LOS ANGELES -- Cal State LA's men's soccer team, the defending NCAA Division II champions, has stayed put in the eighth national weekly poll released on Tuesday by the United Soccer Coaches.

Cal State LA (12-1-3, 6-1-3 California Collegiate Athletic Association) remained at No. 7 after two important road wins last week that set up a huge match on Thursday at No. 13 Cal Poly Pomona. The Golden Eagles enter the final regular-season match in third place, one point back of co-leaders Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal Poly Pomona. The top four teams in the conference will face each other on Thursday as Cal State Dominguez Hills will travel to face Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal State LA will travel to meet Cal Poly Pomona. A win by Cal State LA and a tie or loss by Cal State Dominguez Hills would give the Golden Eagles their third consecutive CCAA regular-season title.

Cal State LA has been ranked nationally in every poll this season. The Golden Eagles spent the first three weeks of the regular-season atop the national poll after winning the program's first national championship last year. Cal State LA has now been ranked in the top-10 in seven of the first eight regular-season polls in 2022

Franklin Pierce remains the No. 1 team in the country, while Mercyhurst, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Saginaw Valley State and Barry University hold their spots in the top-five.

Cal State LA inched closer to the conference lead after two road victories last week. The Golden Eagles got goals from Jeppe Paulsen, Daniel Garcia, Bryan Ortega and Andrew Portis in a 4-0 win at Stanislaus State on Friday and then held on for a 2-1 win at Cal State East Bay with goals from Oliver Diaz and Carl Solli on Sunday.

Cal State LA has outscored its opponents, 42-10, in its 16 games this season. The plus-27 goal differential is sixth in the country. 

Bryan Ortega leads the team with six goals scored, while Oliver Diaz and Aiden Wait have five goals each and Alex Rodriguez has four goals. Lucas Rosales, Daniel Garcia, Jeppe Paulsen and Tommaso Belli have three goals each. Daniel Garcia, Bryan Ortega, Oliver Diaz and Manuel Garcia leads with four assists each.

Alvaro Unanua has made 53 saves and has a saves percentage of .846. He has six solo shutouts and three combined shutouts with Julian Aadlandsvik in the first 16 games.

Cal State LA is making an appearance in the national poll for the 17th consecutive season. That streak started in 2005.
 
The Golden Eagles have reached the top-18 in the national poll in 16 straight seasons, beginning in 2006, and have been in the top-10 in 13 of the past 15 seasons, a streak that began in 2007.

Cal State LA will be making its 11th straight appearance in the CCAA Tournament. The top-two seeds clinch first-round byes, while the third and fourth seeds will host first-round games on Sunday. Cal State LA is assured of a top-three finish and can finish first with a win and a Cal State Dominguez Hills loss or tie.