SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Five second-half goals in the span of 33 minutes and a brace from sophomore Annika Smith powered the Cal Poly women’s soccer program to a commanding 5-1 victory over Nevada in its nonconference finale on Sunday at Mustang Memorial Field at Spanos Stadium.
Prior to the match, Cal Poly honored its 12-member senior class — Emma Brown, Kerry Wakasa, Annie Larson, Dani Wozniak, Kate Reedy, Emily Nedom, Maille Smith, Aynsley Conner, Peja Balanon, Whitney Wiley, McKenna Carbon and Mackenzie Samuel. The empathic win was a great way to honor a senior class that has helped the program reach unprecedented heights during their careers, Annika Smith said after the match.
“It felt really good,” she said about the victory which snapped a four-match losing streak. “It was Senior Day, so vibes were really good and really high.”
Sophomore Annika Smith shares some thoughts on the Mustangs’ second-half goal barrage today and her third career multi-goal match ?? #RideHigh???? pic.twitter.com/XHoRjxg9ch
— Cal Poly Women’s Soccer (@CPWomensSoccer) September 22, 2024
Moness’ goal seemed to open the floodgates for the Mustangs as just six minutes later the team struck again. Junior Emily Lieber sent a cross from the right side into the box and the ball went through the legs of graduate student Whitney Wiley before finding junior Brennan Cole, who blasted a shot with her right foot to the top left corner of the net for her first collegiate goal. For Lieber, it was her third assist of the season and the 10th of her career.
In the 74th minute, senior forward Kate Reedy made it 3-0 Cal Poly on an unassisted goal. It was the second goal of the season for the All-Big West Preseason Team selection and the 11th of her career.
However, less than two minutes after Reedy’s tally, Nevada (2-7) got on the board to make it 3-1 in favor of the Mustangs. With their first home victory of the season within sight, Annika Smith reentered the match in the 81st minute and looked determined to seal the victory for the Mustangs. In the 88th minute, Smith buried the first of back-to-back goals in the closing moments of the match taking a pass from freshman Kiki Vostermans in the midfield, driving toward the Nevada net and firing a shot past the keeper. For Vostermans, it was her fourth assist of the season, tied for the second most in the Big West.
After a scoreless first half, it was evident the Mustangs (2-6-2) were hungry to find the back of the net in the opening minutes of the second half, and a fortunate break in the 57th minute allowed them to do just that. A shot attempt by redshirt sophomore Sophia Minnite was blocked by the hand of a Wolf Pack defender in the box, allowing sophomore Sophia Moness to step to the spot and bury a penalty kick goal to the back of the net. It was her first goal of the season and the second of her career.
Winning views on Senior Day ??#RideHigh???? pic.twitter.com/Ij56eGj4bE
— Cal Poly Women’s Soccer (@CPWomensSoccer) September 23, 2024
“I think I was placed the best balls honestly … my teammates set me up for success, so I kind of owe it all to them,” she said. Smith now has five goals on the year and nine in her career. Nedom earned her second career assist on Smith’s second goal, while Wozniak was also credited with an assist on the tally, the first of her career.
Sunday marked the first time Cal Poly scored five goals in a match since defeating San Jose State 5-0 on Sept. 12, 2021, in San Luis Obispo. The five goals equaled the amount the Mustangs scored in their previous four matches combined.
Senior Kerry Wakasa made her first career appearance and start Sunday, while senior Maille Smith earned her first career start.
Cal Poly outshot the Wolf Pack 26-12 in Sunday’s match, firing 12 on frame.
The Mustangs head to UC Riverside at 7:30 p.m. Thursday for their first Big West road match of the season.
Just 70 seconds after her first goal of the day, Smith struck again with 55 seconds remaining in the match on a perfectly executed cross by the Mustangs. Senior Emily Nedom sent a beautiful cross from outside the left side of the box and Smith rose up and headed the ball to the back of the net to put Cal Poly ahead 5-1. The brace gave Smith her third multi-goal match of her career and her second this season, and she credited her teammates for helping her accomplish the feat.
A recent Review-Journal letter to the editor mischaracterized Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, also known as the Clark County Lands bill. As the former executive director of the Nevada Conservation League, I wholeheartedly support this legislation, so I wanted to set the record straight.
Sen. Cortez Masto has been working on this bill for years in partnership with state and local governments, conservation groups like the NCL and local area tribes. It’s true that the Clark County lands bill would open 25,000 acres to help Las Vegas grow responsibly, while setting aside 2 million acres for conservation. It would also help create more affordable housing throughout the valley while ensuring our treasured public spaces can be preserved for generations to come.
What is not correct is that the money from these land sales would go to the federal government’s coffers. In fact, the opposite is true.
The 1998 Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act is a landmark bill that identified specific public land for future sale and created a special account ensuring all land sale revenues would come back to Nevada. In accordance with that law 5 percent of revenue from land transfers goes to the state of Nevada for general education purposes, 10 percent goes to the Southern Nevada Water Authority for needed water infrastructure and 85 percent supports conservation and environmental mitigation projects in Southern Nevada. This legislation has provided billions to Clark County and will continue to benefit generations of Southern Nevadans. Sen. Cortez Masto’s lands bill builds upon the act’s success.
So here’s the good news: All of the money generated from land made available for sale under Sen. Cortez Masto’s bill would be sent to the special account created by the 1998 law. Rather than going to an unaccountable federal government, the proceeds would continue to help kids in Vegas get a better education, bolster outdoor recreation and modernize Southern Nevada’s infrastructure.
I know how important it is that money generated from the sale of public land in Nevada stay in the hands of Nevadans, and so does the senator. That’s why she opposed a Republican effort last year to sell off 200,000 acres of land in Clark County and other areas of the country that would have sent those dollars directly to Washington.
Public land management in Nevada should benefit Nevadans. We should protect sacred cultural sites and beloved recreation spaces, responsibly transfer land for affordable housing when needed and ensure our state has the resources it needs to grow sustainably. I will continue working with Sen. Cortez Masto to advocate for legislation, such as the Clark County lands bill, that puts the needs of Nevadans first.
Paul Selberg writes from Las Vegas.
click to expand photos
Las Vegas High’s baseball team claimed a 3-2 home win over Coronado on Friday.
Las Vegas (9-13-1) next hosts Rancho at 10 a.m. Saturday. Coronado (13-14) hosts Chaparral at 3:30 p.m. Monday.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Nevada’s jobless rate is holding steady, but the state is still adding jobs.
A new report from DETR shows February’s unemployment rate unchanged at 5.3 percent, with the labor force growing by nearly 3,800 people.
MORE ON FOX5: Nevada unemployment rate rises to 5.3% in January
Nevada now has about 1.6 million nonfarm jobs, up 2.2 percent over the past year and 1,500 more jobs than in January.
“This month’s report shows a strengthening labor market,” said David Schmidt, Chief Economist. ”Compared to the report for January, the pace of job gains in the past year increased from 1.9% to 2.2%, building on what was already the fastest pace of job growth in the country. While the unemployment rate remained stable, the labor force participation rate rose to 63.7%, 1.7 percentage points higher than the national level.”
In Las Vegas, employment ticked up by 1,100 jobs in February, about 0.1 percent, and is up more than 25,000 jobs compared to last year.
Reno added 1,000 jobs on the month, while Carson City shed about 200 but is still slightly above where it was a year ago.
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