Men's Soccer Shorted, 1-0, in Tournament Opener
November 07, 2015 | Men's Soccer
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. --- The Anteaters drew a sizable statistical advantage Saturday afternoon against Cal Poly, but fell in the place it mattered with a 1-0 loss to the Mustangs in the opening round of the Big West Tournament.
The dagger fell early as a set piece found the open Justin Dhillon near the right post to head the ball home unmarked for the 1-0 lead in the fifth minute.
UC Irvine (5-11-4, 3-5-2) continued to charge as Mats Bjurman and Matthew Tilley had numerous chances to equalize in the first half, but remained at the disadvantage at the half.
The 'Eaters went on the attack with most of the possession in the second half to get back level.
Bjurman put up the best chance in the 80th minute as he cut around the box and fired through keeper Wade Hamilton careening a shot off the crossbar and out. Jaime Phillips found the rebound, but his return header was snagged to keeper the match at 1-0.
Eduardo Calzada had a couple shots on target as well, and Thomas Janjigian fired the final blow with less than 10 seconds remaining, but Hamilton knocked it high for one of his seven saves to preserve the 1-0 win.
Cal Poly (11-3-5, 5-1-4) seemed content to play defense after the early strike with just a handful of offensive runs through the remainder of the match. Elliot Farmer only had to deny two threats coming off his line each time to challenge the Mustangs and turning back their advances.
UCI finished with a 17-4 shot advantage including 11-1 in the second half. It also earned all 14 corner kicks on the afternoon, and the 14 corners tied a program record set three times previously.
"It can be a cruel game sometimes," added a bewildered coach Volk. "Statistically, I thought – even possession – was favorable for us, but at the end of the day, people look at the result."
The win marked the first win for the Mustangs in the history of the Big West Tournament. UCI now stands at 10-2-1 with both of their exits coming in opening round matches.
"That was a playoff game. That's what you want the Big West Tournament to be about."
The loss marks the end of the season for the Anteaters who finished 5-11-4 and will miss the Big West Tournament Final for the first time since 2012.
Five seniors played in their final match in Bjurman, Phillips, Calzada, Farmer, and Thom Moreira.
"Mats, our captain, didn't lead statistically, but he led in a lot of other ways. That's the kind of commitment we've had to our program from all our seniors. Each one has contributed something so we could all be successful. Wish it could have ended on a higher note for that group of boys. Kind of a bittersweet ending for Michael Breslin, not being able to be on the field today as a fifth-year senior, but this class can hang their hat on the accomplishments they've made and program they've helped build.
Breslin fell just 10 minutes shy of being the conference's minutes recordholder. Farmer filled in nicely over the final four-plus matches with one save today and allowing his first goal of the season in the run of play.
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