[Box score] [Game Recap] [Photo Gallery] [CSULA Presser] [UCM Presser]

POMONA, Calif. - Cal State LA came from behind once more, this time scoring three unanswered goals to earn the right to lift the tournament championship trophy. Three different Golden Eagles scored as the No. 2 seed defeated No. 4 UC Merced, 3-1, to win the 2026 CCAA Women's Soccer Tournament presented by FloCollege. (Nov. 7)
 
After rallying from two deficits to defeat Cal State San Bernardino in Thursday's semifinal, Cal State LA again had to find an answer after surrendering an early goal. Carisia Raygoza provided it before halftime, and Celine Gehrig and Briana Chagolla scored just over eight minutes apart in the second half to turn a 1-1 match into a championship victory.
 
UC Merced made the Golden Eagles work for it from the opening minute. Andrea Alvarenga forced a save just 29 seconds into the match, and Zamaya Rivera put the Bobcats ahead in the ninth minute with her sixth goal of the season. Rivera threatened again in the 15th minute, but Kendyl Sumlin stopped the attempt to keep Cal State LA within one.
 
The Golden Eagles found the equalizer from a student-athlete who had yet to score this season.
 
Raygoza entered in the 29th minute and needed less than seven minutes to deliver the biggest goal of her season. She scored in the 36th minute to pull Cal State LA even, sending the teams into halftime tied at 1-1.
 
The match turned decisively early in the second half.
 
UC Merced's Jocelin Roa tested Sumlin five minutes into the half, but the Golden Eagles' goalkeeper made the save. Less than two minutes later, the Bobcats were reduced to 10 players after receiving a red card, and Cal State LA earned the penalty shot.
 
Gehrig converted the penalty kick in the 52nd minute, giving the Golden Eagles their first lead (2-1). It was her fifth goal of the season and her second successful penalty kick at the tournament's final site.
 
Chagolla then gave Cal State LA room to breathe.
 
McKenzie Henao put a shot on target in the 60th minute that UC Merced goalkeeper Alicia Lepe saved. Moments later, Chagolla found the loose ball and scored to extend the lead to 3-1. Her 10th goal of the season followed her game-winning penalty kick in the semifinals, giving her a goal in each match at Kellogg Stadium.
 
Cal State LA continued to press rather than sit on its advantage. Lepe made four more saves after the third goal, stopping attempts by Itzel Ramirez, Kristin Mijares and Henao to keep the Bobcats within reach.
 
At the other end, the Golden Eagles allowed just two shots on goal after halftime. Sumlin stopped Makayla Day in the 84th minute for her fourth and final save, and Cal State LA closed out the remaining minutes without allowing another shot.
 
The Golden Eagles finished with a 14-7 advantage in shots, including a 9-5 edge in shots on goal, and earned all four corner kicks in the match. Lepe finished with six saves for UC Merced, which moved to 12-3-5.
 
Cal State LA's championship journey began with a scoreless draw against No. 7 Stanislaus State and a 4-2 victory in the penalty-kick shootout. The Golden Eagles followed with consecutive comeback wins at the final site, scoring three times against both Cal State San Bernardino and UC Merced.
 
The championship is Cal State LA's fourth in program history and its first since 2022. The Golden Eagles added another trophy to those earned in 2009, 2014 and 2022 while improving to 13-2-6.
 
The Bobcats reached the final by defeating Cal State Monterey Bay in overtime before knocking off top-seeded Cal Poly Pomona, 1-0, in the semifinals. They held the early advantage Saturday, but Cal State LA supplied the final three goals to bring the tournament trophy back to Los Angeles.
 
With the championship, the Golden Eagles earned the CCAA's automatic berth to the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship.