Tournament Central

Both first round matches in the CCAA Women's Soccer Tournament came down to a shootout. In the first match, No. 5 seed Cal State LA went on the road to defeat No. 4 San Francisco State in a shootout, 5-3. The nightcap ended the same way when No. 3 Cal State East Bay defended its home turf with a 5-4 shootout win.
 
No. 5 Cal State LA 1, No. 4 San Francisco State 1 (CSLA advances on PKs, 5-3)
[Box score] SAN FRANCISCO - Cal State LA (6-9-3, 6-4-1 CCAA) struck first and ultimately last to earn an upset win over San Francisco State (8-8-3, 6-3-2 CCAA) on the road in the first CCAA postseason soccer match in nearly two years.
 
Irma Pinzon and Melody Landphear put the Golden Eagles on the board in the 5th minute when the duo connected on a perfect pass over the backline of the defense. Pinzon collected the pass, calmly dribbled the ball around the keeper before depositing it in the back of the net for the early 1-0 lead.
 
San Francisco State found the equalizer in the 39th minute following a throw-in. Glory Smith put the ball high on goal from 40 yards out, and the keeper got both hands on the ball but was unable to hang on. She pushed the ball towards Carissa Capinpin, who did not miss the opportunity to tie up the match.
 
The score remained knotted at 1-1 through regulation and both overtimes. It then went to a shootout with a semifinals spot in the CCAA Championships on the line. The first two student-athletes from each team converted on their attempts. The third for Cal State LA was successful, but SFSU was not, giving the Golden Eagles the edge with two shooters remaining. Both tries were converted in the fourth round making it 4-3 heading into the final round. Kimberly Gamez delivered the winning shot, sending it low into the bottom left of the goal.
 
No. 5 Cal State LA will advance to the semifinals of the CCAA Women's Soccer Tournament. The Golden Eagles will face the No. 1 seed, Sonoma State, next Friday (Nov. 12) in Pomona at 7 p.m.
 
No. 3 Cal State East Bay 0, No. 6 Stanislaus State (CSUEB advances on PKs, 5-4)
[Box score]  HAYWARD, Calif. - The final score will say 0-0, but that does not mean this other CCAA Women's Soccer Tournament match lacked drama. No. 3 Cal State East Bay (10-5-3, 6-3-2 CCAA) and No. 6 Stanislaus State (8-7-3, 6-3-3 CCAA) battled for all 110 minutes, which included both overtime periods all came down to the final shot in the shootout.  
 
Both teams had numerous looks during play, but neither could find the net. The Pioneers outshot the Warriors 20-10, including 10-4 in shots on goal, but the keeper was there each time. The match would then move to a shootout, where the keepers proved to be even more critical.
 
Both teams made their shots in the first round of the shootout. In the second, CSUEB was denied by the Warriors' keeper Amanda Leal before Stanislaus State converted to go up 2-1. That lead did not last long as Cal State East Bay's Jordan Smith stonewalled the proceeding attempt. The teams would trade goals back and forth until Smith made another save in the sixth round to end the match and send the Pioneers to the semifinals.
 
The CCAA Women's Soccer Tournament will now move to the campus of Cal Poly Pomona for the semifinals and championship matches. No. 3 seed Cal State East Bay will face No. 2 Chico State to open play on Friday, Nov. 12 at 4 p.m. That match will be followed by No. 1 Sonoma State facing No. 5 Cal State LA at 7 p.m. To purchase tickets, go to GoCCAA.org/Tickets.