SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – A 68th-minute strike from junior forward Dakota Collins accounted for the difference on Friday evening as the Cal Poly men’s soccer program downed Villanova at Alex G. Spanos Stadium, 1-0.

Collins smashed the stalemate when a flick from junior forward Benny Estes fell to him directly in front of the Villanova goal. Collins proceeded to strike his team-leading second goal of 2011 into the left corner of the Villanova net to help hand Cal Poly its first victory against a Big East Conference opponent at the Division I level.

Cal Poly (2-1-1), unbeaten during nine of its previous 10 matches at Spanos Stadium, enjoyed its first scoring opportunity of the night during the 14th minute as Collins latched onto a pass from senior right back Cameron Walters and took a pair of touches before seeing his attempt turned away by Villanova senior goalkeeper John Fogarty.

Wildcats senior defender Chris Christian curled a free kick wide from the edge of the penalty area during the 18th minute and Mustang senior goalkeeper Patrick McLain, who made three saves to register his 13th career clean sheet, kept the match scoreless by stopping Villanova junior midfielder Kyle Soroka and freshman forward Aaron Dennis during, respectively, the 21st and 23rd minutes.

Cal Poly’s next chance to break through against Fogarty and the Wildcats came during the 28th minute after senior midfielder Kyle Montgomery cut down the left flank and weaved through the Villanova defense on the fringes of the box. Montgomery whipped in a pass to Estes who, however, fired wide left.

Mustang sophomore forward Mac Pridham was turned away by Fogarty three minutes before intermission before opening Cal Poly’s second half by heading over the crossbar during the 48th. Pridham fired left of the post in the 56th and senior midfielder Ryan Anderson went high in the 63rd before Collins tallied the game-winning goal moments later.

Cal Poly completes its five-match home stand versus No. 12 West Virginia on Sunday, Sept. 11. Match time is scheduled for 1 p.m. The Mountaineers (2-2-0) fell at No. 6 UC Santa Barbara earlier on Friday, 2-0.

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