LA JOLLA -- Cal State LA's men's soccer team started the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championship Tournament as the Comeback Kids and ended it as the CCAA Champions.

The Golden Eagles completed an incredible tournament journey with an impressive 2-0 win over Cal Poly Pomona Sunday at UC San Diego's Triton Soccer Field. Cal State LA (14-4-3) wins the conference championship for a third time and earns the CCAA's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Championships. The Golden Eagles, who won NCAA regional titles in 2011 and 2014, will be making their sixth NCAA appearance in the past seven years.

The Golden Eagles also became the first No. 5 seed to win a conference tournament title.

Cal State LA's journey actually began in earnest last Saturday when the Golden Eagles got an overtime goal from Julian Zamora in a 1-0 win over Chico State on the final day of the regular season that earned them a spot in the conference tournament. A loss or tie would have bumped the Golden Eagles out of the postseason. The Golden Eagles then rallied from a 3-1 deficit in a first-round match at Chico State on Tuesday thanks to a second-half hat trick from Damian Roszczyk in a stunning 4-3 win.

The Golden Eagles then got into the tournament final after tying No. 1 Cal State Dominguez Hills, 1-1, and advancing on penalty kicks, 4-3, on Friday.

The Golden Eagles then took down No. 2 seed Cal Poly Pomona with an early goal and an outstanding defensive effort. Cal State LA jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead after an impressive run following a restart in the seventh minute. Tim Klefisch took the free kick near midfield and sent a well-placed ball to David Elizaga. From there, Elizaga sent in a cross to an onrushing Robin Lindahl, who one-timed a hard shot inside the far post for his second goal of the season. Elizaga picked up his team-leading eighth assist on the play.

Cal State LA's defense took it from there and thwarted a high-powered Cal Poly Pomona offense at every turn. The Golden Eagles blocked nine shots and kept most of Cal Poly Pomona's shot attempts from a distance. When the Broncos did get through for quality chances, Barrera was there with one of his best performances of the season. The senior goalkeeper made eight saves, including a pair of acrobatic stops in the final 10 minutes.

Cal Poly Pomona opened the second half with a surge and had its best chance of the game when Angel Cova's shot went off the far post and Barrera pounced on the loose ball. As Cal State LA dug in deep defensively, the Golden Eagles nearly made it 2-0 with 18 minutes left when Julian Zamora got to a ball in between two defenders and sent a shot just wide.

Cal State LA finally did put the game away in the 88th minute thanks to a beautiful counterattack. Zamora carried the ball deep into Cal Poly Pomona territory and slid a pass over to an onrushing Elizaga, who just beat Cal Poly Pomona goalkeeper Jason Trejo to the ball and sent a shot into an empty net.

Cal State LA was well-represented on the All-Tournament Team. Barrera was the Outstanding Defensive Player, Elizaga was the Outstanding Offensive Player and Tim Klefisch, Morten Bjoershol, Kareem Salem and Lindahl also made the team.

Cal State LA will find out its NCAA first-round opponent on Monday at 3:30 p.m. when the field is announced on ncaa.com.