SAN BERNARDINO – Cal State Bernardino's men's and women's soccer teams will play host to rival Cal Poly Pomona Thursday to close out the regular season schedule, each with a solid shot of advancing to the CCAA conference tournaments.
The men take the pitch at Premier Field on campus at 11:30 a.m. followed by the women at 2 p.m.
The Yotes men are 4-4-2 in the CCAA and tied for Cal State San Marcos for fifth place while the Broncos men are in second place at 7-1-2. The Lady Yotes enter their match with a 5-2-3 CCAA record and tied with Cal State L.A. (4-0-6) for third place (18 points). The Lady Broncos are in first place at 7-2-1 (22 points).
The CCAA tournament for both genders will begin Sunday, Nov. 5, at sites to be determined by the results of these and other matches.
On Sunday, No. 3 seed will play the No. 6 at the higher seeded team's field while the No.4 seed will host the No. 5 seed for the right to advance to the semifinals and finals to be played at Cal Poly Humboldt (men) and Cal State Monterey Bay (women) on Nov. 10-12.
Both Cal Poly Pomona teams present a challenge. The Broncos men are ranked No. 5 in the nation among Division II teams and are No. 3 in the West Super Regional rankings. CSUSB leads the series between the two teams 27-25-11. The Lady Broncos are not in the top 10 in the region. CPP leads the all-time series 31-17-10.
It's a credit to the players and the coaching staffs headed by Joshua Hill (men) and
Mark Peters (women) that both CSUSB teams have something to play for in the regular season finale.
In 2022, the men (5-5-7 overall) struggled in conference play, posting just one win with five losses and five ties. The women (7-6-4) finished below .500 with a 3-4-4 record.
Thursday's match could be the last home game for seniors on the men's team. Each has been a contributor.
Jonathan Mayen has scored three goals and added five assists for 11 points as a midfielder.
Victor Chavez, a grad student, has three goals this season, two of them match-winners. John Samano, one of three goalkeepers used by the Yotes, has a 3-1-1 record in five matches with 12 saves on 42 shots faced while yielding six goals.
Seniors on the women's team nearing the end of their collegiate careers include
Kaylen Gonzalez, who scored two goals in Sunday's win over Cal State East Bay to give her six goals and three assists for 15 points. Three of her goals were match winners.
Nathaly Losada Lucemi leads the team in scoring with eight goals and two assists for 18 points.
Yvette Ochoa has scored twice this season.
Alyssa Rubio has two goals and an assist.
Vanessa Massaro has one goal to her credit.
Sam Smith has assisted on two goals and
Katherine Walker was credited with one assist this season.
Natalie Treto also saw action for the Yotes.
FOLLOW THE YOTES with live streaming of matches on the CCAA network or through live stats at csusbathletic.com.
