Men's Soccer | 11/27/2018 1:36:00 PM

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Cal Poly Pomona men's soccer team has arrived in Pittsburgh, Pa., as it prepares for its second consecutive trip (and the third in four years) to the 2018 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship Tournament semifinals.

Reseeded as the No. 2 team in the Final Four, the Broncos (17-6-0), who have shutout all four of their opponents thus far in the NCAA tournament, will go up against No. 3 seed and 23^rd-ranked West Chester (15-2-5) on Thursday at 11:00 am Pacific Time (2:00 pm Eastern) at Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh.

In the other National Semifinal on Thursday at 8:00 am Pacific (11:00 am Eastern), top-seed and 11^th-ranked Fort Hays State will take on No. 4 seed and 20^th-ranked Barry. The winners of Thursday's semifinals will meet in the National Championship match on Saturday at 9:00 am Pacific (12:00 pm Eastern).

The updated interactive bracket can be found here.

After a slow start to the 2018 season that saw Cal Poly Pomona go 2-4, the Broncos have won 15 of their last 17 contests entering the Final Four this weekend.  The only two losses suffered by CPP in the last 17 matches both came at the hands of nationally-ranked Cal State L.A. within a 10-day period.  Ever since their 3-0 loss to Cal State San Bernardino to open conference play on Sept. 19, the Broncos have gone 15-2, registered nine shutouts and outscored their opponents 31-12 on goals from 13 different players, posting a goals against average of 0.70. 

The last seven matches have been even more impressive for CPP, especially considering the quality of the opponents.  The Broncos have allowed just two goals in the last 637 minutes, both to CSULA in the CCAA Tournament Championship match on Nov. 4. 

In the NCAA Tournament alone, CPP has not only upset nationally-ranked opponents as an unranked team itself, but the Broncos shutout Fresno Pacific, Simon Fraser, West Texas A&M and Azusa Pacific, the second-, third-, fifth- and 13^th-ranked scoring offenses in all of Division II to make a return trip to the National Semifinals.

Of the seven seniors on this year's roster, five of them have been with the program for at least the past four seasons -- Skyler Gibbons-Stovall, Eduard Lucas, Sergio Martinez, Nadeer Ghantous and Patricio Yrizar.  They are the first senior class in program history to qualify for the NCAA Tournament in all four seasons, and in doing so, they have compiled an astounding 64-22-7 overall record to go along with one CCAA Regular Season title (2018), one CCAA Tournament title (2015) and three West Region championships (2015, 2017, 2018).

Stretching further, Gibbons-Stovall, Lucas, Martinez and Yrizar have been with the program since the beginning of their redshirt season in 2014. Since the start of that season, Cal Poly Pomona has gone 81-23-9, a winning percentage of .757, posting 17-win seasons in all but the 2016 campaign when the Broncos went 13-6-3, losing in the regional final.  In fact, prior to their arrival on campus, the program hadn't won more than 12 games in a single-season since its inception in 1983.

Cal Poly Pomona will be gunning for its first National Championship in men's soccer, and the 15^th for the entire intercollegiate athletic department overall -- the last Broncos team to win a NCAA title was men's basketball in 2010.  Of the four teams left standing in Division II men's soccer here in 2018 (Fort Hays State, Cal Poly Pomona, West Chester and Barry), none have won a National Championship, and only two have reached the National Championship match since the tournament's inception in 1972 – Barry in 2000 (lost to Cal State Dominguez Hills 2-1 in four overtimes) and Cal Poly Pomona in 2015 (lost to Pfeiffer 4-0).


FINAL FOUR SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES PACIFIC)

Thursday, November 29^th
Semifinal #1 – 8:00 am:  No. 1 seed Fort Hayes State vs No. 4 seed Barry
Semifinal #2 – 11:00 am:  No. 2 seed Cal Poly Pomona vs No. 3 seed West Chester

Saturday, December 1^st
National Championship – 9:00 am:  Winner of Semifinal #1 vs Winner of Semifinal #2


LIVE COVERAGE

The semifinals on Thursday and the National Championship on Saturday will all be streamed live online, free of charge, at NCAA.com/liveschedule.  Live stats will also be provided through the NCAA.com web site and can be accessed here.


BRONCOS ALL-TIME IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

Program Inception:  1983 (2018 marks the 36^th season of intercollegiate men's soccer at CPP)
NCAA Tournament Appearances:  5 (1998, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
NCAA Tournament Record All-Time:  12-4-2 (.722)
West Region Championship Game Appearances:  4 (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
West Region Titles:  3 (2015, 2017, 2018)
NCAA Final Four Appearances:  3 (2015, 2017, 2018)
NCAA Championship Game Appearances:  1 (2015 – Lost to Pfeiffer, 4-0)
 

Year	Date	Opponent	Location	NCAA Round	Result
1998	11/15	Grand Canyon	Mesa, AZ	1st Round	L, 1-3
2015 (Nat'l Rank: #17)	11/14	Cal State L.A.	Pomona, CA	2nd Round	W, 1-0
	11/20	#23 Cal State Dominguez Hills	Wichita Falls, TX	Regional Final	W, 2-1
	11/22	#8 Colorado School of Mines	Wichita Falls, TX	Nat'l Quarterfinal	W, 3-2 (ot)
	12/3	#5 Rockhurst	Pensacola, FL	Nat'l Semifinal	W, 1-0
	12/5	#1 Pfeiffer	Pensacola, FL	Nat'l Final	L, 0-4
2016 (Nat'l Rank: NR)	11/10	(rv) Sonoma State	Seattle, WA	1st Round	W, 2-0
	11/12	#3 Simon Fraser	Seattle, WA	2nd Round	T, 0-0 (Won 4-3 in PK's)
	11/18	#10 UC San Diego	La Jolla, CA	Regional Final	L, 0-1 (ot)
2017 (Nat'l Rank: NR)	11/9	#11 Simon Fraser	San Diego, CA	1st Round	W, 2-1
	11/11	#23 Point Loma	San Diego, CA	2nd Round	W, 1-0
	11/16	#2 California Baptist	Wichita Falls, TX	Regional Final	W, 1-0
	11/18	#1 Midwestern State	Wichita Falls, TX	Nat'l Quarterfinal	T, 2-2 (Won 6-5 in PK's)
	11/30	#3 Charleston	Kansas City, MO	Nat'l Semifinal	L, 0-1
2018 (Nat'l Rank: RV)	11/8	Fresno Pacific	Seattle, WA	1st Round	W, 3-0
	11/10	#4 Simon Fraser	Seattle, WA	2nd Round	W, 1-0 (ot)
	11/15	#7 Azusa Pacific	Azusa, CA	Regional Final	W, 1-0
	11/17	#13 West Texas A&M	Azusa, CA	Nat'l Quarterfinal	W, 2-0
	11/29	#23 West Chester	Pittsburgh, PA	Nat'l Semifinal

TICKET & HOTEL INFORMATION
 
Information regarding tickets and hotel accommodations can be found at the SportsPITTSBURGH D2 Festival microsite by clicking here.
 
Fans will be required to pay in order to gain entry into ALL Championship Events held throughout the weekend. The Soccer Championships will sell single-day tickets and an All-Session Pass. Fans may purchase tickets to the Soccer Championships online or they may purchase at the Highmark Stadium prior to the event.
 
The Doubletree by Hilton in Downtown Pittsburgh is offering fans a $119/night room rate for the NCAA Fall Festival. Fans can click here or call 1-800-222-TREE (8733) to reserve a room.
 

CLEAR BAG POLICY AT HIGHMARK STADIUM
 
Highmark Stadium does adhere to a clear bag policy as well as size limitations on bags that may be brought into the facility. Bags that are clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC and do not exceed 12' x 6' x 12' are the only bags that will be permitted into the stadium.
 
For specific information on what can and cannot be brought into the facility, click here.
 
 
CHAMPIONSHIP COVERAGE FROM NCAA.COM
 
The DII Men's Soccer Championship is down to its final four teams. West Chester, Cal Poly Pomona, Fort Hays State and Barry will be in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Nov. 29, vying for the national championship. That means we are guaranteed a first-time national champion since the championship's inception in 1972. 
 
Let's take a quick look at how each of the four teams survived and made it to the semifinals.
 
First up is West Chester. Last season was a memorable one for the Golden Rams, tying the program-record with 14 wins and winning their first NCAA postseason match in 50 years. The road for West Chester this year was no easier, needing to go through two No. 1 seeds to get here. After defeating Notre Dame (OH) in their first game, the Golden Rams ended Charleston (WV)'s title defense in a 1-0 shutout. They continued their defensive dominance, shutting out Adelphi 2-0. West Chester now sits at 15 wins and is rewarded with the program's first trip to the DII semifinals.
 
Next up for the Golden Rams is Cal Poly Pomona. The Broncos played more tournament matches than any other opponent to get to Pittsburgh. Luckily a near-two-week layoff should allow the Broncos to rest up. 
 
The No. 5 seed out of the West not only had to defeat a higher seed in every match to reach the semifinals, but they also did so without allowing a goal. What's more remarkable is that each of the four shutouts was against a top 15 scoring offense in DII men's soccer. First, they blanked Fresno Pacific — the No. 2 scoring offense — 3-0 before shutting out the No. 3 scoring offense in Simon Fraser. The Broncos next victims were Azusa Pacific (No. 13) and West Texas A&M (No. 5). That's not a bad resume at all. For the second consecutive year, Cal Poly Pomona will be the lowest seed to reach the national semifinals. Last season, the Broncos made it as the sixth-seed and lost to eventual national champion Charleston. 
 
Speaking of high-scoring offenses, Fort Hays State only needed to play two games to reach the semifinals. The Tigers are the top scoring offense in the land, averaging 3.56 goals per game, tied with West Texas A&M with 64 goals on the season. Neither match was an easy one, despite the Tigers making it look that way. They won both matches by two goals, defeating Northeastern State 3-1 and then Ohio Valley 2-0. The Tigers will also be making their debut in the national semifinals.
 
Fort Hays State will face the Barry Bucs, fresh off a 2-1 victory over Lander. It will be the first time the two have faced each other, as Barry looks to return to its first championship game 2000. The Bucs exploded for four goals in their tournament opener, downing Spring Hill 4-1. Next up, Barry took its Sunshine State Conference nemesis Lynn to penalty kicks, moving on and ending the run of a Fighting Knights team that has been semifinals regulars of late. 
 
The stage is set. There are only three games left in the DII men's soccer season and for the first time in one of their respective program histories, a new team will hoist the championship trophy. With no top 10 teams remaining and just one No. 1 seed left, the 2018 championship trophy is anyone's for the taking.


D2 CHAMPIONSHIPS FESTIVAL
 
The 2018 Division II National Championships Festival is set to take place in Pittsburgh from the opening ceremonies on Tuesday, Nov. 27 to the closing ceremonies on Saturday, Dec. 1. This marks the eleventh DII Festival in the event's storied history.

Six national champions – men's and women's soccer, field hockey, volleyball, and men's and women's cross country – will be crowned over the course of the week. Hosted by Clarion University, Slippery Rock University, and SportsPITTSBURGH, Pittsburgh becomes the seventh city to host a DII Festival.

Division II is the only NCAA division that conducts "National Championships Festivals," Olympic-style events in which a number of national championships are held at a single site over several days.

The concept was developed in the early 2000s as a way to provide student-athletes with a championships experience that exceeds what they normally would enjoy in their conference or NCAA postseason events.

The festival idea, in fact, was a response from then-NCAA President Cedric W. Dempsey, who in 2000 challenged each of the three divisions to create more awareness and excitement around the NCAA championships program, particularly for sports that don't regularly experience the limelight of a select few.

Division II's membership answered the call, staging the first festival in spring 2004 in Orlando. Since then, the festival has maintained its standing not only as an enhanced championships experience but also as a unique identifier for the Division II brand.
 
More information about the 2018 Championships Festival, including ticket information and a schedule of events, go to ncaa.com/d2festival.