Cal Poly senior Chris Gaschen and freshman Wade Hamilton turned in clutch performances that helped the Mustangs punch their ticket to the conference tournament, earning the duo Big West Men's Soccer Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors, respectively.
Gaschen Sets Up Pair of Mustang Game-Winners
Senior Chris Gaschen (Granite Bay, Calif./Granite Bay HS) helped Cal Poly achieve a couple of feats with well placed passes as the Big West Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week.
The midfielder assisted on both Mustang game-winning goals as identical 1-0 victories against UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara clinched a berth in the upcoming Big West Tournament.
Gaschen dribbled through the left side of the Aggie defense and delivered a pass to leading scorer Mackenzie Pridham, who one touched a shot past the UC Davis goalkeeper for the only goal of the match. The 51st-minute strike secured Cal Poly's first road win against the Aggies since 2006. The win kept the Mustangs in contention for a tournament spot.
On Saturday, the Mustangs snatched the tournament berth with a thrilling win against UC Santa Barbara in front of a sellout home crowd of 11,075. Gaschen played an instrumental role once again as his deflected shot attempt fell to teammate George Malki, who knocked in a shot toward the right post at the 76:51 mark. The goal stood up as Cal Poly registered its first season series sweep of the Gauchos since 1997.
Six of Gaschen's seven assists this season have come in winning efforts. His seven helpers mark a career high and are the highest total by a Mustang since Kyle Montgomery's 10 in 2008.
Others nominated: Beto Velasquez (Cal State Northridge); Matt Wiesenfarth (UC Davis)
Hamilton Shuts Out Rival as Cal Poly Clinches Tournament Berth
Freshman Wade Hamilton (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta Valley HS) notched his third career shutout and picked up two wins to garner the Cal Poly netminder Big West Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week recognition.
Hamilton, who entered as a second half substitute against UC Davis 1-0 triumph, faced nine shots and made three saves to help his team earn three important points.
He got the start against rival UC Santa Barbara on Saturday and responded with his third career clean sheet in the 1-0 victory. The Mustang backline limited the Gauchos to six total shots, as Hamilton needed to make only one save.
The Mustangs recorded their first road win against UCD since 2006 while sweeping the season series from the Gauchos for the first time since 1997.
Hamilton, who ranks second in the Big West with a .796 save percentage, has allowed just three goals from open play during the last 534 minutes.
Others nominated: Michael Abalos (Cal State Northridge)