SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – It was 2012. The birds were singing in lovely Greenville, S.C.

And a No. 1 seed almost went down in the first round.

Cal Poly ran into a Duluth buzzsaw – the Bulldogs were Division I back then – and the Mustangs needed an overtime goal to barely advance. That Poly team fought back to make it the finals, eventually being the bridesmaid for the second Colorado State dynasty.

But you can bet former Mustang head coach Marc Lea will be whispering in current head man Bobby Dabrieo’s ear about the necessity to be ready for every game. Even one that appears to be in the bag for Cal Poly by the numbers.

Virtual Tourney: No. 1 Cal Poly vs. No. 32 Tennessee | https://t.co/p2vWxr9wI8
— MCLA Tournament '20 (@MCLA_Tournament) March 14, 2020

This Mustangs team harkens back to Dabrieo’s first rodeo, when he guided CP to the championship game before falling to Chapman, 9-5. The ‘Stangs have, arguably, the best draw man in the country in senior Ryan Brown and a sturdy backline that tightens the grip on opposing attack units.

On the offensive side, Sam Galaif (9g, 18a) is a playmaker out of the midfield while Sachin Gokhale (18g, 19a) and Doug Gosselin (23g, 11a) are a killer attack duo.

“We prepare for every opponent the same way, and that won’t change with Tennessee coming to town,” said virtual Dabrieo*. “We match up pretty well at every position with them, but we certainly won’t take them lightly.”

The Vols should not be taken lightly.

Tennessee turned a corner this year under first-year head coach Tyler Corcoran, posting the first winning record since 2012.

Eoin O’Mallay (22g, 7a) is pissed the St. Patrick’s Day parade is canceled in Knoxville and he’s about to let the Mustangs know. He’s a difference-maker.

“We’re building something here,” said virtual Corcoran*. “These guys gave me everything I could want this spring and now we’ll get to test ourselves. We’ll measure ourselves against Cal Poly.”

With junior Ryan Richardson protecting the cage and Miller Horn scouring between the lines, the Vols are going to be troublesome.

[*- These coaches didn’t really say this. This is all made up. It’s fake]