WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS -- Cal State LA's men's soccer team continues to march on after another exciting victory in the NCAA Tournament on Friday.

The Golden Eagles got a first-half goal from Oliver Diaz and recorded their 16th shutout of the season in a 1-0 victory over Cal Poly Pomona in the first of two Super Region 4 semifinals on Stang Field at Midwestern State. Cal State LA, the No. 2 seed in the Super Region, will face No. 4 seed Colorado State-Pueblo match in the championship match on Sunday. Colorado State-Pueblo beat host Midwestern State, 1-0, on Friday.

Cal State LA (18-1-2), ranked No. 4 in the nation, has advanced to the Super Region 4 championship match for the third time in four seasons. The Golden Eagles won Super Region 4 championships in 2019 and 2021 on their way to NCAA championship matches. The Golden Eagles fell in the national title game in 2019 before winning their first national championship in 2021.

After a surprising second-round loss at home to Northwest Nazarene in 2022, the Golden Eagles are once again back among the nation's final eight teams standing.

To do it, the Golden Eagles had to battle to another difficult win over Cal Poly Pomona (15-2-3), but one they fully deserved. Cal State LA was able to generate sustained pressure for the first 35 minutes of the game and it paid off for the only goal when Diaz connected on a beautiful header in the box in the 34th minute. After grabbing the lead, the Golden Eagles relied on their outstanding defense, which was once again unable to be cracked by the Broncos.

Cal State LA posted its third straight shutout over Cal Poly Pomona this season, taking the regular-season match, 1-0, in Pomona, winning the CCAA Tournament title on penalty kicks after a 0-0 tie and then the 1-0 win on Friday in NCAA playoffs. Cal State LA has now recorded six consecutive shutouts against Cal Poly Pomona dating back to 2021 and recorded its second 1-0 victory in the NCAA playoffs over the Broncos in the past three seasons. The Golden Eagles prevailed 1-0 in the Super Region 4 championship match in 2021 on their way to the program's first national title.

Diaz, the CCAA and NCAA West Region Player of the Year, got the game's only goal after some excellent work by several of his teammates. Cal State LA had a strong attack in the Cal Poly Pomona zone with Simon Johansen and Tommaso Belli beginning things down the right flank. Andrew Portis joined the attack and sent in a dangerous ball to the box that was knocked away by a Cal Poly Pomona defender. Carson Nguyen quickly got to the ball and dribbled around a defender just outside the box before sending it out to Johansen. The senior then sent a cross into the box that Diaz was able to head brilliantly to the right post and in for his fifth goal of the season.

Johansen, the goal scorer in the 1-0 win against Charleston in the 2021 national title game, has been a huge factor already in this playoff run. He had the lone goal in a 1-0 win over Point Loma in the second round and he assisted on the only goal on Friday against Cal Poly Pomona.

Cal Poly Pomona had a 12-7 advantage in shots for the game, including an 8-2 edge in the second half, but the Golden Eagles' defense was superb and goalkeeper Julian Aadlandsvik only had to make two saves for his 16th shutout of the season.

Cal State LA's 16th shutout extends the program's single-season record.