start of the since-fabled Blue-Green Rivalry (not formally called such at the time) with

UC Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the Un ...

, as Cal Poly won the very first matchup, at home, 2–0, before losing on the road to the Gauchos later in 1967, 2–1. The two Central Coast rivals split a pair of matchups again in 1968. Each of the initial two intercollegiate seasons also included Cal Poly's first matchups with coastal power

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...

, resulting in a 2–2 draw in 1967 before a 1-1 stalemate in 1968, as both matches became the Bruins' only ties in the span. Following the 1968 season, Cal Poly's Ivan Gomez, Mejia and Vincent Gondwe made the all-conference honors list.

1969 to 1978: Play resumes in the SCISA

Scheduling consistently proved to be more sporadic in immediately ensuing seasons, beginning with a 5–5 record in 1969, before the 1970 squad (coached by Bill Wesnousky) opened practice more than a week into October, leading to an abbreviated 2-4-0 season. Cal Poly didn't field a team in 1971, before Carmen Sacco assumed coaching duties from 1972 to 1974. The Mustangs' conference had a slight name change by this point, to: Southern California Intercollegiate Soccer Association. In seasons to follow, Cal Poly was managed by Manuel Casillas (1975 and 1976), George Parry (1977, during a 4-4-1 year) and Tom Hinkle (1978). One of the standouts from this time was Jaime Saucedo, who went on to be chosen with the 84th overall pick by the L.A. Aztecs in the 1981 NASL Draft.

1979 to 2005: Wolfgang Gartner era

Wolfgang Gartner, following a three-year career playing as a midfielder in the

ASL American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States of America and most of Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that is express ...

, was appointed as Cal Poly head coach prior to the 1979 season, with the position becoming full-time in 1983. Curt Apsey tallied 52 goals for the Mustangs from 1980 to 1983, establishing the school's career scoring record. In 1986, Dan Campbell set the school's single-season scoring record with 21 goals. The 21-goal mark for a season broke the previous yearly record of 20 which had been set by Tom Gleason in 1982. Campbell would go on to also finish his career with 52 goals, wrapping his career up in the fall of 1988 by tying the Cal Poly all-time scoring record. The 1993 season was perhaps the club's most successful while in Division II of the NCAA. Dan Fish was awarded the California Collegiate Athletic Association's Offensive Player of the Year award, the program's first, while Gartner was named the conference's Coach of the Year. It was Gartner's second Coach of the Year award, with the other coming in 1986. The 1993 season also featured

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...

-bound Ryshiem Henderson, whom Gartner called "the fastest soccer player I have ever seen in my life." Gartner, who, according to an

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose pare ...

interview, inspired local

San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo (; Spanish for " St. Louis the Bishop", ; Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, in the U.S. state of California. Located on the Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly h ...

-raised DJ

Wolfgang Gartner Joseph Thomas Youngman (born March 17, 1982), better known by his stage name Wolfgang Gartner, is an American DJ and music producer. Much of his music prior to 2010 was released through his own record label, Kindergarten, but he signed with Ult ...

's naming, coached the Mustangs through 2005.

2006 to 2014: Paul Holocher era

Paul Holocher, former MLS draft pick and brief USMNT-rostered attacking midfielder, was introduced as the Mustangs' new head coach on January 27, 2006. In 2006, with then-Spanos Stadium still under construction, Cal Poly played its home soccer games at the Sports Complex, north of the baseball and softball fields, now known as the turf fields. 2007 brought the completion of the renovation and expansion of Mustang Memorial Field Presented by Dignity Health French Hospital Medical Center and the ability to host larger crowds. Posting a record in 2008 of 11–6–6, Cal Poly placed third in the

Big West The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacific ...

and qualified for the NCAA Division I Tournament. Cal Poly managed to upset No. 11-ranked UCLA, 1–0, to advance to the second round before losing 0–3 to No. 14 UC Irvine. After eight years as head coach, Holocher announced on August 11, 2014, that he had stepped down to move to Hawai'i and serve as the Director of Development with Maui United Soccer Club. In eight seasons, Holocher directed the Mustangs to a 72–60–25 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance, Cal Poly's second since joining Division I in 1994. Phil Ruskin, a second-year assistant coach, was promoted to be the interim head coach upon Holocher's departure, and coached the 2014 season.

2015 to 2022: Steve Sampson era

In December 2014, Cal Poly hired former

United States Men's National Soccer Team The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) represents the United States in men's international soccer competitions. The team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and is a member of FIFA and CONCACAF. The U.S. team ...

Head Coach

Steve Sampson Mark Stephen Sampson (born January 19, 1957) is an American soccer coach. He is also the former head coach of both the United States men's national team and the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer. Collegiate career Sampson attended UCL ...

. Sampson led the US in the 1998 World Cup and also served as an assistant coach in the 1994 World Cup. He coached Santa Clara to the 1989 national championship and coached the

LA Galaxy LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began pla ...

to the 2005 MLS Cup and the US Open Cup. The Mustangs returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2015 following the program's first Big West Tournament match victory. The season saw Cal Poly peak at No. 20 in the national Top 25 Poll on October 27. During the 2015 season, midfielder

Chase Minter Chase Minter (born August 19, 1992) is an American soccer player. Career College Minter played four years of college soccer at Cal Poly University between 2012 and 2015, including a red-shirted year in 2011. Minter appeared for Premier Develop ...

scored on a

bicycle kick In association football, a bicycle kick, also known as an overhead kick, scissors kick, is an acrobatic strike where a player kicks an airborne ball rearward in midair. It is achieved by throwing the body backward up into the air and, before ...

CSUN California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. With a total enrollment of 38,551 students (as of Fall 2021), it has the second largest un ...

, earning TopDrawerSoccer's national college Goal of the Week award. Months after the 2015 season, Cal Poly saw three players chosen in the

2016 MLS SuperDraft The 2016 MLS SuperDraft was the seventeenth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held each year in conjunction with the annual National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention. The 2016 convention was held in Ba ...

, tied for the seventh-most draft choices from one school across the country for the year. Cal Poly made return trips to the conference tournament in 2019 and 2021. Sampson, citing health reasons with the advice of his doctors, announced an immediate retirement from coaching on October 18, 2022. While lead assistant Billy McNicol was appointed to coach in Sampson's place for the remainder of the 2022 season, the university announced a pending national search to find his successor.

2022 to present: Oige Kennedy takes the helm

Cal Poly announced lead

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

assistant Oige Kennedy as the program's new head coach on December 9, 2022.

Record attendance

Cal Poly hosted a "Break the Attendance Record Night" for the 2008 edition of the Blue-Green Rivalry against 19th-ranked UCSB. The official attendance of 11,075 not only broke the school record and the conference attendance record, but it was also the second-largest on-campus, regular-season attendance in NCAA history, and the largest in over 21 years. Attendance records have continued to be broken as Cal Poly has continually been ranked in the top 5 nationally in average home attendance.http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_soccer_RB/2009/Attendance.pdf http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_soccer_RB/2014/attend.pdf As a result of the boom in attendance, Cal Poly has made national headlines. In 2011, then-

Alex G. Spanos Stadium Mustang Memorial Field, formerly known as Mustang Stadium and then Alex G. Spanos Stadium, is an 11,075-seat multi-purpose stadium located on the campus of California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) in San Luis Obispo, California. It ...

was named the "Men's Soccer College Venue you must check out" in a 2010

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

article about the growth of college soccer. The rivalry between Cal Poly and UCSB has been called the biggest college soccer rivalry in the country by SoccerAmerica, the "Greatest" by College Soccer News and was mentioned in a 2011 NCAA article about rivalries. In addition, the stadium was selected as the No. 1 Men's Soccer Venue to check out by the NCAA in 2011.

Cal Poly men's soccer professionals

Players noted below, with years at Cal Poly in parentheses, have received at least one professional cap at any professional level in any country or have earned a senior international cap. *

Junior Burgos Efraín Antonio Burgos Jr. (born 14 August 1988), better known as Junior Burgos, is a Salvadoran professional footballer who plays for the El Salvador national team. Career College and Amateur Burgos grew up in San Bruno, California, attende ...

(2009–10) has earned caps for the

El Salvador national football team The El Salvador national football team ( es, Selección de fútbol de El Salvador) represents El Salvador in international football, and is governed by the Salvadoran Football Federation (FESFUT). In 1899, two teams from Santa Ana and San ...

C.D. FAS Club Deportivo Futbolistas Asociados Santanecos, commonly known as FAS (pronounced "fas"), is a professional Salvadoran football club based in Santa Ana. It competes in Primera División de Fútbol de El Salvador, the country's top profession ...

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by ...

, and multiple teams in the

USL The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...

and NASL. Burgos was selected with the 44th overall pick in the

2011 MLS SuperDraft The 2011 MLS SuperDraft was the twelfth annual SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. It was held on January 13, 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland, during the 2011 NSCAA Convention at the Baltimore Convention Center. The 2011 SuperDraft consisted ...

. *

Dakota Collins Dakota J. Collins (born August 15, 1991 in Santa Barbara, California) is an American soccer player who plays for Orange County FC in the National Premier Soccer League. Career Collins played four years of college soccer, two years with UCLA Brui ...

(2011–12) has earned caps for the USL

Sacramento Republic FC Sacramento Republic FC is an American professional soccer team based in Sacramento, California, that plays in the Western Conference of the USL Championship, the second level in US soccer. Co-founded by Warren Smith and Joe Wagoner in 2012, t ...

as well as a third tier team in Croatia. * Kip Colvey (2012–15) has earned caps for the

New Zealand national football team The New Zealand men's national football team ( mi, Tīma hoka a-motu o Aotearoa) represents New Zealand in men's international football competitions. The team is governed by the governing body for football in New Zealand, New Zealand Footbal ...

, the

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchis ...

and

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, ...

. Colvey was selected with the 49th overall pick in the

. *

Justin Dhillon Justin Dhillon (born June 6, 1995) is an American professional soccer player who currently plays for USL Championship club Colorado Springs Switchbacks. Career Dhillon began his career with the LA Galaxy Academy team where he led the Under 16 ...

(2013–16) has earned caps for the

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...

of the MLS as well as

LA Galaxy II LA Galaxy II is an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most p ...

and

Tacoma Defiance Tacoma Defiance, formerly Seattle Sounders FC 2, is an American professional soccer team based in Tacoma, Washington, U.S. that competes in the MLS Next Pro, the third tier of the national soccer pyramid, as the reserve team of Seattle Sounder ...

of the USL. * Wade Hamilton (2012–15) has earned caps with the

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at ...

and

Portland Timbers 2 Portland Timbers 2 is an American professional soccer team based in Portland, Oregon. The team, often referred to as "T2", serves as the reserve squad for the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer (MLS). The team was a member of the USL Champi ...

Hamilton was selected with the 61st overall pick in the

. * Clay Harty (1995–96) was drafted by the

California Jaguars California Jaguars were an American soccer team that played in Salinas, California at the Salinas Sports Complex. They joined the USISL in 1995 as the Monterey Bay Jaguars, but changed the name a year later. They played in the A-League in 199 ...

(scoring 17 goals between 1998 and 1999). * Ryshiem Henderson (1990–94) played for the San Jose Clash in 1996. *

Matt LaGrassa Matthew R. LaGrassa (born January 27, 1993) is an American professional soccer player who currently plays for USL Championship club Sacramento Republic. Career College LaGrassa grew up in Elk Grove, California, where he attended Pleasant Grove ...

(2011-2015) has earned caps for the

Nashville SC Nashville Soccer Club is a Major League Soccer team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The team began play in the league in 2020 as a continuation of the USL club of the same name and plays its home matches at Geodis Park. It is principally owned ...

of the MLS and several USL teams including

Tulsa Roughnecks FC Tulsa Roughnecks may refer to any of four distinct professional soccer teams: *Tulsa Roughnecks (1978–1984), the original top-flight team that played in the North American Soccer League from 1978 to 1984. *Tulsa Roughnecks (1993–2000), the team ...

Reno 1868 FC Reno 1868 FC was an American professional soccer team based in Reno, Nevada. Founded in 2015, the team made its debut in the USL Championship in March 2017 and ceased operations after the 2020 season. History Previously, northern Nevada has ...

and

. *

Ariel Lassiter Ariel "Ari" Daniel Lassiter Acuña (born September 27, 1994) is a Costa Rican professional footballer who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club CF Montréal and the Costa Rica national team. Early life, youth and college Lassiter w ...

(2013) has earned caps for the

Costa Rica national football team The Costa Rica national football team ( es, Selección de fútbol de Costa Rica) represents Costa Rica in men's international football. The national team is administered by the Costa Rican Football Federation (FEDEFUTBOL), the governing body ...

, currently plays for

Inter Miami Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami, known as Inter Miami CF or simply Inter Miami, is an American professional soccer club based in the Miami metropolitan area. Established in 2018, the club began play in Major League Soccer (MLS) in the 2020 ...

and has previously played for the

, Houston Dynamo,

GAIS , neighboring_municipalities= Altstätten (SG), Appenzell (AI), Bühler (AR), Eichberg (SG), Rüte (AI), Schlatt-Haslen (AI), Trogen (AR) , twintowns= } Gais () is a village and a municipality in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden ...

of the Swedish

Superettan Superettan (; meaning the super first (division)) is an association football league and the second highest league in the league system of Swedish men's football. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with All ...

and

Alajuelense Liga Deportiva Alajuelense (LDA, ), commonly known as Alajuelense and nicknamed La Liga (), is a Costa Rican multisport club based in the borough of El Llano, Alajuela, Alajuela province. Although they compete in a number of different sports, Al ...

of the Costa Rican

Liga FPD The Primera División of Costa Rica, commonly known as Fútbol de Primera División (FPD), and Liga Promerica for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional association football division in Costa Rica. It is administered by the Unión de Clubes ...

. *

George Malki George Emmanuel Malki (born April 21, 1992) is an American soccer player. Career Early career Born in Chicago, Illinois, Malki started playing soccer in Arizona where he played for the Pinnacle Pioneers at Pinnacle High School. In 2009, Malk ...

(2010–13) has earned caps for

Arizona United Phoenix Rising Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 2014 as Arizona United Soccer Club, the team is a member of the USL Championship. History On March 13, 2014, Kyle Eng, owner of an adver ...

and

Rio Grande Valley FC Toros Rio Grande Valley FC, also known as RGVFC or Rio Grande Valley FC Toros, is an American semi-professional soccer team based in Edinburg, Texas operated by Lone Star, LLC. They joined the USL Championship in the 2016 season. The team served as a ...

, both of the USL league. Malki was selected with the 37th overall pick in the

2014 MLS SuperDraft The 2014 MLS SuperDraft was the fifteenth SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. The first two rounds of the four round draft took place on January 16, 2014, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Philadelphia Convention Center. Rounds three ...

. *

Patrick McLain Patrick S. McLain (born August 22, 1988 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin) is an American soccer goalkeeper. Career Early and collegiate McLain attended California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, where he played soccer between 2007 an ...

(2007-2011) has earned caps for the MLS's

Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a subsidiary of Mexican club C.D. Gua ...

& Chicago Fire as well as 3 USL clubs. *

(2012–15) has earned caps for the

Real Monarchs Real Monarchs is a professional soccer club playing in the MLS Next Pro, a third division league of American soccer. The team is owned by, and operates as the reserve team of, the Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake. While the senior club is ...

and

Swope Park Rangers Sporting Kansas City II is a MLS Next Pro club affiliated with Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer. For the 2022 season they will play their home games at Rock Chalk Park at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, as well as Swop ...

all of the USL. Minter was selected with the 21st overall pick in the

. *

Steve Palacios Steve Cisneros Palacios (born May 20, 1993) is an American retired soccer player who played as a midfielder. A native of San Clemente, California, he played on the varsity team at San Clemente High School. As a senior, Palacios helped the Trit ...

(2011-2013) has earned caps for the USL

* Anton Peterlin (2006-2008) has earned caps for

Plymouth Argyle F.C. Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...

and

Walsall F.C. Walsall Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Walsall, West Midlands, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club's nickname, "The Saddlers", reflects ...

He was also signed by

Everton F.C. Everton Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Liverpool that competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club was a founder member of the Football League in 1888 and has comp ...

however received no caps. *

Mackenzie Pridham Mackenzie Charles Pridham (born August 13, 1990) is a Canadian soccer player. Career College & Youth Mackenzie Pridham played five years of college soccer at California Polytechnic State University between 2009 and 2013, including a red-shirt ...

(2009–13) has earned caps for NASL

Minnesota United Minnesota United FC is an American professional soccer club based in Saint Paul, Minnesota that plays in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer. The club began play in 2017 as the league's 22nd club, and replaced the North American Soc ...

and for four teams in the second tier USL league. Pridham was selected with the 58th overall pick in the

. *

Kody Wakasa Kody Wakasa (born May 6, 1994) is an American former association football, soccer player who previously played as a defender (association football), defender for FC Tucson in USL League One. Career College Wakasa played five years of College s ...

(2012-2016) has earned caps for

Phoenix Rising Phoenix rising originally describes the heraldic position of the image of a phoenix: its head upturned (to its right) with wings raised for flight. The term can also refer to: Film and television * ''Phoenix Rising'' (Hong Kong TV series), a 2 ...

and

FC Tucson FC Tucson is an American soccer club based in Tucson, Arizona that plays in USL League Two. The club has an amateur women’s team, FC Tucson Women, that play in the WPSL. Organized in 2010, the club first fielded a team in March 2011, then joine ...

of the USL.

Cal Poly all-time seasons (year-by-year)

The Blue-Green rivalry

Chosen as the #1 "Greatest Rivalry In College Soccer" by ''CollegeSoccerNews.com'', the main rival of the Cal Poly Mustangs men's soccer team is the

UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer team is an NCAA Division I college soccer team composed of student-athletes attending the University of California, Santa Barbara. The Gauchos play their home matches at Harder Stadium. Like most of the ...

team. The rivalry is a part of the larger Blue–Green Rivalry, which encompasses all sports from the two schools. With both schools located on the Central Coast less than 100 miles apart, attendance has risen dramatically following the Gauchos'

2006 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship The 2006 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament was a tournament of 48 teams from NCAA Division I who played for the NCAA Championship in soccer. The College Cup Final Four was held at Hermann Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. All the other game ...

. The crowds of these games are record-setting and are among the highest regular season games in NCAA college soccer history. In 2011, CollegeSoccerNews.com chose the Cal Poly vs. UCSB soccer game as the No. 1 rivalry in all of college soccer. During the 2012 season, Cal Poly swept the

Gauchos A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and the south of Chilean Patagonia. Gauchos became greatly admired an ...

, first winning 1–0 in front of a sell-out of 11,075 in San Luis Obispo. Cal Poly then completed the sweep, defeating UCSB 2–1 in overtime. Cal Poly's

scored with 64 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime. Big West Conference Play of the Year,

, then scored the game-winning game in overtime. Cal Poly students stormed the field at

Harder Stadium Harder Stadium is a 17,000-seat, outdoor multi-purpose stadium on the west coast of the United States, on the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara, California. It serves as the on-campus soccer stadium for ...

. The game was once again broadcast on Fox Soccer Channel.

NCAA postseason

The Cal Poly Mustangs have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 1–3 through three appearances and have never advanced past the second round. In Division II NCAA Tournament competition, Cal Poly qualified in 1987, 1989, 1991 and 1993, although the 1991 appearance was later vacated due to a rules violation.

References

External links

* {{Big West Conference men's soccer navbox