ARCATA, Calif. - Thirteenth-ranked Cal Poly Pomona scored early in each half and cruised past Cal Poly Humboldt, 2-0, in the 2023 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) opener for both men's soccer teams on a misty and overcast Friday afternoon up at College Creek Field.

With a fourth consecutive victory, all in shutout fashion, CPP remains undefeated at 5-0-2 overall and 1-0 in the CCAA. Humboldt drops to an even 3-3-1 overall and 0-1 in league play.

The home side came up with the day's first scoring opportunity less than a minute into the action, as Bronco goalie Luke Garciduenas had to go down to his right to corral a soft shot by Duke Romanchak.

Cal Poly Pomona produced its first shot on target in the 16th minute, but Kevin Hernandez's right-footer straight on from 20 yards sailed harmlessly into the arms of Humboldt's Adrian Gallardo.

Trying to play it out of the back from that position proved problematic for the Lumberjacks. Max Laguna picked off the errant pass and sent a left-footed through ball into the penalty area on the right side. Paul Roger Henschke pulled it back from near the end line, and Mads Frederiksen's first-timed, right-footed shot from the right edge of the six-yard box hit the left post and went in for an early lead at 16:18.

It was Frederiksen's fourth goal on the season to move him into a tie for the CPP lead with Henschke, who picked up his league-high and single-season career-best sixth assist. Laguna was not credited with one. The score would eventually go down as Frederiksen's second game-winner.

The score was nearly 2-0 in the 22nd minute as Christian Miramontes and then Hernandez strung together passes ahead down the left flank to enable Henschke to go sprinting into the penalty box, only for the senior All-American forward's shot to travel inches wide of the right post.

At the halftime interval, it was 1-0 Broncos on the scoreboard, 8-2 in shots (2-1 on target), and 7-0 in corner kicks.

CPP doubled its advantage with a quick strike in the second stanza. Fourth-year junior defender Jasper Winslow stole the ball near midfield, dribbled across the line and delivered a forward pass on the ground. True sophomore forward Sam Lena finished off the attack for his second tally and a 2-0 cushion at 51:57. The assist was Winslow's first on the year.

In the 63rd minute, Miramontes got a glancing header onto a left-sided free kick by Laguna. Gallardo parried it away with some difficulty. The Broncos kept mounting the pressure and got another shot on frame in the 65th minute courtesy of Winslow from just outside the penalty area following a nice setup by Melvyn Perez Cortez and Frederiksen.

Cal Poly Pomona was hardly troubled in seeing the result through from there, notching a fourth clean sheet on the trot to extend its shutout streak now to 390:21. Garciduenas, a true junior, earned his fifth start of the season and third in succession, coming up with two saves for his fourth individual clean sheet this year and fifth for his career. Senior All-American captain Cesar Ruvalcaba and Fin Jackson played the full 90 minutes as well, with outside backs Miramontes, Winslow and Thomas Guei among those aiding in the defensive effort.

To that point, the 'Jacks were only credited with two shot attempts in the second half, both coming over the final five and a minutes, and both looking more like crosses from the deep left wing. The final shot tally was 17-4, with eight corner kicks for CPP to none by Humboldt.

Gallardo, a fourth-year junior who has now begun all seven contests in goal for the 'Jacks, collected five saves.

Cal Poly Pomona wraps up this weekend road trip to Northern California on Sunday, Oct. 1, in Rohnert Park against Sonoma State (2-4-2, 0-1 CCAA). Kickoff at Seawolf Soccer Field is set for 11:30 a.m., ahead of the women's contest at 2 p.m.

Bronco Bits: Cal Poly Pomona is 42-13-15 (.707) overall under fifth-year (fourth season) head coach Matt O'Sullivan ... CPP is 2-0-2 in CCAA openers in the O'Sullivan era ... The Broncos are 3-0-1 away from home in 2023, with three of their five shutouts coming outside of Pomona ... Fin Jackson was making his third start of the year (at left center back for Thomas Guei) and first since Sept. 8 ... CPP has scored in the opening 20 minutes five times this season, including in four successive matches ... Paul Roger Henschke now has 23 goals, 14 assists and 60 total points for his career, still in a tie for fifth in the CPP record book in goals while continuing to be in sole possession of sixth in points, and sitting just outside the top 10 in assists ... Henschke is tied with Stanislaus State's Tyler Tipton (league-best seven goals) at 14 points apiece atop the CCAA chart heading into Friday's primetime kickoffs ... Rocco Bon's shot in the 42nd minute which was blocked out for a corner kick, was the first of the true freshman Lake Forest product's career ... Sam Lena has three collegiate goals, while Jasper Winslow has a pair of assists ... Lena had assisted on Winslow's first collegiate goal in the 1-1 draw at Colorado School of Mines on Sept. 8 ... CPP has dominated this series at 16-3 with 11 consecutive victories, including 7-2 in Arcata ... The Broncos are 4-0 against the 'Jacks under O'Sullivan (2-0 in Arcata) ... The Broncos moved up one spot for a second week in a row, from No. 14 to a season-best No. 13, in Tuesday's latest United Soccer Coaches Division II national poll, while they are rated third regionally ... CPP is 57-20-13 as a nationally-ranked program since 2002, including 19-7-12 under O'Sullivan and 5-0-2 in 2023 ... CPP is the CCAA favorite, while Humboldt was picked for ninth in the preseason poll.

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Home matches and CCAA away contests stream live online via the CCAA Network at www.ccaanetwork.com. Fans can also download the CCAA Network app on an iOS or Android smartphone or tablet, and through web streaming devices such as Amazon Fire, Roku and Apple TV. Subscribers have access to all CCAA broadcasts, both live and on-demand, for the low monthly price of $9.95. Over half of each monthly subscription purchase goes directly back to the CCAA athletics department of your choice to support the student-athlete experience. Sign-ups are available right now at each university's network portal. Just go to CCAAnetwork.com, select your favorite team at the top and click the 'Subscribe' button.

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