CPP Falls Narrowly Short of Conference Double, Dropping 1-0 to CSUSM in Title Tilt

SEASIDE, Calif. - Cal Poly Pomona surrendered a first-half goal and ultimately suffered a tough 1-0 loss to Cal State San Marcos in the final of the 2023 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Women's Soccer Tournament on Sunday at Cardinale Stadium. Cal State Monterey Bay served as the first-time host of the event.

First-time CCAA regular-season victor and tournament top seed CPP, which had entered on the backs of two straight 1-0 triumphs away from home, falls to 11-5-3 overall with Sunday's result. The Broncos were making their second conference postseason appearance in a row, and playing in their fourth league final. Second-seeded regular-season runner-up CSUSM improves to 11-2-6 with back-to-back 1-0 wins in Seaside. The Cougars remain an unbeaten 8-0-6 over their last 14.

First-time tourney winner Cal State San Marcos accepts the CCAA's automatic entry into the 2023 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship. Cal Poly Pomona was No. 7 in Wednesday's latest official NCAA West Region poll, with six teams making up that regional. As Simon Fraser pulled off a 2-1 shocker over reigning national champion Western Washington in Saturday's Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament final, Sunday likely marked the end of a remarkable campaign for eighth-year head coach and now-two-time CCAA Coach of the Year Jay Mason's Broncos.

The NCAA Championship selection show can be viewed live on NCAA.com on Monday, Nov. 13, at 3:30 p.m. PT.

True sophomore Giselle Samayoa, who provided Friday night's stunner to knock off Cal Poly Humboldt and advance on to Sunday, generated the contest's first shot attempt in the fourth minute. The right-footer from distance on the extreme right diagonal was caught by fourth-year junior Cougar goalkeeper Allison Marcure.

CSUSM then scored the game's lone goal on its first shot at the 17:36 mark. Diana Mendoza picked off a pass just inside the center circle, dribbled ahead about 15 yards and threaded a through ball to fellow true sophomore Nani Kia'aina about 20 yards from goal straight on. The first-year Division I transfer from Long Beach State split two defenders to the right, got to the edge of the penalty box, and let loose a right-footed shot that found the upper left corner of the net for 1-0. It was Kia'aina's third goal of 2023, all in fact game-winners to tie for the team lead in the latter category, and Mendoza's first assist.

The only other shot the Broncos allowed over the first 45 was a hopeful effort from way out by Natalia Huntington in the 20th that sailed comfortably over. In the 30th, Bronco sophomore Marisa Salazar's left-footer from 22 yards glanced off the left post following a 20-yard gallop up the middle of the turf pitch. Marcure went down to her right to deny Georgia Rink with under four minutes to go in the opening stanza.

CPP's lone shot on target in the second half came in the 52nd minute, but senior midfielder Julia Lucero's left-footed attempt from outside the penalty box bounced once and did not trouble Marcure.

Fourth-year junior Bella Hara, the All-CCAA Second Team goalkeeper, was credited with two saves. She started all 19 games and played every minute in goal in her first season as a Bronco. CPP finished with an 8-7 edge in shots taken (5-2 in first half), each side with three on frame.

Marcure, herself a fourth-year junior, made three stops to earn her CCAA-leading and career-best 11th individual clean sheet of 2023 and 28th as a collegian. The Rancho Palos Verdes native has also started all 19 contests this year, and 52 straight since beginning her college debut on the field on Sept. 5, 2021.

Hara, Salazar, Samayoa and junior forward Tara Oper made it onto the CCAA All-Tournament Team. Those four Broncos, alongside junior center back Bella Anderson, started every match this fall. Kia'aina was the Tournament Offensive MVP, while CCAA Player and Defender of the Year Natalie Paulson was the weekend's Defensive MVP.

CSUSM had taken the regular-season matchup between the two sides by an identical 1-0 score in Pomona exactly two weeks prior on Oct. 29. That goal similarly came at 18:16, courtesy of Emma Hord.

Mason directed Cal Poly Pomona to the first CCAA regular-season trophy in program history, and then its first conference final since 2001. The Broncos' 11 wins are their most since they went 13-5-3 in 2019. They had gone 6-9-3 just last year and were picked by league head coaches to finish fourth in the 2023 race.

Bronco Bits:

• Cal Poly Pomona is 60-47-21 (.551) overall and 2-5 (.286) in CCAA Tournament play under eighth-year (seventh season) head coach Jay Mason
• The Broncos went 7-3 away from home in 2023 and 1-1 at neutral sites
• Mason sent out the same starting 11 for the second match in a row
• Graduate student Bridget Carbonneau drew her seventh straight start
• Bella Anderson, Jaclyn Cuevas, Bella Hara and Liberty Ortiz played the full 90 minutes
• CPP is 7-14 following its 15th CCAA Tournament appearance, including 1-3 in finals, 5-7 at neutral venues, 1-1 as the No. 1 seed, 0-1 against the No. 2 seed, and 0-1 against CSUSM
• The Broncos' lone CCAA Tournament banner remains the 1999 one en route to finishing as national runners-up
• CPP still leads this all-time series, 5-4-3, having won three straight (unbeaten 4-0-2 over six) ahead of this year's two 1-0 defeats
• The Broncos are 0-1 versus the Cougars at neutral sites, 0-1 in postseason matchups and 4-2-2 under Mason.

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