POMONA, Calif. - The No. 23 Cal Poly Pomona men's soccer team produced a pair of first-half goals through senior leaders and dispatched Cal State San Bernardino, 2-0, inside Kellogg Stadium on Thursday afternoon to earn a share of the 2024 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) regular-season championship.

The Broncos had already assured themselves of postseason soccer for a 10th straight year with Sunday's 5-1 home victory over Sonoma State. CPP began the day in a three-way tie for first with two other 2024 CCAA Tournament qualifiers in seventh-ranked reigning double champion Cal State LA, and Cal State Dominguez Hills. A trophy and two first-round byes were still up for grabs, however, with the Toros in fact playing host to the Golden Eagles in Carson at the same time.

Both CPP and CSUDH got early goals and were up 2-0 by halftime, each ultimately grabbing shares of the title and the byes this Sunday, Nov. 10, with Cal State LA the odd man out. The Broncos and Toros will head north to Hayward for the CCAA semifinals next Friday, Nov. 15. CSUDH is the No. 1 seed by virtue of a tiebreaker over No. 2 seed CPP.

With a third straight triumph, CPP improves to 11-1-6 overall and a still-undefeated 6-0-5 in the CCAA and 8-0-2 at home. Its unbeaten streak has reached 16 matches at 10-0-6, extending the program's longest single-season run since another 16-gamer (15-0-1) to open the 2014 campaign, Sept. 4-Oct. 24. Seventeen is the overall school record.

Cal State San Bernardino concluded its 2024 season at 5-6-6 overall and 3-5-3 in league play, good for ninth. Heading into Thursday, there was only one more spot to be booked into the six-team conference tourney, that going to Cal State East Bay.

This marks the program's first CCAA regular-season crown since 2018, and thus the Broncos' first under sixth-year head coach Matt O'Sullivan, the winningest leader in CPP history. The club had won the 2019 CCAA Tournament in O'Sullivan's very first turn at the helm.

These teams had already played to a 2-2 draw to round out the non-conference slate in San Bernardino back on Sept. 28. They ended the regular season against each other for the second year in a row.

The first bit of action of the afternoon from either side was a shot on goal by CPP true freshman midfielder Daniel Gutierrez within the initial minute. The Yotes' junior goalkeeper, JP Camacho, secured the save.

From there at 3:22, it was already 1-0 in favor of the good guys. Max Laguna tallied the unassisted score to the lower right of the frame to add to his team-leading and career-best season totals, now at eight goals and 22 points. The Anaheim product was back in the starting lineup for fellow senior midfielder Mike Moser after missing his first contest of 2024 last Friday, Nov. 1, and then coming off the bench on Senior Day this past Sunday. Laguna had begun each of the first 15 games. He now has 15 career goals and five game-winners, including three this season.

CSUSB's only shot of the first half was in the 27th minute, with redshirt sophomore midfielder Daniel Santos' effort traveling high of the target.

The Broncos doubled their lead from the penalty spot in the 36th minute, as senior tri-captain Jasper Winslow stepped up to convert and register his first goal on the year and fifth for the Green & Gold. CPP is a perfect seven-for-seven on penalties in 2024, with five being tucked away by Laguna and the other by senior newcomer Ethan Benham.

Fifth-year senior CSUSB forward Brian Castillo, third in the CCAA with his career-best 11 goals, was held without a shot attempt. The same was true for junior CPP striker Mads Frederiksen, named Tuesday for the first time as the CCAA Offensive Player of the Week.

Fourth-year CPP goalkeeper Luke Garciduenas did not have to make a single save to post his single-season career-best eighth shutout this season and 13th of his college career. First-year Yote Camacho contributed one stop for the visitors in just his second start.

CPP out-shot CSUSB by the final tally of 10-3, and generated seven corner kicks to two by the opponent. The area rivals combined for nine yellow cards.

Up Next
Cal Poly Pomona will await the advancing team between third-seeded Chico State and No. 6 seed Cal State East Bay from this Sunday at 12 p.m. in Chico. The first semifinal of the 2024 CCAA Tournament on Friday, Nov. 15, at Pioneer Stadium on the campus of Cal State East Bay in Hayward, will kick off at 4 p.m. All men's and women's CCAA Tournament tilts will have live streaming video through FloSports.

Bronco Bits

• CPP is 62-16-24 (.725) overall under sixth-year (fifth season) head coach Matt O'Sullivan, who on Sept. 22 took over the No. 1 position in the program record book for wins.
• True freshman Daniel Gutierrez remains the only Bronco to start all 18 matches.
• O'Sullivan has now used 15 different starting lineups through 18 games.
• Gutierrez, Luke Garciduenas, Liam McFarlane, Joseph Spencer and Jasper Winslow played the full 90 minutes.
• Out of 1,620 minutes played this season, the Broncos have trailed for just 195:27.
• This is the fourth straight year that CPP has produced an unbeaten streak of double-digit games.
• The Broncos have struck first, all over the first 16 minutes, in five straight matches.
• CPP is an even 27-27-12 against CSUSB all-time in this series that goes back to 1984, including 15-12-8 in Pomona.
• The Broncos are 6-1-2 against the Yotes under O'Sullivan (4-1 at home).
• CPP is a still-unbeaten 5-0-2 against CSUSB over the last seven matchups since a 1-0 home loss in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Championship.
• The Broncos and Yotes were picked second and fifth, respectively, in the CCAA preseason poll, with each garnering one first-place vote.
• CPP returned to the United Soccer Coaches national poll Tuesday after a one-week hiatus, at No. 23.
• CPP is 75-23-22 as a nationally-ranked program since 2002, including 37-10-21 under O'Sullivan and 9-1-6 in 2024.
• In Wednesday's second edition of the official NCAA regional listings, the first one in rank order, CPP was fifth in Super Region 4, which again holds 10 entries into the NCAA Championship.