POMONA -- Cal State LA's men's soccer team turned in another defensive masterpiece on Thursday and took over a share of first place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association in the process.

The No. 12 Golden Eagles got a first-half goal from Oliver Diaz and made it stand up in a big 1-0 win over Cal Poly Pomona in a conference showdown at Kellogg Stadium. Cal State LA (9-1-1, 4-1 CCAA) picked up its third straight shutout win since its lone conference loss while handing Cal Poly Pomona (7-1-3, 3-1-1 CCAA) its first loss of the season.

Cal State LA has now won six straight matches against Cal Poly Pomona, including two straight 1-0 decisions at Kellogg Stadium.

The Golden Eagles and Cal State Monterey Bay lead the conference with 12 points, while Chico State is one back with 11 points and Cal Poly Pomona has 10.

Diaz picked up the lone goal of the contest for the second straight game. He also had the game-winner in the first half of a 1-0 win at Cal State San Marcos last Sunday.  

Diaz got his goal on Thursday from close range. With Cal State LA pressuring in the box, a clearance attempt was stolen by Diaz and promptly shot along the ground inside the far post in the 16th minute. It was the third goal of the season for Diaz and the 10th of his Cal State LA career. He was the CCAA Newcomer of the Year in 2022.

Julian Aadlandsvik made five saves in the game for his eighth shutout of the season. Cal State LA has now outscored its opponents, 19-4, in 11 games. He had a big save in the 62nd minute when he went sprawling to corral a point-blank attempt from Cal Poly Pomona's Paul Roger Henschke. The Golden Eagles had a golden opportunity to make it 2-0 in the 68th minute after a steal from Sergio Vega, but his shot sailed just wide to keep it at a one-goal margin.

Cal Poly Pomona had a 21-4 advantage in shots, although only five were on target and most were taken from distance thanks to a stifling Cal State LA defense. Cal State LA had a 5-3 edge in corner kicks. Henschke had a game-high five shots for the Broncos, while Max Laguna had three.

Diaz had two shots, both on goal, for the Golden Eagles, while Vega and Bryan Ortega had shots as well.

Cal State LA will return to action on Sunday with a home game against Cal State San Bernardino at 2 p.m.