Stanislaus men reach CCAA soccer tournament despite loss

His team qualified for the conference playoffs, but Cal State Stanislaus coach Dana Taylor was in no mood to celebrate.

The Warriors entered Thursday night’s home game against last place Cal State East Bay with a chance not only to reach the California Collegiate Athletic Association play-in round, but with a chance to host a game with a win.

Instead, it was the Pioneers celebrating their first conference win of the season by a 3-1 count, and the Warriors left pondering how to squeeze regrouping and travel plans into the two-day period before they play Sunday at noon at UC San Diego.

The good news for Stanislaus (6-8-3 overall, 4-5-2 CCAA) is that it will be taking its very young squad into the postseason, an experience that can only be positive in terms of team growth.

And don’t count the Warriors out in the play-in game. On Oct. 10, Stanislaus went down to La Jolla and forged a 1-1 tie with the Tritons after taking a lead into the final 22 minutes of regulation.

The winner of the two play-ins (CSU San Bernardino visits Dominguez Hills in Sunday’s other game) will travel to Turlock and join Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Los Angeles in the conference championship tournament, which starts with men’s and women’s play a week from today at Warrior Stadium.

East Bay (5-8-5, 1-6-4) outshot its host 8-4 in the opening half and took a 1-0 lead 42 minutes in when Michael Tieku took control of the ball near midfield and dribbled all the way inside the box before scoring from 6 yards out.

It was at halftime that Taylor got the news of Humboldt State’s loss to Monterey Bay, a decision that meant the Warriors could finish no worse that sixth in the CCAA standings, ensuring their fourth trip to the conference tourney. Stanislaus won the conference title in 2012.

The question became one of whether to tell his team after a poor first half that they had qualified, and Taylor decided to spread the good news.

“We told the team because you could see the weight of the situation was on them,” Taylor said. “They were playing two games in their head. As much as you tell them they can’t do that, you could see that was the situation, and even the coaches were doing it.”

A relaxed Warriors squad came out and tied the game 14 minutes into the second half, with Turlock High product Christian Madrigal finding the net with a rocket from 35 yards.

Despite Stanislaus outshooting East Bay 10-3 in the second half, the Pioneers would get two goals from senior Rica Guerra in a 4:19 span, allowing the homegrown player from Hayward to celebrate his final college game.

Still, Stanislaus will play on, which means the program, despite posting a losing record overall and in conference, has achieved a major goal.

“At the end of the year, this experience will help every one of the returning players, which is the majority of the starting lineup,” Taylor said. “But it’s still a bitter taste the way tonight’s game broke down after how hard we worked to get back into the game.”

Women

Stanislaus 2, East Bay 0 – The very strange regular season for the Warriors ended on a bittersweet note.

Despite getting goals from Jade Poon and Merced High product Tina Benson to finish 13-4-1, 6-4-1 in conference play, Stanislaus did not get the help it needed from other teams and will miss the CCAA tournament for the first time in five years.

The 13 wins are the fourth-most in school history, and might be enough for the Warriors to reach the NCAA West Regional Tournament despite finishing seventh in the CCAA – a standing sealed when Stanislaus was held scoreless for four straight games between Oct. 12-24 after starting the season 11-1.

“We did everything we could and we had a good season, so whatever happens, happens,” said coach Gabe Bolton. “We’ll train and focus on playing and prepare the best we can.”

Stanislaus was ranked No. 5 in the West Region (No. 24 in the nation), and after automatic bids go to conference champions, the rest of the six-team regional field is filled via that poll. The NCAA will unveil the regional bracket on Nov. 10.

The Warriors outshot the Pioneers 26-8. Poon, a freshman, netted her 13th goal in the 27th minute off a rebound, while Benson scored on senior night from close range 11 minutes into the second half. Kirsten Coleman, a sophomore from Enochs, assisted on both goals.

“This season has been amazing,” Bolton said. “We got to No. 1 in the country and the program is at a different level. No one in program history has won more games than these seniors.”

This story was originally published October 30, 2014 at 9:22 PM with the headline "Stanislaus men reach CCAA soccer tournament despite loss."