SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos men's soccer team officially begins NCAA Division II competition this week in Utah with matches against Montana State-Billings and Dixie State.

The Schedule
Match 1
Friday, Sept. 4 – 4:30 p.m.  PT
Cal State San Marcos (0-0) vs. Montana State-Billings (0-0)
St. George, Utah – Hansen Stadium
Live Stats

Match 2
Sunday, Sept. 6 – 7 p.m. PT
Cal State San Marcos (0-0) at Dixie State (0-0)
St. George, Utah – Hansen Stadium
Live Stats

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Home Opener – Sept. 18
The Cougars will play at home for the first time on Friday, September 18 vs. Cal State San Bernardino at The Cougar Den. General admission tickets are $5 and kids (12 & younger) are $3. For more ticket information, click here. As always, kids 12 & under wearing their youth team jersey will receive free entry.

The Pulvers File
Head coach Ron Pulvers enters his 20^th season as a men's collegiate head coach and 10^th in charge of CSUSM. Pulvers, who started the CSUSM program from the ground up in 2006, holds a 215-123-27 (.626) career coaching record, including an 89-52-13 (.620) mark at CSUSM.

New Territory
After nine seasons of competition in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the Cougars enter their first season of NCAA Division II competition in 2015. CSUSM is currently in the second year of a three-year transition to full NCAA Division II membership. As a part of the transition, the Cougars will be ineligible for postseason play in 2015 and 2016.

New Conference
Cal State San Marcos is a part of the 13-team California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), made up of 12 CSU institutions and UC San Diego. The CCAA is one of the premier NCAA Division II leagues in the nation. Its teams have won more national championships (153) than any other conference.

Preseason CCAA Coaches Poll
The Cougars came in tied for 12^th in the 2015 CCAA Preseason Coaches Poll released last week. The Cougars received 20 total points in the poll and tied for last with Cal State East Bay. "It's appropriate that we were picked where we are because we don't have a body of work in the CCAA yet," said Pulvers. "We're excited to compete and see how we measure up in arguably the best conference in NCAA Division II."

The Returners
CSUSM has a lot to do if they are to replace the production of the 2014 squad. Gone are their five all-conference selections and an NAIA All-American. However, the Cougars have 14 letter-winners returning from the '14 squad that secured the most wins in program history with a 13-4 overall record. Louie Farfan, a 2013 A.I.I. Second Team honoree, is back for his junior campaign and will be paired with senior Yuki Hata in the midfield. Senior Dustin Scibilia, who finished third on the team with four goals, will be used on the wing, as will sophomore Bryan Morrison. Zach Sheppard and Landon Sherwood, senior goalkeepers who have played nearly every minute between the pipes for the Cougars over the last three seasons, will battle it out for the starting nod.

Who's The New Guy?
The Cougars have a total of 12 new players in the squad this season, including five transfers and seven freshmen. Zach Olow, who played two seasons at NCAA Division I's UC Irvine before spending some time abroad, is expected to make an impact on the offensive end for CSUSM. Clayton Gannaway started 21 matches on the back line at NCAA DII UNC Pembroke before transferring to CSUSM for his junior campaign. Eddie Guerra (MiraCosta College), Robbie Dirks (CSU Northridge) and Oscar Gonzalez (Arizona Western) round out the transfers.

Montana State-Billings Preview
All-time vs. MSUB: First meeting
MSUB Breakdown: MSUB will also be playing its first contest of 2015 on Friday evening. The Yellow Jackets went 6-9-3 overall a year ago and were outscored 23-28. MSUB has looked impressive in its three exhibition wins thus far this season, outscoring its opponents 15-4 in the process.

Dixie State Preview
All-time vs. DSU: First meeting
DSU Breakdown: DSU returns 13 players, including seven starters from the 2014 squad that finished 2-12-2 overall. The Storm were picked to finish 12^th in the Pacific West Conference preseason coaches' poll. DSU is 36-73-13 (.348) as a program in eight seasons.

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