RIVERSIDE – Junior forward Ryan Anderson’s 18th-minute goal stood as the game-winning strike Saturday evening as the Cal Poly men’s soccer team ensured the program’s second-best start to a Big West Conference campaign with a 1-0 victory against UC Riverside at UCR Soccer Stadium.

Junior goalkeeper Patrick McLain registered three saves for the Mustangs (6-7-1, 4-1-0), whose 12 points from their initial five Big West matches is a total eclipsed only by the 2007 squad, which earned 13 from its first five contests. With the victory, Cal Poly moved level atop the Big West table with No. 3 and idle UC Santa Barbara (10-2-1, 4-0-0), which plays at Cal State Northridge on Sunday at 3 p.m. Cal State Fullerton also has 12 points, albeit from six matches.

Cal Poly outshot UC Riverside, 15-8, but failed to test Highlanders goalkeeper Cody Suppé until Anderson latched on to a feed from junior forward David Zamora before slotting his first goal of the season. Mustang junior midfielder Junior Burgos forced Suppé into a save three minutes later and junior defender Daniel Gray was on target in the 25th, but the Mustangs made Anderson’s strike stand in recording their fifth one-goal win of 2009.

“I thought, overall, we enjoyed a good performance and we’re happy to get another three points in a Big West Conference match,” fourth-year Mustang manager Paul Holocher said. “We’re now looking forward to preparing for our match at UC Irvine (Wednesday, Oct. 21, 7 p.m.).”

Sophomore midfielder Jacob Hustedt and Zamora co-led Cal Poly with three shots apiece.