The California State University’s (Stan State) Men’s Soccer team clinched a spot in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship tournament.
The Warriors had an opportunity to snag a first round bye on Thursday Oct. 29 if they won their game against Cal State L.A., but fell short as the Golden Eagles obtained a 2-1 victory.
As of that game, the Warriors are now tied for third in the standings with the Eagles. Both teams have an overall 7-3-1 in conference play.
In preparation of the tournament, Warrior goalkeeper Russ Klabough (senior, Criminal Justice) suggests that their team will keep doing what they have been to be successful in the postseason. The passion to win is a key component in his opinion.
“All season we have made sure just to play our game and not change things up too drastically to where it can throw off any of the momentum we have gained,” Klabough said.
“The same goes for succeeding in the tournament, we have to take one game at a time and just want it more than the other teams. Every team in the CCAA tournament is competitive and you really have to stay focused on the teams you are playing when we play them.”
With one season match left, the drive to win will be crucial to break the tie with the Eagles.
The next game for the men will be Oct. 31 against undefeated Cal State Dominguez Hills.
As of now, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Seattle Pacific and Cal Poly Pomona are ahead of the Warriors in the rankings.
If the Warriors win this game against Cal State Dominguez Hills this weekend and Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State L.A. both lose, their ranking would upscale to second place. A first-round bye will also start off the postseason tournament on Nov. 3.
This will be the men’s fifth appearance in the tournament and fourth with head coach Dana Taylor. Within their last couple tournaments, the Warriors walked away proud with a title in 2012 and made it all the way to the finals match last year.
“Making it to the final last season will help a lot because a lot of us got a taste for what the tournament is like,” Klabough said.
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