LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A.’s men’s soccer team has maintained its spot atop the NCAA Division II West Region rankings heading into this week’s California Collegiate Athletic Association Championship Tournament.
The Golden Eagles stayed at No. 1 in the official NCAA rankings released on Tuesday. Cal State L.A. (17-2-1) also climbed to No. 6 in the nation in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll, also released on Tuesday.
The top-ranked team in the official NCAA regional rankings has the opportunity to host the four-team West Regional, which would begin on either Friday, Nov. 13 or Thursday, Nov. 12.
Cal State L.A. is followed in the regional rankings by Sonoma State, Cal State San Bernardino, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Saint Martin’s and Seattle Pacific.
Cal State L.A. wrapped up its second CCAA South Division title in the last four years by winning at UC San Diego (1-0) and Cal State East Bay (2-0) last week. The Golden Eagles finished with a 13-2-1 conference record and 40 points, which was the most in the conference.
The Golden Eagles will face North Division champion and No. 4 seed Sonoma State in a first-round CCAA Tournament match on Friday at 7 p.m. at Cal State Stanislaus. Cal State San Bernardino and Cal State Dominguez Hills meet in the other semi-final. The championship match will be held on Sunday. Sonoma State is the defending conference champion and beat the Golden Eagles, 2-1, in last year’s conference tournament. Cal State L.A. returned the favor by eliminating the Seawolves from the first round of the NCAA Tournament the next week.
Sonoma State handed the Golden Eagles a 1-0 loss in Rohnert Park on Oct. 11. Cal State L.A. has not lost since.
The Golden Eagles are making their fourth straight appearance in the CCAA Championship Tournament. Cal State L.A. is seeking its first conference title since 1992.
Cal State L.A. is also seeking its third NCAA playoff appearance in the past four years. The Golden Eagles have reached the West Region championship game in two of the past three seasons.
Cal State L.A. moved up one spot in the latest NSCAA national rankings, climbing from No. 7 to No. 6. The Golden Eagles were ranked No. 1 in the nation for the first time in the program’s history earlier this season.
With the Cal State L.A. women checking in at No. 9 in the NSCAA women’s national poll, this marks the eighth week in a row that both the men’s and women’s programs have been nationally ranked at the same time. That had never happened before this season. Both teams are in the national top-10 for the first time ever. The official NCAA West Region rankings will be released on Wednesday.
Cal State L.A. has outscored its opponents, 39-15.
Federico Cino is the team’s leading scorer with 10 goals and eight assists for 28 points.
Jason Swope has six goals and four assists for 16 points,
Kristian Gaustad has five goals and four assists for 14 points and
Aza Gomez has five goals and two assists for 12 points.
Tobias Hummel has seen the bulk of the time in goal and has made 38 saves. He has a goals against average of 0.82.
Jose Martinez finished up the 1-0 win over UC San Diego on Friday after Hummel was injured and he got his first career start and shutout in the 2-0 win over Cal State East Bay on Sunday. The Golden Eagles have eight shutouts on the season and have allowed more than one goal in a game only twice.