SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - Seventh-ranked Cal Poly Pomona settled for a draw late with host Cal State San Bernardino, 2-2, in a non-conference battle between California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and area rivals on Saturday afternoon at Premier Field.

With its four-game win streak ended, CPP concludes the non-league portion of its 2024 schedule at 5-1-1. Cal State San Bernardino moves to 2-1-3. The Broncos and Yotes were favored for second and fifth, respectively, each with one first-place vote, in the CCAA preseason poll. The sides will contest their conference matchup in Pomona to round out the regular season on Thursday, Nov. 7, at 2 p.m.

This is the second straight season in which these two teams have had a non-conference showdown ahead of the CCAA campaign. CPP posted a pair of narrow one-goal triumphs over CSUSB last fall.

Each squad generated its initial shot of the afternoon over the first 10 minutes, but Rafa Fonseca and Mads Frederiksen both went high of the target. Frederiksen, the Broncos' junior striker, then produced the day's first attempt on frame in the 12th minute, and was denied by CSUSB senior goalkeeper Aidan Hanes.

Then at the 16:10 mark, Cal Poly Pomona was trailing for just the second time in 2024, as Fonseca hit the net for the sophomore's team-leading fourth of the season. True junior forward partner Angel Rico was credited with his first collegiate assist for his first point this year.

The Broncos were thankfully only down for a little over seven and a half minutes, however, as junior Woody Angell found his fifth into the bottom right to continue his run atop the team's goal-scoring chart. For the native of Alton, England, it was a milestone 10th collegiate tally as he has matched his single-season best from last fall. Angell also now has a share of the No. 1 spot on the CCAA leaderboard for 2024. Frederiksen was later awarded his second assist in as many games.

At halftime, the teams were deadlocked at a goal apiece from a combined 11 shot attempts with two each on target. Over the first 15 minutes of the second period, true junior reserve striker Jakob Singh had three efforts that missed either to the left or sailed over the crossbar.

Meanwhile, the first corner kick of the entire game did not come until the 62nd minute, that courtesy of the Broncos. That action began a hectic sequence within a span of just 67 seconds that saw the Broncos collect two corner kicks, a pair of blocked shots from Angell and then Frederiksen, and finally the go-ahead goal by senior center back Fin Jackson at 62:47 into the bottom left. The CPP tri-captain's first offensive points on the season meant a fifth collegiate goal.

Assists on the play went to Singh, his first of 2024 and third career, and true freshman midfielder Daniel Gutierrez, his second. The Broncos were just narrowly unable to hold onto their slim edge, though, as CSUSB managed an equalizer a mere 71 seconds from the final whistle. Fifth-year senior forward Brian Castillo was the provider, unassisted to the bottom right, for his fourth this season and 12th of his college days.

Castillo had just been shown a yellow card less than a minute prior, with four more combined cautions following the tying marker. The testy rivalry matchup finished with eight total yellow cards, six to the home side. There was time for only one more shot after Castillo's strike, but Bronco freshman Hector Arellanes was too tall with his attempt.

Reigning and first-time CCAA Defensive Player of the Week Luke Garciduenas wound up with one save. The Yotes' early strike saw the fourth-year junior CPP goalkeeper's career-best personal shutout streak snapped at 375:51. Hanes also had just one stop for the hosts, who were out-shot on the afternoon, 15-8.


Up Next
Cal Poly Pomona begins its 11-game 2024 CCAA ledger at home in the week ahead. The Broncos welcome in San Francisco State on Friday, Oct. 4, and Cal State Monterey Bay on Sunday, Oct. 6, with both matches capping off CPP soccer doubleheaders with the undefeated (7-0) and fifth-ranked Bronco women. Friday night's primetime men's kickoff inside Kellogg Stadium is slated for 7 p.m. All men's and women's soccer home contests feature live streaming through FloSports.


Bronco Bits

• CPP is 56-16-19 (.720) overall under sixth-year (fifth season) head coach Matt O'Sullivan, who on Sept. 22 took over the No. 1 position in the program record book for wins.
• O'Sullivan had sent out the exact same 11 for two straight games for the first time this season, but on Saturday, Marcus Jorgensen was unable to go and was replaced by Seton Hill transfer and fellow junior defender Joseph Spencer, a first-time starter for the Green and Gold.
• O'Sullivan has used six different starting lineups through these first seven games.
• Luke Garciduenas and tri-captains Fin Jackson and Jasper Winslow played the full 90 minutes.
• Jackson has found the back of the net in each of his four on-the-field seasons as a Bronco, with the first four of his five goals coming in CPP triumphs.
• Out of 630 minutes thus far, the Broncos have only trailed for 32:49.
• CPP is 26-27-12 against CSUSB all-time in this series that goes back to 1984, including 10-15-4 in San Bernardino.
• The Broncos are 5-1-2 against the Yotes under O'Sullivan (1-0-2 on the road).
• They are a still-unbeaten 4-0-2 against CSUSB over the last six matchups (two straight wins entering Saturday) since a 1-0 home loss in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Championship.
• CPP is 71-23-17 as a nationally-ranked program since 2002, including 33-10-16 under O'Sullivan and 5-1-1 in 2024.
• The Broncos' current national rank of No. 7 is their season best, and they are rated second in the West Region behind only No. 3 Cal State LA.