SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos men's soccer team (4-3-2, 1-0-1 CCAA) will return home to face Cal State Dominguez Hills (3-2-3, 0-1-1 CCAA) on Friday at 3 p.m. before taking on No. 19 Cal State LA (6-1-1, 1-1-0 CCAA) on Sunday at 2 p.m. in The Cage.
 
LAST WEEK

• CSUSM began CCAA play with a 3-0 win at Stanislaus State last Friday in Turlock thanks to goals from Kian Aminloo, Vincent Saldivar and Ryan Meinardus.
• The win was the Cougars first in Turlock since 2018 and was their fourth victory in the last five meetings.
• CSUSM outshot Stanislaus State 17-5 while putting 10 shots on goal.
• The Cougars then battled to a scoreless draw at then-No. 2 Chico on Sunday – CSUSM's highest ranked opponent in the NCAA Division II era (2015-present).
• This was the first scoreless draw in the eight games played between CSUSM and Chico.

 
COUGARS BY THE NUMBERS

• With this past weekend's solid start to CCAA play, the Cougars moved up to 10th in the United Soccer Coaches West Region poll.
• CSUSM's shutout percentage of .444 ranks 27th nationally.
• The Cougars have the 42nd-best goals-against average in the nation at 1.00.
• Taking 13.56 shots per game, CSUSM ranks fifth in the CCAA.
• With 4.78 corner kicks per game, the Cougars also rank fifth in the conference.
• CSUSM's goal differential of five ranks sixth in the CCAA and 67th nationally.
• Ryan Meinardus ranks third in the CCAA with four goals while ranking sixth in the conference with 2.33 shots per game.

 

GAME 10 | CAL STATE DOMINGUEZ HILLS
Date	Friday, Oct. 6, 2023
Time	3 p.m.
Location	San Marcos, Calif.
Venue	The Cage
Records	CSUSM (4-3-2, 1-0-1 CCAA) CSUDH (3-2-3, 0-1-1 CCAA)
Live Stats	SideArm Stats
Live Video	CCAA Network ($)
Tickets	HomeTown Ticketing

FRIDAY CCAA HOME OPENER AGAINST THE TOROS

• CSUDH began CCAA play last weekend with a 2-0 loss against Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday before following that up with a 2-2 draw against San Francisco State on Sunday.
• The Toros are currently tied for eighth in the CCAA standings with one point.
• CSUDH is taking the most shots per game in the CCAA and rank 17th nationally at 17.88 while their 7.12 shots on goal per game ranks second in the league and 33rd nationally.
• The Toros' 5.75 corner kicks per game are the third most in the CCAA.
• Ranking sixth in the conference with 1.00 goal allowed per game, the Toros' scoring offense of 1.12 ranks 10th in the conference.
• Brandon Lee has been the Toros' top offensive player this season with a team-leading three goals (all game winners) and seven points.
• Taking 3.25 shots per game, Lee ranks second in the CCAA while his 1.50 shots on goal rank third.
• CSUDH leads at the all-time series at 8-2 and took last season's meeting in Carson with a 4-0 win.
• CSUSM's last home victory against CSUDH occurred in 2018.
• The Toros were picked to finish third in the 2023 CCAA Preseason Coaches Poll and earned two first-place votes.

 

GAME 11 | NO. 19 CAL STATE LA
Date	Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023
Time	2 p.m.
Location	San Marcos, Calif.
Venue	The Cage
Records	CSUSM (4-3-2, 1-0-1 CCAA) LA (6-1-1, 1-1-0 CCAA)
Live Stats	SideArm Stats
Live Video	CCAA Network ($)
Tickets	HomeTown Ticketing

SUNDAY AGAINST LA

• After beginning CCAA play with a dominant 5-0 win against San Francisco State last Friday, the Golden Eagles were handed their first defeat of the season with a 2-0 loss to Cal State Monterey Bay on Sunday.
• Following the loss, LA dropped from No. 6 to No. 19 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll.
• The Golden Eagles have the sixth-best goals-against average in the nation at .5 to rank second in the CCAA while their scoring offense of 2.00 goals per game ranks fifth in the conference.
• Julian Aadlandsvik's save percentage of .907 ranks third nationally and is second in the CCAA.
• The Golden Eagles are committing the most fouls per game in the conference at 9.0.
• Bryan Ortega has been LA's top offensive threat this season with a team-leading four goals and 11 points while tallying the second-most assists with three.
• Ortega's four goals are tied for third in the CCAA.
• LA has won the past four meetings against CSUSM and is 7-1 in the all-time series.
• The Cougars' lone victory in the series occurred at home in 2016 with a 1-0 win. This was also CSUSM's last goal in the series.
• LA was picked to finish second in the 2023 CCAA Preseason Coaches Poll and garnered four first-place votes.

THE 2023 COUGARS

• CSUSM's 2023 roster consists of 29 student-athletes with 20 returners and nine newcomers.
• Stefano Brunetto returns as CSUSM's points leader in 2022 as he tallied eight with two goals and four assists.
• The Cougars were picked to finish eighth in the 2023 CCAA Preseason Coaches Poll.
• Curtis Collazos, Oliver Reader and Derek Westwood were each named All-CCAA honorable mentions for their play during the 2022 season.

THE PULVERS FILE

• This season marks the 18th season for head coach Ron Pulvers at CSUSM.
• Pulvers has a 131-117-31 (.525) record as CSUSM's head men's coach.
• In 26 seasons as a collegiate head men's soccer coach, Pulvers holds a 257-188-45 (.570) career record.
• He was 84-42-24 (.640) while in charge of the CSUSM women's program.
• From 2006-13, Pulvers led both the CSUSM men's and women's soccer teams.