Broncos Headed to Texas for NCAA Third Round, Will Face Rival Cal State LA
By: Alex Kline, Assistant Athletics Director for Communications
POMONA, Calif. – After defeating No. 21 Cal State Monterey Bay 4-1 on Saturday night, the No. 6 ranked Broncos awaited the results of Sunday's game to see where they would be headed for the next round of the NCAA Tournament. With No. 1 seed Midwestern State's 2-1 win over Fort Lewis College yesterday, the Mustangs maintained hosting privileges for the NCAA Third and Quarterfinal rounds, sending No. 2 seed Cal State LA, No. 3 seed Cal Poly Pomona, and No. 4 seed CSU Pueblo to Wichita Falls, Texas.
Interestingly enough, Super Region 4 is the only region in which each of the top four seeds advanced to the NCAA Third Round. Arguably the most competitive super region in the nation, each of the remaining four teams were ranked 16 or higher in the latest United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll, including Midwestern State at No. 2, Cal State LA at No. 4, Cal Poly Pomona at No. 6, and CSU Pueblo at No. 16.
The Broncos are set to face CCAA rival Cal State LA next Friday, December 1st, at 10:00 AM PST, or 12:00 PM local time. This will be CPP's third match of the season against CSULA, the most recent coming in the CCAA Tournament Final that ended in a 0-0 draw, and saw the Golden Eagles hold up the trophy after winning 4-3 in penalty kicks. Cal State LA handed Cal Poly Pomona their only loss of the season back on October 12th, when the Golden Eagles defeated the Broncos 1-0 at Kellogg Stadium. It's almost poetic that these West Region juggernauts have to go through one another to truly determine who is the best in the West.
"I almost feel like we need them . . . We need to play them [CSULA]," said head coach Matt O'Sullivan after Saturday's win. "If we can get over that hurdle, we'll believe we can go all the way . . . We're excited, the guys knew it was coming, and we know exactly what we need to do."
Should CPP win next Friday's match, they will advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals on Sunday, December 3rd, at 1:00 PM PST, or 3:00 PM local time. That game will be played against the winner of No. 2 Midwestern State and No. 16 CSU Pueblo, with the winner advancing to the Final Four in Matthews, North Carolina. Should the Broncos sweep their way through Texas, it would be their fourth trip to the NCAA Final Four, having done so in 2015, 2017, and 2018 – finishing national runner-up in 2015.
All games will be streamed live on the Lone Star Digital Network. Visit the men's soccer schedule for more links and up-to-date information.
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