SAN LUIS OBISPO – Junior midfielder Junior Burgos recorded both the sixth hat trick in program history and equaled the Cal Poly men’s soccer program record for goals during a match inside the opening 25 minutes Wednesday evening as the Mustangs stemmed a second half challenge from Cal State Fullerton to post a 3-2 victory at Alex G. Spanos Stadium.

Junior goalkeeper Patrick McLain equaled a career high with seven saves for Cal Poly (5-7-1, 3-1-0), which registered its sixth-consecutive victory against Cal State Fullerton (6-6-1, 2-2-0) and moved into a deadlock atop the Big West standings after co-leader UC Santa Barbara’s Wednesday match at UC Davis was cancelled due to poor pitch conditions. With a victory Saturday at cellar-dwelling UC Riverside, Cal Poly can post the second-best start to a Big West campaign in program history. The top spot is held by the 2007 Mustangs, who took 13 points from their initial five Big West matches.

Burgos, who entered Wednesday’s match with one goal during his initial six matches as a Mustang, collected his first strike in the fifth minute when he ripped a free kick from 30 yards out past Cal State Fullerton goalkeeper Trevor Whiddon. The strike ended a 252-minute scoring drought by the Mustangs, dating to a 1-0 win against UC Davis on Oct. 4.

In the 19th minute, a foul inside the Titan box by Cal State Fullerton defender Bobby Reiss sent Burgos to the spot, where he buried his second penalty of the year and Cal Poly’s fourth in as many attempts this season.

Burgos, who also hit the right post with a shot in the 10th, finalized Cal Poly’s first hat trick in nearly four seasons in the 25th, taking a feed through the box from junior forward David Zamora and firing past Whiddon into the right corner of the net. Burgos became the first Mustang to bag a treble since Marcus Griffin notched three against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9, 2006.

“We played a phenomenal first half and possessed a lot of good energy and quality. Junior scored three great goals and could have had four or five,” fifth-year Mustang head coach Paul Holocher said. “We knew Cal State Fullerton would come out strong in the second half and we would have to deal with it and keep attacking.”

Cal State Fullerton, which outshot Cal Poly, 18-11, tested McLain three times during the first half before finally breaking through on midfielder Jamall Farquharson’s third goal of the year in the 64th minute. Another goal by Titan defender Jonathan Birt two minutes later sliced the Cal State Fullerton deficit to a single goal.

Cal State Fullerton placed three additional shots on target and had a potential game-tying goal ruled offside in the 72nd, but Cal Poly preserved victory to improve to 19-3-2 at Spanos Stadium.

“Cal State Fullerton is a quality side and when we allowed the first goal, we gave them some hope,” Holocher added. “We got the three points, but we’re not totally satisfied with our performance. I hope we learned a lesson.”