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SAN JOSE, Calif. – Cal Poly ground out a draw on the road, 2-2, against San Jose State at Spartan Stadium Thursday night. Patrick Sigler scored a pair of goals via corner kick for the Mustangs, the center back’s second consecutive multi-goal match.

The Mustangs had a win within their grasp, but San Jose State found an equalizer with 59 seconds remaining in the game thanks to a penalty kick by Ed Brand. Cal Poly’s Josh Didion was sent off with a red card in the 90th minute for stopping what would have been a San Jose State goal with his hand. Mustang goalkeeper Eric Branagan-Franco dove to his right on the resulting penalty kick, but Brand sent it the other way to knot the game at 2-2.

Neither overtime produced a goal and the squads left the field square at 2-2.

Kyle Montgomery found Sigler for both of Cal Poly’s goals, one in the 42nd minute and another in the 68th. Last weekend at the New Mexico/Nike Invitational, Montgomery and Sigler tag teamed for a pair of set piece goals to upset the then-No. 23 ranked Lobos.

For the game, the Spartans outshot the Mustangs (3-2-1) 32-17. San Jose State (2-1-2) was the aggressor for much of the first half, but Cal Poly upped its offensive effort in the final 45 minutes to seal a win over a scrappy Spartan squad.

Branagan-Franco had six saves in the match. The Mustangs held an 8-2 advantage in penalty kicks and committed eight more fouls, 21-13, than the Spartans.

The Spartans struck first with a goal in the 13th minute. Hiroki Akiyama played a ball over the Mustangs’ back line and hit Nick Cukar in stride just 10-yards from the frame. Cukar met the pass and struck the ball square into the net past a charging Eric Branagan-Franco.

Cal Poly failed to produce anything of substance in the first 25 minutes as the Spartans capitalized on a number of passing mistakes by the Mustangs.

San Jose State missed a golden chance after Efrain Burgos Jr. was allowed onside on a deep ball on the right edge of Cal Poly’s box. Burgos sent a cross that found Cukar, but the junior midfielder’s strike rose high over the framework.

Cal Poly found its first scoring chance in the 28th minute as Julian Alvarez cut back on the left and floated a cross that David Zamora redirected with his head. The shot didn’t took goalkeeper Lewis Sweeney off his feet, but didn’t have the power to see netting.

Josh Boemecke earned the match’s first yellow card in the 40th minute after taking the feet out from under Cal Poly’s Anton Peterlin.

Cal Poly earned a free kick just outside the box on the left in the 42nd minute after Mario Fernandez held his ground with a Spartan on his back. Montgomery received the quick restart and won a corner. Montgomery then took the corner and found Sigler’s head for the equalizer.

From the outset of the second half, Cal Poly put together a more fervent offensive effort.
However, despite the Mustangs’ increased activity on the offensive third, the Spartans didn’t shy away. Ricky Dorrego had a good look at goal from 18-yards out off of a deflected pass, but the shot whistled over the crossbar.

Montgomery and Sigler linked up again on a set piece from the corner in the 68th minute. Sigler didn’t get all of the ball, but lofted a header into the upper left to put the Mustangs ahead 2-1.

Cameron Walters helped preserve Cal Poly’s win in the 86th minute by deflecting a ball destined for the bottom left of the frame. Stephen Cordova sent a header that was bound for the goal with Branagan-Franco diving to his right, but Walters got a foot on the ball to force a corner.

Anton Peterlin had the first chance at a golden goal for the Mustangs just 2 minutes into the first extra period. Peterlin ran onto a loose ball from 25-yards out and sent a liner that went just over the frame.

The Spartans responded with a chance of their own toward the tail end of the first overtime. Branagan-Franco mishandled a corner kick and a San Jose State player put a boot to the ball, but the shot sailed wide right.

The score stood at 2-2 after the first 10 minutes of overtime. Despite playing a man down, Cal Poly generated several possessions of interest, but couldn’t go ahead.

Montgmery found Sigler’s head on a third corner kick in the 102nd minute, but this time the duo couldn’t produce a goal. Sweeney put his hands on the ball as is arched toward the goal, stopping the shot just as it reached the line.

Branagan-Franco came up with a huge save for Cal Poly with under 3 minutes to play, diving to his left to stop a laser sent along the ground.

Cal Poly will host Evansville on Saturday, Sept. 20 at Alex G. Spanos Stadium, the match scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m.