LOS ANGELES -- Cal State LA's men's soccer team will be heading to the NCAA Division II Final Four as the No. 1 seed.
The Golden Eagles (18-0-3), the lone unbeaten team in the nation, earned the top seed when the NCAA announced the re-seeding for the Final Four on Sunday. Cal State LA was the No. 2 seed in the Super Region 4 and captured that championship on Saturday night with a 2-0 win over Cal State San Bernardino. The Golden Eagles will face Super Region 3 champion UIndy (16-5-1) in a semifinal game on Thursday at 2 p.m. (PST) at Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Greyhounds were the No. 9 seed in their region and completed their run to the Final Four with a 1-0 win over No. 5 seed Maryville on Sunday.
The other semifinal will pit No. 2 seed Charleston (WV) vs. No. 3 seed Lynn.
The national title game will be held on Saturday at noon (PST).
Cal State LA is enjoying a historic season and the Golden Eagles were able to celebrate with their home fans on Saturday after an exciting 2-0 win over Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday in University Stadium. The Golden Eagles were making their third appearance in a national quarterfinal game since 2011 and broke through to the semifinals after posting their 14th shutout of the season.
First-half goals from
Tim Klefisch and
Robin Lindahl provided the early offense.
Carl Solli had a pair of assists, while
David Elizaga and
Daniel Simonis also had assists.
Alexander Brems had seven saves for the Golden Eagles, while posting his 13th shutout of the season. He shares the single-season record of 14 that he set last year while tying Mike Beigarten's total in 2014. Brems also tied the career record for shutouts with his 27th, which equals the mark set by David Jacques in the 1980s.
Cal State LA will be seeking its first appearance in a national championship game since 1981 and just the second in program history. That year, Cal State LA beat Chico State, 2-1, to get out of the West, beat Southern Connecticut, 3-0, in the semifinals and then fell to Tampa, 1-0, in overtime in the title game.
UIndy is making its first-ever Final Four appearance, while Lynn and Charleston are adding to their recent success in national tournaments. Lynn won national titles in 2012 and 2014, while Charleston is making its fifth Final Four appearance in six years that included a national title in 2017. Ironically, Lynn beat Charleston to win the 2014 title, while Charleston beat Lynn to win the 2017 championship.
