SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Despite playing down a man for more than 50 minutes, Sacramento State found the equalizer and battled the visiting Cal Poly Mustangs to a 1-1 draw in Wednesday night's Big West opener. 

With the draw, Sacramento State moves to 2-6-2 overall while starting conference play 0-0-1. Cal Poly moves to 2-4-2 overall and is also 0-0-1 in league. 

Sacramento State and Cal Poly played an incredibly even first half, trading possessions and putting together strong defensive efforts. The first 45 minutes saw just three shots - two by the Hornets and one by the Mustangs - as neither team managed to gain the upper hand. 

The second half saw more action than the first, with Cal Poly finding the game's first goal in the 55th minute on a score by Emmanuel Perez following a pass into the box and a well-placed ball off the chest of Drew Peterson. 

Trailing 1-0, things took a further turn against the Hornets when just moments later, Christian Powell was shown his second yellow card of the match in the 58th minute, forcing Sacramento State to play a man down for the remainder of the match. 

Despite the disadvantage, the Hornets continued to press, putting perhaps more pressure on Cal Poly after the yellow than before. That pressure finally broke through in the 68th minute as Genaro Alfaro found the equalizer for Sacramento State.

The play developed quickly following a foul against the Mustangs just past midfield. Tyler Moss alertly played the free quick without hesitation, finding an open Alfaro in space. Alfaro made a move to get the edge on his defender before firing off a shot from the top of the 18. The ball skipped low past the diving Cal Poly keeper and into the bottom right corner for the equalizer.

The goal was Alfaro's first of the year and the third of his career. For Moss, the assist was his fourth this season, adding to his career-best total so far this year. 

Cal Poly wasn't without its chances in the second half, but Ryan Curtis made four second-half saves, including a brilliant diving stop on a Mustangs shot from 10 yards out. The Hornets also had a bit of luck on their side, as two Cal Poly shots deflected off the right post and the crossbar in the first and second halves, respectively. 

Both teams had chances in overtime, with the Mustangs getting off a shot in each extra period and the Hornets taking two in the second, but neither team found the back of the net again as the match went final, 1-1. 

In total, Sacramento State attempted six shots to Cal Poly's nine, with a team-high three for Alfaro. Perez led the Mustangs with four. Curtis made five saves while Cal Poly's Carlos Arce-Hurtado made one.

Wednesday's match lasted nearly three hours and saw an incredible 44 combined fouls - 22 against the Hornets and 20 against the Mustangs. There were also nine total yellows shown over the course of the 110-minute match, including six to Sacramento State and three to Cal Poly. 

The high-stakes action continues on Saturday when the Hornets welcome UC Irvine to Hornet Field for a 3 p.m. kickoff. 

Saturday is also a special day for Sacramento State as the team celebrates 50 years of Hornets soccer. The program will hold a special halftime recognition ceremony for alumni in attendance as well as welcome all former players and their families to a postmatch celebration at the field. 

Saturday's match kicks off at 3 p.m. and will stream live on ESPN+. Live stats will be available at HornetStats.com and, as always, all links, notes, news, and more can be found online at HornetSports.com.