WALNUT CREEK, Calif. – Following a vote of the conference coaches, the Cal State San Marcos men's soccer team has been picked to tie for last place in the 2015 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Preseason Coaches' Poll announced Wednesday.
CSUSM, which is entering its first season in the CCAA and NCAA Division II, received 20 points in the poll. The Cougars tied with Cal State East Bay, which finished tied for last with Cal State Monterey Bay in the 2014 CCAA regular season. CSUMB (34 points) finished one spot ahead of the Cougars and Pioneers in Wednesday's poll.
"First, it's great seeing our school mentioned in the same breath of the CCAA and NCAA. It has been a really long journey to get to this point," said 10
th-year CSUSM head coach
Ron Pulvers. "Preseason rankings are what they are – nobody's proven anything. It's appropriate that we were picked where we are because we don't have a body of work in the CCAA yet. We're excited to compete and see how we measure up in arguably the best conference in NCAA Division II."
Reigning NCAA West Region Champion Cal State L.A. collected 139 points and a conference-leading eight first-place votes to earn the top spot. The Golden Eagles were followed by defending CCAA Tournament Champion Cal Poly Pomona (123 points, four first-place votes) and Cal State Dominguez Hills (122 points, one first-place vote).
The Cougars have 14 returning letter-winners from their 2014 squad that set a program record for wins with a 13-4 overall mark.
CSUSM begins play on Labor Day weekend when it travels to St. George, Utah to take on Montana State-Billings (Fri., Sept. 4) and host Dixie State (Sun., Sept. 6). The Cougars' first home match of the season is on Friday, Sept. 18 at 3 p.m. against Cal State San Bernardino at The Cougar Den.
| 2015 CCAA Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll |
| Rank | Institution | Total Points (first place votes) |
| 1. | Cal State L.A. | 139 (8) |
| 2. | Cal Poly Pomona | 123 (4) |
| 3. | Cal State Dominguez Hills | 122 (1) |
| 4. | UC San Diego | 93 |
| 5. | Cal State Stanislaus | 91 |
| 6. | Chico State | 90 |
| 7. | Cal State San Bernardino | 86 |
| 8. | Sonoma State | 85 |
| 9. | Humboldt State | 59 |
| 10. | San Francisco State | 52 |
| 11. | Cal State Monterey Bay | 34 |
| 12. | Cal State East Bay | 20 |
| 12. | Cal State San Marcos | 20 |
