ALISO VIEJO, Calif. - Eight teams remain in contention for seven tournament berths as the CCAA women’s soccer regular season concludes Thursday, Oct. 29. All seven matches kick off at 11 a.m., with the No. 1 seed, first-round hosting opportunities and the final tournament spot still to be decided.
Cal State LA leads the standings with 26 points, followed by Cal Poly Pomona with 25 and Cal State San Bernardino with 24. All three have secured tournament berths. Cal State San Marcos sits fourth with 23 points, UC Merced and Chico State have 22 apiece, and Cal State Monterey Bay and Stanislaus State enter the final day with 20 each.
The seven-team tournament begins Sunday, Nov. 1. The top seed receives a bye to the semifinals, while the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 seeds host first-round matches against No. 7, No. 6 and No. 5, respectively.
Three teams chase the top seed
Cal State LA controls its path to the No. 1 seed and the tournament’s only first-round bye. A victory at Cal State Dominguez Hills would give the Golden Eagles 29 points and secure the top spot.
CSULA can also finish first with a draw if Cal Poly Pomona does not win. If the Golden Eagles lose, they would still earn the top seed if Pomona loses and San Bernardino fails to win.
Cal Poly Pomona visits Cal State San Marcos with an opportunity to move into first place. The Broncos would claim the No. 1 seed with a victory and an LA draw or loss. Pomona can also finish first with a draw if LA loses and San Bernardino does not win. The Broncos hold the head-to-head advantage over LA following their 2–0 victory in September.
Cal State San Bernardino needs a victory at Cal State East Bay, an LA loss and a CPP draw or loss to take the top seed.
CSULA is assured of either the semifinal bye or a first-round home match. Cal Poly Pomona can secure the same with a win or draw, while a victory guarantees CSUSB either the bye or a home match.
Cal State San Marcos, UC Merced and Chico State control their postseason paths
Cal State San Marcos can clinch a tournament berth with a win or draw against Cal Poly Pomona. A victory would also guarantee the Cougars a first-round home match and a finish of second or third.
Even with a loss, CSUSM would qualify unless Merced, Chico, Monterey Bay and Stanislaus all win.
Merced hosts San Francisco State needing a win or draw to secure its place. If the Bobcats lose, they would qualify unless Monterey Bay and Stanislaus both win. Merced can climb as high as the No. 3 seed.
Chico visits Cal Poly Humboldt with a victory guaranteeing a berth and a finish between third and fifth.
A draw would also send the Wildcats through unless Pomona, Merced, Monterey Bay and Stanislaus all win. With a loss, Chico would be eliminated only if Monterey Bay and Stanislaus both win and Merced earns at least a draw.
Cal State Monterey Bay and Stanislaus State battle to extend their seasons
Monterey Bay travels to Menlo with a chance to rise as high as fourth and host a first-round match. The Otters could also miss the tournament with a victory.
A Monterey Bay win would secure a berth if at least one of the following occurs: Stanislaus fails to win, Merced loses, Chico loses or San Marcos loses.
If the Otters draw, they need a Stanislaus loss to qualify. A Monterey Bay loss would end its season.
Stanislaus visits Fresno Pacific and can finish as high as fifth. A Warriors victory would secure a berth except in one combination: Monterey Bay wins, Pomona wins, Merced draws and Chico earns at least a draw.
A Stanislaus draw would be enough if Monterey Bay does not win. Even a loss could send the Warriors through, provided Monterey Bay also loses. Stanislaus holds the head-to-head advantage after defeating the Otters 2–1 in September.
Multi-team ties could shape the bracket
With five contenders separated by just three points, Thursday’s results could produce ties involving several teams.
CCAA tiebreakers begin with points earned in matches among all teams in the tied group, followed by goal differential in those matches and results against teams descending through the final standings. When part of a tie is separated, the remaining tied teams restart the procedure.
That makes the combination of results critical. If Merced, Chico, Monterey Bay and Stanislaus all win while San Marcos loses, the Cougars would miss the tournament despite entering the day in fourth place.
Cal Poly Humboldt, Fresno Pacific, Cal State East Bay, San Francisco State, Menlo and Cal State Dominguez Hills have been eliminated from tournament contention, but each can influence the final bracket.
Following Sunday’s first round, the three advancing teams will join the No. 1 seed at Cal Poly Pomona’s Kellogg Stadium. The women’s semifinals are scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 5, with the championship match Saturday, Nov. 7.