The Sacramento State men’s soccer team looked for their first home win of the season against the Big West Conference’s third-ranked Cal Poly, as the sun crept through the ominous and overcast skyline at Hornet Field on Wednesday.
In the 12th minute, junior forward Zac Giles took a pass up the left side of the pitch and sent a low through ball across the box to junior forward Donovan Sessoms. Sessoms gained control, stepping to the outside and then coming back into the middle of the box, to deliver a pass to freshman forward Albranly Gue.
Gue stepped up in the box, nutmegging senior Mustang midfielder Bakuena Ramakatsa with one touch off his right foot. Gue then powered a bullet to the bottom right corner.
“I’ve been in that spot before, and usually I pass or go the other way around,” Gue said. “I saw the defender coming, and I was like, ‘meg.’ And then I saw a keeper sending one side and just went the other way.”
An unprecedented early lead for the Hornets off a strike from the right foot of Gue! #hornets 0-1 Sac State. pic.twitter.com/ZYabjuqNkq
— Tamer Bohatch (@TamerBohatch) October 15, 2025
This gave the Hornets their first lead in six games.
“I thought we got on the front foot the first 12 minutes and scored the goal,” head coach Michael Linenberger said. “It was a fantastic goal. Maybe the first time all season we scored first.”
Just a little over two minutes later, with the Hornets struggling to get out of their own half, the Mustangs took advantage.
Junior defender Nick Strangio cleared a ball to the middle of the Mustangs’ half, only for it to be sent right back up the middle to a crowd of white jerseys. Powering up the counter attack, the Mustangs slid a through ball up to sophomore Mustang forward Colin Pearce.
Pearce slipped out of a tackle from senior defender Leonardo Martinez. Martinez looked to recover again, lifting his leg out for a ‘karate kick’ block of Pearce’s shot. The ball fluttered in the air, rising and spinning awkwardly above senior goalkeeper Andres Rosales and below the crossbar.
“The bad thing is that we gave up the equalizer two minutes later,” Linenberger said. “We didn’t hold the lead long enough.”
Sac State surrenders the lead just like that…. No less than 2 minutes later off a deflection in the 14th minute. 1-1 now. #hornets pic.twitter.com/iccnoNsePn
— Tamer Bohatch (@TamerBohatch) October 15, 2025
The Hornets were back to square one.
Junior defender Jonathan Dadzie and the rest of the Hornet backline were able to keep shots away from Rosales in the rest of the first half, only letting the Mustangs muster two shots on goal.
“We did a better job looking the other guy in the eye and just saying that we were going to win,” Dadzie said.
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Sac State continued to fight and claw their way back into a better position, finishing the half with two more shots on goal than Cal Poly.
The second half for Sac State was punctuated by fouls and cards. They were assessed 14 fouls in total, with nine of those coming in the second half. In addition, four Hornets were given yellow cards, and the bench was given a fifth yellow card in warning against their protests for better calls.
“We were trying to get pressure on the ball, and the guys did a good job of that,” Linenberger said. “But sometimes we lacked a little bit of composure. Can we work hard to get close and put the guy under duress without fouling?”
The best chance for Sac State to break the standstill came in the 73rd minute, off the foot of sophomore forward Eli Reyneveld.
Sessoms ran with the ball up the right pitch, creeping closer to the box as he staved off two Mustang defenders. He then fired a cross that burned the pitch as it found the foot of a sliding Reyneveld. The ball shot off Reyneveld’s foot to the leaping hands of the Mustangs’ keeper.
“I just know how fast Donnie is,” Reyneveld said. “I tried to sprint in, and I put my cleat in there and got a touch, but the defender put his foot in too.”
Best chance for the #hornets yet as a screaming pass was sent into the box from Sessoms in the 73rd minute. Only for Reyneveld to be robbed in the box. pic.twitter.com/OfxVLxK713
— Tamer Bohatch (@TamerBohatch) October 15, 2025
Sac State finished with five shots on goal, as the match ended in a draw.
“We needed three points, but a point keeps us in the hunt,” Linenberger said. “It is a decent result against a good team, but again, we have to find a way to get three points, not one.”
The hunt for three points continues, as the Hornets look to skyrocket up the Big West Conference standings at home against UC Irvine on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 3 p.m.
