Cal Poly Powers Past San Jose State, 6-1

September 15, 2013

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Two goals inside the opening 10 minutes from sophomore forward Matt LaGrassa helped set a victorious tone and freshman winger Ari Lassiter added his first two collegiate strikes as the Cal Poly men’s soccer program recorded its highest goal tally in 13 years in a 6-1 defeat of San Jose State on Sunday afternoon at Alex G. Spanos Stadium.

Senior forward Mackenzie Pridham scored his team-leading fourth goal of the year and senior forward George Malki added his first of 2013 as the Mustangs (4-2-0) registered their highest goal total since topping Cal State Monterey Bay 8-0 on Sept. 1, 2000. Cal Poly, which held San Jose State (0-4-1) to just one shot on target during the opening 35 minutes, outshot the Spartans 20-11.

LaGrassa found his first goal of the game and season three-and-a-half minutes into action, receiving a pass off the right wing from Lassiter and firing past San Jose State sophomore goalkeeper Felix Petermann from 15 yards.

Cal Poly went up 2-0 five minutes later as freshman forward John Chronopoulos picked out Pridham, who notched his 17th career goal to jump into the No. 3 position on the Mustang career scoring chart.

LaGrassa struck again in the 10th minute, latching on to an errant pass from a San Jose State defender and charging down Petermann to record the first two-goal game of his Cal Poly career.

Continually on the attack, the Mustangs upped their advantage to 4-0 in the 27th minute after Lassiter was hauled down inside the San Jose State penalty area by a Spartan defender. Lassiter, in his first career start, stepped to the spot and converted Cal Poly’s second penalty of 2013 into the bottom right corner of the San Jose State net.

San Jose State, which placed just three shots on frame all day, recorded its only goal in the 36th with freshman midfielder Sam Croucher converting a penalty after being tripped up by Mustang sophomore goalkeeper Wade Hamilton.

The Mustangs, however, resumed service in the second half. In the 67th minute, an initial attack from freshman winger Justin Dhillon rebounded off Petermann and fell toward Malki, who scored from a yard out up against the left post.

Cal Poly’s rout was rounded off in the 82nd, as Pridham scooped up a loose ball in midfield and played a pass out right to Lassiter, who fired past Petermann. The assist improved Pridham’s collegiate point total to 38 and upped him to sixth place on the Mustang career chart.

Hamilton finished with two saves for the Mustangs.

Cal Poly concludes its five-match home stand when hosting San Francisco on Friday, Sept. 20 (7 p.m.) and Yale on Sunday, Sept. 22 (1 p.m.).