THE SCHEDULE
Match 17
at Cal State San Bernardino (7-5-1, 5-4-1 CCAA)
Thursday, Oct. 27 • 12:30 p.m.
Premier Field • San Bernardino
Live Stats

Match 18
at No. 18 Cal Poly Pomona (11-3-2, 7-2-1 CCAA)
Saturday, Oct. 29 • 2 p.m.
Kellogg Field • Pomona
Live Video • Live Stats

NO. 10 UC SAN DIEGO ON THE ROAD IN SEARCH OF FIRST CCAA TITLE
The 10th-ranked University of California San Diego men's soccer team is back on the road for the last week of the regular season, facing two final California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) opponents with much at stake. League leader UC San Diego (13-1-2, 8-1-1 CCAA) is at seventh-place Cal State San Bernardino (7-5-1, 5-4-1 CCAA) on Thursday, Oct. 27, at 12:30 p.m., and then at third-place preseason favorite and reigning West Region champion Cal Poly Pomona (11-3-2, 7-2-1 CCAA) on Saturday, Oct. 29, at 2 p.m. The Tritons will be in pursuit of a first-ever CCAA crown against the Coyotes and 18th-ranked Broncos. Both contests will be played as part of doubleheaders with the No. 8 UCSD women. The Tritons are 4-1-1 away from home, with four straight wins outside of La Jolla. They have won seven straight overall, the longest active streak in the CCAA, and are 8-0-1 over their last nine, with seven shutouts during this stretch.

TRITON SOCCER NOW ON UCSDTRITONS.TV!
For the very first time, all matches at Triton Soccer Stadium in 2016 feature a live video stream on UCSDtritons.tv. The platform, the product of a partnership between UC San Diego Athletics and local broadband services and technology giant ViaSat, is in its first full year. All broadcasts are in multi-camera high definition, and can be viewed from smartphones and tablets alongside desktop and laptop computers. UC San Diego alum and former baseball pitcher (2007-08) Tim Strombel (@Timmy2Sides) handles the play-by-play duties, and welcomes an array of guests. Viewing is subscription-based, though it is free from UCSD campus IP addresses. A package that gives viewers access to all streamed events (baseball, basketball, soccer, softball, volleyball, water polo and more) throughout the 2016-17 academic year is available for $34.99. A single-day option can be purchased for $5.99, meaning doubleheaders are two-for-one. Events are archived.

MORE LIVE COVERAGE
All games have live stats. Select road matches will also have video, including Saturday in Pomona, for free. Fans can access live coverage from the Schedule/Results page, or by clicking on the links above. Starting lineups, live in-game updates and other news and notes can be found by following Triton Soccer all season long on the UCSD Athletics Twitter handle (@UCSDtritons). Finally, check out the CCAA live scoreboard here to keep up on results around the league.

NATIONAL POLL
UC San Diego moved up two spots from No. 12 to a season-best No. 10 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll on Tuesday. The Tritons debuted at No. 21 on Sept. 20, before falling into the receiving votes category just outside of the top 25, for two weeks. The initial No. 21 appearance marked UCSD's first national ranking since a No. 9 listing in the 2014 preseason, which was also its last time in the top 10. The Tritons are a season-best second in the NSCAA's West Region poll.

REGIONAL POLL
Wednesday marked the unveiling of the second official NCAA regional polls, with UCSD remaining in second behind undefeated Simon Fraser (11-0-2). The top six teams in the final edition of those rankings on Monday, Nov. 7 (3:30 p.m. PT, live on NCAA.com), qualify for the NCAA Championship. The third release is set for Wednesday, Nov. 2.

A LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEK
UC San Diego swept a third consecutive CCAA weekend, and second successive road trip to the Bay Area, rallying for a 2-1 overtime triumph at Stanislaus State on Friday before a comfortable 3-0 decision Sunday at Cal State East Bay. Christian Cordell headed home Justice Duerksen's cross for Friday's equalizer in the 66th minute after the Tritons had surrendered a rare goal in the first half. Kuba Waligorski's first goal since 2014 couldn't have come at a better time, as the senior center back poked home the rebound of a Jeff Powers header off a Duerksen corner kick at 93:12 to end it. On Sunday, UCSD cruised behind first-half strikes by Malek Bashti and Nick Palano, the latter on a direct free kick, with Riley Harbour adding a third in the 71st. All three goals, in fact, came from free-kick set pieces. Cameron McElfresh did not have to make a save in posting his 10th individual clean sheet, as his defense allowed just a single shot on the day.

AROUND THE CCAA
With a third consecutive weekend sweep, UCSD is in sole possession of first place in the CCAA with 25 points. The Tritons clinched a fourth successive CCAA Tournament berth with last Sunday's win at East Bay, and are assured of no worse than the No. 3 seed, which means they will either host a first-round tilt on Tuesday, Nov. 1, or earn a bye and advance directly to the semifinals in Turlock on Fri. Nov. 4. Chico State is right behind with 23 points, but has completed its league slate. Next are Cal Poly Pomona (22), Sonoma State (20), Cal State LA (18) and Cal State Dominguez Hills (18) in a tightly-packed, exciting race. Thursday's opponent, Cal State San Bernardino (16) is tied for seventh with Cal State San Marcos, which is ineligible for the postseason. The top six teams in the final table earn the CCAA toruney spots. Click here for the latest standings and here to follow the action via the live scoreboard.

WHAT'S AT STAKE
UCSD is the league's front-runner and in search of its first-ever CCAA championship. The Tritons simply need to clinch their placement ahead of Sonoma State, to at least earn a first-round bye in the CCAA Tournament and advance straight to the semifinals on Friday, Nov. 4, in Turlock. They are five points clear of the Seawolves, but one point (tie) from their final two games, may or may not be enough, depending on tiebreakers, since the teams drew in the lone head-to-head matchup. Sonoma State hosts Cal State Dominguez Hills on Thursday (1:30 p.m.) and Cal State LA on Saturday (2 p.m.), with both of those teams fighting for their postseason lives. Should UCSD finish in third, it would host a CCAA first-round tilt on Tuesday night, Nov. 1.

RAPID ASCENSION
As UCSD's game at SF State kicked off at 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 7, the Tritons sat in a two-way tie for eighth in the league table. Through four successive wins beginning that afternoon and going through Oct. 16, they moved into a tie for sixth, a tie for fourth, a tie for first, and finally, sole possession of the top spot in the CCAA standings. UCSD dipped briefly back to second after Sonoma State's 3-0 home win over Humboldt State on Oct. 19, but a 2-1 victory at Stanislaus State two nights later put the Tritons alone again in pole position.

RETURN TO PREMIER DEFENSE
UCSD has allowed just five goals over 1508:43, for a goals-against average of 0.30, which tops all of the NCAA Division II. Four have come from the run of play, the other a free-kick strike by Azusa Pacific. The Tritons also lead in shutout percentage (tied-0.69) and save percentage (.902). The team's longest shutout stretch of the year has been 513:54 through four-plus clean sheets, with two more recent ones of 356:51 and 353:12. The Tritons boasted one of the top seven defenses nationally in Division II in terms of team GAA for three straight seasons between 2012-14, but fell back to the 48th spot a year ago (1.09). They led the country in that category in 2012 with a then-CCAA-record mark of 0.44, before finishing fourth in 2013 (0.52) and seventh in 2014 (0.65). The CCAA standard is 0.415 (Cal State LA in 2014), with the program record at 0.42 (1990).

STREAK STUFF
This is UCSD's longest win streak since another seven-gamer from Sept. 20-Oct. 11, 2013. The nine-game run of 8-0-1 is also the Tritons' longest unbeaten streak under ninth-year head coach Jon Pascale, and the program's lengthiest single-season unbeaten stretch of the NCAA Division II era, since 2000. UCSD was unbeaten for 10 straight games (8-0-2) over two seasons, from Oct. 12, 2007, to Sept. 17, 2008, and was unbeaten for nine (8-0-1) during the 1999 campaign, it's final one in Division III, from Sept. 22-Oct. 22. The Tritons have also won four in a row on the road. UCSD has qualified for a fourth consecutive CCAA Tournament for the second time since it joined in 2000, the other stretch coming from 2002-05.

McELFRESH LEADS NATION
Cameron McElfresh leads the entire nation with his career-best goals-against average of 0.307, as well as his .900 save percentage.

OFFENSE MUCH IMPROVED
UC San Diego has 28 goals over 16 games in 2016, almost double its 18-game total of 15 from a year ago, and in fact second in the CCAA behind Cal State Dominguez Hills (30). The Tritons struck twice in both of their first two matches, having not produced multiple scores in back-to-back games even once in 2015. UCSD then hit for six on Sept. 10 against Saint Martin's, achieving its first 6-0 scoreline since another home defeat, that one over Cal State East Bay, in the 2010 finale (Oct. 31). Five of those goals came before the break, marking the first period of play for the Tritons with five goals, since the second frame of that East Bay matchup. UCSD scored twice in successive games Oct. 7-9, and is currently on a season-best stretch of three such contests for the first time since a four-gamer, Sept. 9-18, 2014.

LIGHTS-OUT DEFENSE
The nation's No. 1 defense has consisted the past six games, and last nine of 10, of senior captain Kuba Waligorskiand true freshman Kelvin Uribe at center back, junior Nolan Mac at left back and redshirt sophomore Jeff Powers at right back. Junior Kyle Panganiban started the first six contests next to Waligorski prior to suffering an injury. Fifth-year senior Brett Sampiere played all 90 minutes of the season opener vs. Azusa Pacific (9/1) at right back, but has been hurt since. Junior newcomer Steven Ortiz played the full 90 minutes vs. Westmont (9/3) and Saint Martin's (9/10) at left back, with sophomore Quinn Allan also filling in as an injury replacement at left back (10/2). Of the 16 games so far, the defensive central midfield role has been occupied by sophomore Matt Merrill 10 times, and true freshman Jonathan Stoop on six occasions.

McELFRESH BREAKS RECORD
On Sept. 25 against Chico State, Cameron McElfresh posted his fourth individual shutout of 2016 and 23rd of his five-year UCSD career, breaking former All-American teammate Josh Cohen's program record for the NCAA Division II era, since 2000. He had matched it with a clean sheet at Concordia on Sept. 17. McElfresh now has 10 on the season and 29 as a Triton, tied with Michael Madden (1991-93) for No. 2 all-time. The school standard is held by UCSD Athletics Hall of Famer Brian Siljander (1987-90), at 37.

#PALANOPOWER
The Sept. 1 season opener versus Azusa Pacific meant the first time in the four-year college careers of Nick Palanoand Sam Palano that the identical twin brothers combined on a goal, and was also the first time they both scored in the same match. Sam continues to lead the team with 16 points from five goals and six assists, all career and team bests. His first collegiate brace came against rival Chico State on Sept. 25. The twins have accounted for three of UCSD's 13 game-winning tallies, and five decisive assists. Sam in fact had produced three straight goals for the team, with no other Triton having found the net over 594:39, leading up to Riley Harbour's overtime winner at 97:12 against Humboldt State on Oct. 2.

RALLY TRITONS
Four times in 2016, UCSD has surrendered a game's first score before rallying for a 2-1 victory via late goals. The Tritons achieved the feat twice at home to begin the year. Sam Palano volleyed in the 68th-minute equalizer and turned provider for twin brother Nick Palano with just 1:41 left in the second overtime to down Azusa Pacific on Sept. 1. Then it was Riley Harbour's hero turn on Sept. 3 against Westmont, as he slotted home his first of the year in the 79th minute, after Uly de la Cal had tied the match late in the first half. On Oct. 7 at SF State, Justice Duerksenconverted a penalty kick at 78:57 to level the score in a contest with giant postseason implications. He then produced a perfect cross for de la Cal to flick home for the decider at 81:08. Most recently, Duerksen's cross set up Christian Cordell's equalizing header in the 66th at Stanislaus State on Oct. 21, before Kuba Waligorski put the Warriors away 3:12 into overtime.

OVERTIME FORTUNES OVERTURNED
The double-overtime triumph over Azusa Pacific on Sept. 1 marked UCSD's first overtime win since Malek Bashti's first collegiate goal took down rival Chico State in the 2013 CCAA semifinals in Turlock. The Tritons went 0-1-12 in overtime contests in 2014 and 2015, with 12 straight draws since, ironically, a 1-0 double-overtime loss to APU in La Jolla on Sept. 20, 2014. They have added two more overtimes victories, 1-0 at home against Humboldt State on Oct. 2 and 2-1 at Stanislaus State on Oct. 21, and are 3-0-2 in extras.

HOME DOMINANCE UNDER PASCALE
UC San Diego completed its regular-season home schedule an unbeaten 9-0-1, after going 5-1-2 inside the friendly confines in 2015. Under head coach Jon Pascale over eight-plus years, the Tritons are 55-20-15 (.694) in La Jolla. They are 11-0-2 in their last 13 at Triton Soccer Stadium, since a 2-1 loss to Stanislaus State on Sept. 27, 2015. UCSD has thus not lost at home in over a full calendar year.

FIRST CCAA WEEKLY AWARD FOR CAM
On Oct. 18, Cameron McElfresh became UCSD's first CCAA Player of the Week for the 2016 season. It was his first such award, coming after two more individual shutouts in a pair of home victories, with a career-best seven saves in the latter contest on Senior Day on Oct. 16 against CSUDH.

PROGRAM FIRST FOR CAM
Cameron McElfresh on Oct. 4 became the first UCSD men's player named the NSCAA Division II National Player of the Week, following his back-to-back home shutouts over the previous weekend. The NSCAA expanded its weekly awards program to include the Division II ranks back in 2013.

TRITON NOTES
The first three of fourth-year senior central midfielder Riley Harbour's four goals this year were game-winners at home, including two in critical 1-0 CCAA triumphs, with an overtime strike vs. Humboldt State (Oct. 2) and a first-half tally vs. No. 12 Cal State LA (10/14) ... After missing 2015 through injury and entering the year with one career assist, redshirt junior striker Malek Bashti is tied for second in the CCAA with teammate Sam Palano at six helpers each, despite missing three games ... Prior to victories at SF State (2-1) on Oct. 7 and Cal State Monterey Bay (2-0) on Oct. 9, UCSD had last swept a CCAA road weekend in 2013, winning at Stanislaus State (2-0) on Oct. 4 and Cal State East Bay (2-0) on Oct. 6 ... Click here to watch Riley Harbour's overtime winner against Humboldt State on Oct. 2, and here for Christian Cordell's stunner against Cal State Dominguez Hills on Oct. 16 ... UC San Diego is 9-6-2 in CCAA openers after a 1-0 loss at CSUSM on Sept. 21, which snapped a string of two straight wins ... UCSD is 12-3-2 in season openers in its NCAA Division II era, since 2000, following the Sept. 1 defeat of Azusa Pacific, 2-1, with the Tritons an unbeaten 3-0-1 over their last four ... UCSD was picked fifth in the CCAA preseason coaches' poll, with reigning West Region champion CPP the favorite.

2016 SEASON OUTLOOK
UC San Diego had no seniors on its 2015 roster, but has eight in 2016. The Tritons welcome back the core of their defense in redshirt seniors Cameron McElfresh in goal and Brett Sampiere and Kuba Waligorski on the back line alongside junior Kyle Panganiban. Waligorski is a two-time All-CCAA Second Team pick, with McElfresh gaining All-CCAA honorable mentions for each of the past two years without missing a single minute between the posts. Sampiere, making a permanent return to his natural spot at right back, earned All-CCAA honorable mentions in 2013 and 2015. Nolan Mac and Jeff Powers were in the lineup at times and will vie for minutes.

The offensive production should be boosted by the return of Malek Bashti after missing 2015 through injury. Junior Uly de la Cal tied for the team high in points from two goals and three assists a year ago. Senior Riley Harbour, one of two Tritons he shared that designation with, is back in central midfield, as are Justice Duerksen, Zachary Lagottaand Nick Palano among wing options. Lagotta was All-CCAA honorable mention as a sophomore in 2015. Forward Sam Palano joins his identical twin brother as a fourth-year senior who will be counted on.

2015 REWIND
UC San Diego is coming off of three successive postseason appearances in the form of the CCAA Tournament, with NCAA Championship berths in 2013 and 2014. The Tritons went 6-6-6 in 2015, breaking a string of five straight years with an overall winning percentage of greater than .500 under head coach Jon Pascale. UCSD lost just one of its last seven regular-season contests, and was 5-3-4 in league play.

ROSTER NOTES
Among 29 players on the 2016 roster are 23 returners, just six newcomers, and eight seniors. There are four San Diego products, in redshirt senior right back Brett Sampiere (Solana Beach/Torrey Pines HS), junior winger Zachary Lagotta (Cathedral Catholic HS), sophomore forward Nathaniel Bloom (Encinitas/San Dieguito HS Academy) and redshirt freshman midfielder Daniel Boemer (San Diego/Scripps Ranch HS).

CCAA FORMAT UNCHANGED
For the third year in a row, the CCAA slate consists of a single round robin, with every team facing off once against one another for 12 matches total, and the top six sides (based on most points; three for a league win, one for a tie) in the final regular-season standings qualifying for the 2016 CCAA Tournament. Cal State San Marcos, a new addition in 2015, is ineligible again this time around. First-round matchups will take place on the campuses of the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds on Tuesday, Nov. 1. The semifinals and final will be hosted by Stanislaus State for the sixth time in the last eight years, at Warrior Stadium in Turlock, Nov. 4-6.

HEAD COACH JON PASCALE
Jon Pascale, a two-time CCAA Coach of the Year through back-to-back honors in 2012 and 2013, has posted an 87-47-33 (.620) overall record in his ninth season in charge of the UC San Diego men's soccer program. He is 64-38-24 (.603) in arguably the toughest NCAA Division II conference in the nation, the CCAA. Pascale has guided the Tritons to six straight campaigns with an overall record of .500 or better, and six winning seasons out of his eight. They are coming off of three successive berths in the CCAA Tournament, with trips to the NCAA Championship in 2013 and 2014. A 1-0 home victory over Sonoma State on Sept. 29, 2013, gave him career win No. 50, while a 2-0 triumph at Stanislaus State in the very next match on Oct. 4 marked his 100th contest at the Triton helm. Pascale directed his first postseason tilt on Nov. 8, 2013, in Turlock, a come-from-behind, 2-1 overtime win over rival Chico State in a CCAA semifinal. He made his NCAA Championship debut as a head coach on Nov. 16, 2013, in La Jolla. A 2-0 home decision over Cal State East Bay on Oct. 12, 2014, meant CCAA win No. 50 for Pascale, who coached his 100th CCAA tilt at Cal State Monterey Bay five days later.

ABOUT THE COYOTES
Cal State San Bernardino (7-5-1, 5-4-1 CCAA) was swept in a road pair last weekend, getting drubbed 7-2 at Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday, before suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat at Cal State LA on Sunday via 71st-minute goal. The Coyotes thus dropped from the No. 4 position in the first NCAA West Region poll, to outside the top eight. They are on the outside looking in on both the CCAA Tournament and NCAA Championship field. CSUSB is 4-2-1 at home. Darren Leslie is the first-year interim head coach.

SERIES HISTORY
UCSD holds the advantage in the all-time series, 20-16-7. The sides played to a scoreless draw last Sept. 20. The Tritons rolled 4-0 in La Jolla with four different goal-scorers in 2014, and swept the 2013 season series with a pair of 1-0 victories. The teams tied 1-1 in San Bernardino on Sept. 16, 2012, before a 2-0 UCSD win in La Jolla two weeks later. UCSD swept both matches in 2011, and is 6-0-2 over the last eight meetings since a 1-0 loss in San Bernardino on Oct. 24, 2010. The Coyotes haven't scored against the Tritons in 502:35, since late in that 1-1 deadlock in 2012.

ABOUT THE BRONCOS
No. 18 Cal Poly Pomona (11-3-2, 7-2-1 CCAA) won a pair of tough road games against local foes last week to keep the pressure on UCSD in both the conference and regional races. The Broncos won 1-0 at Cal State LA on Friday night, and then held off Cal State Dominguez Hills, 2-1, on Sunday. Luis Najera, Jr., scored in both contests to pick up CCAA Player of the Week distinction. Fellow junior Sergi Monso, from Barcelona, Spain, leads CPP with nine goals and 20 total points. The Broncos are an unbeaten 3-0-1 over their last four, and are 6-1-2 in Pomona. They host Cal State San Marcos on Thursday at 3 p.m., prior to UCSD's visit on Senior Day Saturday. Yossi Raz is in his fourth season in charge of the CPP men.

SERIES HISTORY
UCSD leads the all-time series, 26-9-2, including a 1-0 victory in La Jolla last Sept. 18 on a 58th-minute Uly de la Calgoal, after which the Broncos ultimately finished the year as national runners-up (17-3-3). The Tritons fell 2-0 in La Jolla in the lone meeting in 2014. They swept the home-and-home series in 2013, twice winning 1-0 late in the season. UCSD swept the two-game set in 2012 as well, with another pair of 1-0 shutouts. UCSD had actually won five consecutive 1-0 decisions over the Broncos since a 3-0 loss in Pomona on Sept. 18, 2011, with CPP scoreless for just over 533 minutes of play, before two strikes in quick succession in the second half on Sept. 28, 2014.

TRITONS IN THE MEDIA
A selection of features on the UC San Diego men's soccer program from this season:
• Tritons on NCAA.com (10/21/16)

GEAR UP
For the latest in Triton athletic gear, make sure to visit ucsdtritonsgear.com. Run by UCSD Athletics' online partner Advanced-Online, the site provides an on-demand option for Triton Athletic apparel and merchandise. Fans have access to over 600 products that can be processed and shipped within 24 hours.

FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UCSD home athletic events, and much more!

SOCIAL MEDIA (#AllForOne)
UCSD Athletics on Facebook (UCSDtritons)
UCSD Athletics on Instagram (@UCSDtritons)
UCSD Athletics on Twitter (@UCSDtritons)
UCSD Athletics on YouTube (UCSDathletics)
UCSD Men's Soccer on Facebook
UCSD Men's Soccer on Instagram (@ucsdmenssoccer)

UP NEXT
Depending on how things shake out during the final week of the regular season, the Tritons will either host a CCAA Tournament first-round game at Triton Soccer Stadium on Tuesday, Nov. 1, tentatively at 7 p.m., or head back to Turlock next Wednesday for the CCAA semifinals on Friday, Nov. 4, at Stan State's Warrior Stadium.

#AllForOne