The two favorites in the first round of the CCAA Men's Soccer Tournament will both move on to the semifinals after picking up home victories on Sunday. No. 4 Cal State Dominguez Hills prevailed 2-0 over No. 5 Sonoma State, and No. 3 Cal State San Bernardino posted a last-second goal to deny No. 6 Chico State's upset bid, 1-0. (Nov. 7)
 
No. 3 Cal State San Bernardino 1, No. 6 Chico State 0
[Box score] SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - Gerardo Flores scored the match's only goal in the 90th minute to give No. 3 Cal State San Bernardino the 1-0 victory over No. 6 Chico State.
 
After a grinding first half that saw just three combined shots, Cal State San Bernardino (10-4-3, 7-2-2 CCAA) began to build momentum in the second half. They outshot Chico (6-12-0, 5-7-0 CCAA) 9-3 and 6-2 in shots on goal, but the Yotes could not find the back of the net until the final seconds.
 
With just over a minute left, Cal State San Bernardino went on the attack, but it was denied, and it looked like its last scoring chance might have gone away as the ball was booted from near the box back to midfield. Juan Larios rushed to the ball and poked it forward to Rigo Aguilar, who quickly moved it towards the end line.
 
Tony Di Donato collected the ball with no defender nearby, just feet from the end line. He sent a low pass to the middle-front of the six-yard box where Gerardo Flores was open and waiting for the shot. He took just one touch before sending it into the back of the net for the 1-0 win.
 
The Yotes have now posted at least one win in each of the past three CCAA Tournaments.
 
No. 3 Cal State San Bernardino will advance to the CCAA Men's Soccer Tournament semifinals to face No. 2 Cal Poly Pomona on Friday, Nov. 12 at 4 p.m. To purchase tickets, go to GoCCAA.org/Tickets.
 
No. 4 Cal State Dominguez Hills 2, No. 5 Sonoma State 0
[Box score] CARSON, Calif. - After a scoreless first 81 minutes, No. 4 Cal State Dominguez Hills (10-5-1, 7-4-0 CCAA) registered two goals within five minutes to capture a 2-0 victory over No. 5 Sonoma State.
 
The Toros broke the scoreless drought in the 81st minute when Sulaiman Bah took the ball down the sideline and made a move to cut towards the goal. The defense reacted to his run, and he laid a pass to Michael Vega on the other side of the goal. Vega deposited the shot into the goal for the 1-0 lead.
 
Cal State Dominguez Hills added an insurance goal just over four minutes later on a textbook breakaway by Alfredo Garcia and Logan Kaufman. Sonoma State had advanced the ball nearly to the Toros' 18-yard box when Garcia stepped in front of his man and stole the ball. With the Seawolves pressed forward looking for the equalizer, he made the breakaway run, and Kaufman followed. Garcia dribbled to nearly the other 18-yard box before leaving it for his teammate. Kaufman took two touches to his left to get the angle against the onrushing goalie before hitting it with the left foot to extend the lead to 2-0.
 
Dylan De Baldo made five saves in the shutout to help the Toros earn their first win in the CCAA Men's Soccer Tournament since 2014.
 
No. 4 Cal State Dominguez Hills will now prepare to take on the No. 1 seed, Cal State LA, on Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. The Golden Eagles are serving as the host of the CCAA Tournament, and the remaining matches will be played on their campus at University Stadium
 
Cal State LA is the host of the 2021 CCAA Tournament. The semifinals will take place on Friday, Nov. 12, and the championship match is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 14, at 1 p.m. The remaining matches will be played on the Golden Eagles' campus at University Stadium. To purchase tickets, go to GoCCAA.org/Tickets.