California State University San Bernardino Athletics

  After a drought that lasted 18 years, Cal State San Bernardino’s men’s soccer team is in the NCAA tournament. 
    The Coyotes, 15-5-1 (11-4-1 CCAA), were among four CCAA conference teams selected to play in the West Regional. It will be the team’s first appearance in the Division II post-season since 1991. 
    A joyous band of players cheered as they crowded around a computer in the Athletic Department office to watch the broadband announcement from NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis, Ind. and heard their name called.
    CSUSB, a semifinalist in the CCAA conference championship tournament for the third time in the past seven years, is scheduled to face West Region No. 1 Cal State L.A. at the Golden Eagles field, at 7 p.m. Friday. 
    The first match will feature a rematch of the CCAA tournament title match between CCAA champion Cal State Dominguez Hills and CCAA runnerup Sonoma State at 4:30 p.m. 
    “This is a phenomenal turning point in the men’s program,” said sixth-year head coach Noah Kooiman. “Not just because of our record, either. We have made it to where we want to be every year from now on.” 
    Kooiman said the fact all four teams in the regional are from the CCAA speaks volumes about the strength of the conference. “To have four teams, all from our conference means that we played a really tough schedule and we were rewarded for our success.” 
    Assistant Coach Tony Vigil, a four-year starter for the Coyotes in his playing days, was euphoric about the announcement. “This is a new era for this program and speaks volumes about the hard work of our players and growth of our program,” 
    The Coyotes defeated 2008 Division II national champion Cal State Dominguez Hills twice this season and the first win, at the Toros field, was the moment that the team felt it was going places in 2009. 
    When CSUSB beat the Toros again, 1-0, at Coyote Premier Field, they were sure of it and went 7-0-1 in their next eight matches to pull into the No. 3 spot in the West Region rankings. 
    The Coyotes lost 2-1 in overtime to the Toros at the conference tournament but that didn’t hurt their chances of getting into the regional. 
    The team’s 15 wins tied the second-best season win record in the history of the program with, coincidentally, the 1991 team that captured the CCAA championship in its first year of Division II soccer, then lost to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the regional. 
    The West and Central Regionals are combined into a Super Regional this year. 
    Competing in the Central Regional at Fort Lewis, Colo. College are the hosts, Colorado School of Mines, West Texas A&M and Midwestern State. The winner of that regional will meet the winner of the West Regional in the next round.