POMONA - Cal Poly Pomona got a brace from newcomer Bailey McNitt and a stellar individual goal from leading scorer Jaclyn Cuevas before hanging on to down Western Colorado University, 3-2, in non-conference women's soccer action at Kellogg Stadium on Friday night.

In snapping a two-game mini-slide, CPP improves to 2-2-1. Western Colorado, located in Gunnison, Colo., remains winless at 0-4-1. The Broncos are favored to finish fourth in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), while the Mountaineers were picked to place ninth in the 13-team Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC). Friday marked the first-ever meeting between the programs.

The home side had the first good opportunity of the night just about five minutes in, as sophomore Marisa Salazar dribbled into the opposing penalty area on a breakaway down the right flank with defenders converging, only for her right-footed shot to be saved by Western goalkeeper Mei Hayashizaki.

Cuevas' right-footed curler from the edge of the 18-yard box after about 10 minutes, did not curl quite enough, instead going wide right. Moments later, Cuevas set up Salazar nicely with a square pass almost to the exact same spot toward the left side on the edge of the penalty area, but that right-footed effort sailed well high of the target.

The Broncos finally broke through in the 20th minute. Salazar played a deep ball down the left flank on the counterattack which Cuevas ran onto, cut her defender and crossed right-footed into the center of the box. The Mountaineer defender's clearance attempt effectively served as a settling touch for McNitt, who made no mistake with her right-footed shot from close range into the upper right. It was a first goal in the green and gold for the graduate student out of the University of North Dakota.

Just 56 seconds later, it was 2-0 CPP and a second collegiate two-goal brace for McNitt. Western tried to play it out of the back. Junior Bronco forward Tara Oper twice intercepted clearances, and on the latter one was able to dribble into the penalty box and take a right-footed shot that Hayashizaki parried away, but only into the path of McNitt, who easily tapped home from inside three yards.

Completely against the run of play in the 29th minute, the visitors pulled one back. Reece Mercer accepted a pass from left to right, juked around a defender and unleashed a wicked right-footed shot from 18 yards that curled into the upper left to make it a 2-1 game. It was a first goal for 2023 and third career for Mercer, a former teammate of first-year Bronco transfer and fellow sophomore Anna Schellpeper at Ralston Valley High School in Arvada, Colo. The score came on Western's first and only shot attempt of the opening 45 minutes.

CPP nearly doubled the advantage again through a flurry of shots in the 53rd minute, but Oper was denied by Hayashizaki, Julia Lucero's rebound effort was blocked by a defender, and Alexis Macias' follow-up trickled agonizingly wide of the right post.

It was more of the same in the 63rd minute. Salazar beautifully galloped into the penalty area and had her shot saved again by Hayashizaki. Oper gathered the rebound and fed Lucero, but her right-footer smacked off the crossbar and kept it a precarious 2-1 edge.

In the 78th minute, the Broncos finally had their clincher. Salazar passed to Giselle Samayoa, who in turn found Cuevas outside the penalty area on the left side. The true junior sliced and diced a pair of Mountaineer defenders dribbling into the penalty area and put a right-footed shot low into the right corner from the left edge of the six-yard box for her team-leading fourth goal of 2023 and fourth of her career.

Western still managed to make things interesting, actually, earning an inauspicious penalty kick following a hand ball on the left side of the 18-yard box. Luci Gulbransen coolly converted the opportunity for her first major college goal at 85:21 to make for a nervy finish.

Fourth-year junior Azusa Pacific transfer Bella Hara made her fifth consecutive start in the CPP goal and wound up with zero saves. Hayashizaki, a senior from Kobe, Japan, and first-year Mountaineer, was credited with six stops. The hosts compiled advantages of 17-3 in shots, 9-2 in shots on goal and 11-3 in corner kicks.

Cal Poly Pomona concludes this three-match home stand to wrap up the non-conference schedule next Saturday evening, Sept. 23, against CCAA and area rival Cal State San Bernardino (2-3). Kickoff at Kellogg Stadium is set for 4:30 p.m., to start off a CPP soccer doubleheader versus the Yotes, with the men slated to begin at 7 p.m. Neither contest will count toward the teams' league mark.

Bronco Bits: Cal Poly Pomona is 51-44-19 overall under eighth-year (seventh season) head coach Jay Mason ... Senior Julia Lucero drew a second start as a Bronco … Bella Anderson, Bella Hara and Liberty Ortiz again played the full 90 minutes ... Bailey McNitt's first collegiate brace came as a junior at North Dakota on Aug. 28, 2021, within a span of 11:24 in the first half of a 7-0 romp at Southern University in Baton Rouge, La. ... McNitt now has seven goals for her college days ... Tonight's assist was Jaclyn Cuevas' first of 2023 and second of her career, the other coming as a freshman on the 41st-minute game-winner in a 4-2 home decision over Cal State LA on Sept. 25, 2021 ... CPP's 11 corner kicks were a season high, and its most in a single game since it earned 12 in a 2-1 home win against Stanislaus State on Oct. 7, 2016.

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