WICHITA FALLS, Texas – In a back-and-forth match to determine the West Region champion,
Sergi Monso's goal in the 76th minute proved to be the game winner as Cal Poly Pomona men's soccer defeated Cal State Dominguez Hills 2-1 to advance into the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division II Tournament.
After earning the program's first-ever NCAA postseason win last Saturday at home, the Broncos' historic run continues. Friday's victory in Texas gave CPP its first-ever West Region title.
Up next, the Broncos will challenge the South Central regional winner Colorado School of Mines on Sunday at 11 a.m. Pacific (1 p.m. Central) in Wichita Falls. CSM topped host Midwestern State 4-3 in overtime Friday. Colorado School of Mines, ranked at No. 8 nationally, own an 18-0-3 overall record.
"This is special for our community, our fans and our universityy," CPP head coach
Yossi Raz said. "I'm excited we're able to thank everybody with the work we put in on the field today. It wasn't a perfect game today but you don't have to play perfect, you just have play good enough to win."
CPP is now 15-2-3 overall and owns a six-match winning streak heading into Sunday's matchup with Colorado School of Mines.
Less than 12 minutes into Friday's game against the Toros, the Broncos' offense put together an impressive scoring play.
Alexander Turkson found open space on the left side and raced upfield. He slid a low cross into the box and
Christian Gonzalez Diaz beat his defender to the ball and lined a one-timer to the back of the net.
It marked the 12th score of the season for Gonzalez Diaz, moving him into sole possession of first place on the CCAA goals leaderboard. It also represented his first score of the 2015 postseason.
With less than seven minutes until halftime, Dominguez Hills netted the equalizer with a score from Brian Chavez. Heading into the break, CPP held a small 3-2 advantage in shots on goal.
The deciding score came at the 75:08 mark, when
Kris Korich delivered an assist for Monso's game-winning goal. It marked the fifth score of the season for Monso and his first of the playoffs.
In the final minute, a long throw-in from Dominguez Hills was punched out by
Fernando Pablo Quevedo. Moments later, the Toros' Pedro Velasquez sent a header into the arms of Pablo Quevedo for the final scoring opportunity of the match. The CPP keeper kicked the ball to midfield as the horn sounded and the Broncos' celebration began.
Raz passed the West Region trophy on to his student-athletes and they jumped around with it for a minute, with water bottles spraying overhead. In the three years of Raz leading the program, the Broncos now own a 39-10-9 record with a 2-0-0 mark in the NCAA postseason.
