Sacramento State men’s soccer traveled to San Luis Obispo, California to face Cal Poly, where they won 4-0. This win helped the Hornets move to 7th in the Big West Conference standings. 

“We scored four of [the goals] – that doesn’t happen very often,” head coach Michael Linenberger said. “We did a good job of taking our chances.” 

The Hornets kicked off the match and quickly went on offense— having the first two big chances to score. Sophomore forward Dominic Vegaalban and junior midfielder Cody Sundquist were unable to finish shots.

Mustangs sophomore goalkeeper Gave Penner made the two saves, stopping Vegaalban and Sundquist. 

Junior midfielder Francisco Magaña was able to open up the scoring after Vegaalban found him inside the box. 

Fifteen minutes after the first goal, Vegaalban found junior forward Austin Wehner, who gave the Hornets a 2-0 lead. 

Just a few minutes later, Wehner was fouled inside the box and the Hornets were given a penalty kick.

Vegaalban stepped up to take the shot and scored after slamming the ball into the bottom right corner. 

“I feel like our team is reconnecting again right now,” Vegaalban said.

The Hornets went into halftime up 3-0, leaving the Mustangs in the dust during the first 30 minutes. 

The Mustangs started on the ball in the second half while the Hornets defended their 3-0 lead. 

The Mustangs tried to find a goal, but the Hornets defense was in sync and regained the ball quickly. 

Magaña was fouled outside the box when the Hornets went on offense, and Hornets junior defender Genaro Alfaro stepped up to take the free kick. 

Alfaro put the ball in the top left corner off the free kick and gave the Hornets a 4-0 lead. 

The Hornets went on to defend for the rest of the match—  shutting out the Mustangs. 

“First shutout in Sacramento State history for me,” redshirt goalkeeper Edgar Guerra said. “My team did everything; they didn’t let anyone shoot on me.” 

The Hornets took the 3 points and moved up the Big West standings. They’re now a half game behind UC Irvine as they sit in 7th place.

The Hornets now move to 8-6-2 overall and 3-4 in the conference. Next, they travel to Fullerton, California, where they will face California State University, Fullerton, at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22.