Cal State San Bernardino's advance to the 2009 California Collegiate Athletic Association conference tournament this weekend may be viewed as a surprise to some but not to the Coyotes themselves. 
    Picked for finish fourth in the South Division and seventh overall after a sub-.500 season in 2008, the Coyotes produced the team's best regular season win-loss record since 1991 – the team's first year in NCAA Division II when CSUSB won its only CCAA soccer title. 
    The Coyotes enter the CCAA championship tournament 15-4-1 overall after finishing 11-4-1 in the CCAA and in a tie for second place in the South with Cal State Dominguez Hills. 
    To win the CCAA title, the Coyotes must play the Toros for a third time this season, having beaten the 2008 national champions twice this season by identical 1-0 scores. That match is set for 4:30 p.m. Friday at Cal State Stanislaus' new stadium. To view live stats to go www.warriorathletics.com. 
    Both teams are on a roll. The Coyotes are 7-1-1 in their last nine matches while the Toros have reeled off eight straight wins since losing to CSUSB on Oct. 4. 
    The winner advances to the title match on Sunday against the winner of No. 1 seed Cal State L.A. and No. 4 seed Sonoma State. Those two teams meet at 7 p.m. Friday. 
    The Coyotes enter the weekend ranked No. 3 in the NCAA West Region by the NCAA championships committee with the tournament selections set for Monday night following the CCAA tournament. 
    CSUSB is also ranked No. 3 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America West Region poll and No. 22 in the NSCAA national top 25 poll for Division II. 
    The Toros are ranked No. in the NSCAA West Region poll but are unranked nationally.
Cal State L.A. enters the tournament ranked No. 1 in the West Region and No. 6 in the nation while Sonoma State, the North Division champion, is No. 2 in the West Region and No. 15 in the nation. 
    The NCAA selection committee may put all four teams into the NCAA West Regional, which would shut out teams from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and the Pacific West Conference, teams like Saint Martin's ranked No. 5 and Seattle Pacific, ranked No. 6. There are no automatic qualifiers for the NCAA tournament in men's soccer. 
    THIRD TIME THE CHARM? -- This will be CSUSB's third appearance in the CCAA championship tournament. In 2003, the Coyotes were eliminated in the semifinals by eventual CCAA and NCAA West Region champion Chico State, 1-0, in overtime. In 2005, the Coyotes lost to the Toros, 2-1, in overtime in the semifinals. 
    NCAA WEST REGION POLL – 1. Cal State L.A. (17-2-1); 2. Sonoma State (12-3-4); 3. COYOTES (15-4-1); 4. CS Dominguez Hills (14-5-1); 5. Saint Martin's (9-3); 6. Seattle Pacific (10-5-3). 
    YOTES NOTES – Albert Cabrera's 31 points on 12 goals and 7 assists ties Johnny Richardson (2003) for No. 4 on the all-time single-season points list. His 7 assists ties him for No. 4 on the all-time single-season assist list with teammate Obi Agwu and others....Cabrera led the CCAA in points and was No. 2 in goals and No. 5 in assists…..the Coyotes, as a team, led the CCAA in points (131), goals (46) and tied for No.1 in assists with Sonoma State (39)…..CSUSB ranked No. 5 in goals allowed (22)…
Sophomore defender Brett Faggione, who suffered a broken wrist last month, has been cleared to play with a soft cast and padding this weekend….Junior midfielder Harry Cruz will also make the trip after missing the past few games with a leg injury…..CSUSB's 11 CCAA wins is the most since the university joined the conference in 1991-92. The previous best was 8 first set in 1991 and equaled in 2003 when CSUSB led the South Division…..One more win would equal the program's all-time single-season win record of 16 set in 1987, the year the team won the NCAA Div. III West Regional and advanced to the D-3 Final Four…..This is Coach Noah Kooiman's sixth season and his first winning season.