POMONA, Calif. – After 12 days away from competition, the nationally-ranked Cal Poly Pomona men's soccer team will return to action Friday at Cal State L.A.

At 9-3-2 overall, the Broncos are featured at No. 21 in the latest national poll. In the first NCAA regional rankings released this week, CPP is at No. 3.

With a 5-2-1 mark in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), the Broncos hold the fourth spot in the conference standings. This week's opponents – Cal State L.A. and Cal State Dominguez Hills – are just one point behind CPP with matching 5-3-0 records.  The Golden Eagles are featured at No. 7 in the first regional poll.

With only eight goals allowed in 14 games, the Broncos' defense ranks at No. 3 on the conference leaderboard. Goalkeeper Jason Trejos leads the team in minutes (1,316) and not far behind are defenders Nadeer Ghantous (1,217) and Jesus Tamayo (1,035).

Friday's 7 p.m. contest at CSULA and Sunday's 11:30 a.m. matchup in Carson will be the final two regular season matches away from home. CPP's final week before playoffs will be at Kellogg Field with the Oct. 27 kickoff of 3 p.m. against Cal State San Marcos and the Oct. 29 matchup with first-place UC San Diego at 2 p.m.

There will be several promotions at Kellogg Field in that final week of October. On Oct. 27, free phone wallets will be distributed to the first 80 CPP students. Then on Oct. 29, free mini staplers will be given to the first 75 CPP students.

Looking Ahead
The CCAA Tournament will follow a six-team, single-elimination format. First-round matches between the No. 3, 4, 5, and 6 seeds will be played at campus sites on Tuesday, Nov. 1 with the top two teams earning first-round byes. The winners of the first-round matches will face the top two men's seeds and top two women's seeds at Warrior Stadium in the semifinal round on Friday, Nov. 4. The CCAA Tournament final will be played on Sunday, Nov. 6.

The Regional Picture
Beyond the conference tournament, the top six teams in the West Region will advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament. The 38-team field will be revealed during NCAA.com selection show that will air on Nov. 7 at 3:30 p.m. Pacific. The West Region conferences consist of the CCAA, PacWest and Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC).