THE SCHEDULE
Match 11
at SF State (6-4, 3-3 CCAA)
Friday, Oct. 7 • 3 p.m.
Cox Stadium • San Francisco
Live Video • Live Stats

Match 12
at Cal State Monterey Bay (2-5-2, 0-4-2 CCAA)
Sunday, Oct. 9 • 2 p.m.
Otter Sports Complex • Seaside
Live Video • Live Stats

UC SAN DIEGO HEADS NORTH TO BAY AREA
The University of California San Diego men's soccer team continues its California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) schedule with two key games up in the Bay Area this week. UC San Diego (7-1-2, 2-1-1 CCAA) plays at SF State (6-4, 3-3 CCAA) on Friday, Oct. 7, at 3 p.m., and then at Cal State Monterey Bay (2-5-2, 0-4-2 CCAA) on Sunday, Oct. 9, at 2 p.m. Both contests cap off doubleheaders with the No. 8 UCSD women. UCSD is 0-1-1 and goalless over 200 minutes played outside of La Jolla in 2016.

TRITON SOCCER NOW ON UCSDTRITONS.TV!
For the very first time, all matches at Triton Soccer Stadium in 2016 feature a live video stream on UCSDtritons.tv. The platform, the product of a partnership between UC San Diego Athletics and local broadband services and technology giant ViaSat, is in its first full year. All broadcasts are in multi-camera high definition, and can be viewed from smartphones and tablets alongside desktop and laptop computers. UC San Diego alum and former baseball pitcher (2007-08) Tim Strombel (@Timmy2Sides) will primarily handle the play-by-play duties, with local personality Taylor Quellman (@TJQuellman) filling in, and an array of guests. Viewing is subscription-based, though it is free from UCSD campus IP addresses. A package that gives viewers access to all streamed events (baseball, basketball, soccer, softball, volleyball, water polo and more) throughout the 2016-17 academic year is available for $34.99. A single-day option can be purchased for $5.99, meaning doubleheaders are two-for-one. Events are archived.

MORE LIVE COVERAGE
All games have live stats. Select road matches will also have video, including both this week. Friday's doubleheader at SF State has a fee of $7.00. Sunday's cost is $9.95. Fans can access live coverage from the Schedule/Resultspage, or by clicking on the links above. Starting lineups, live in-game updates and other news and notes can be found by following Triton Soccer all season long on the UCSD Athletics Twitter handle (@UCSDtritons). Finally, check out the CCAA live scoreboard here to keep up on results around the league.

RANKINGS REPORT
UC San Diego made its first appearance of 2016 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll at No. 21 on Sept. 20. The Tritons fell out of the Sept. 27 listing after a 1-1 split, but for the last two weeks, are receiving votes just outside of the top 25. They remain fourth in the West, with a high of third. Friday's opponent, SF State, is sixth. The No. 21 position marked UCSD's first national ranking since it appeared at No. 9 in the 2014 preseason edition on Aug. 7.

A LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEK
UC San Diego continued its strong home performance last week, playing to a scoreless draw with CCAA leader Sonoma State in front of a season-high crowd of 736 on Friday, before edging Humboldt State in overtime, 1-0, on Sunday. Riley Harbour's stunner at 97:12, with assists going to fellow senior Sam Palano and Quinn Allan, was the difference against the Jacks, though the Tritons held an overwhelming 29-5 shot advantage. Cameron McElfreshposted two more shutouts, matching his season high with four saves Friday before not having to make a single stop on Sunday.

AROUND THE CCAA
UCSD sits in a tie for eighth in the CCAA with cross-county rival Cal State San Marcos at seven points apiece, though the Cougars are still not eligible for postseason competition. This Friday's match at SF State is of particular importance, as the Gators are in a two-way tie for fifth at nine points. CSUMB is in 12th with two. The top six teams make the CCAA Tournament field next month. Click here for the latest standings and here to follow the action via the live scoreboard.

RETURN TO PREMIER DEFENSE
UCSD has allowed just three goals over 965:31, for a goals-against average of 0.28, tops in the CCAA and West Region, and now up to second in the NCAA Division II, behind just Regis' 0.21. Only two have come from the run of play, the other a free-kick strike by Azusa Pacific. The team's longest shutout stretch of the year has been 513:54 through four-plus successive clean sheets, with the current one at 327:20 and three-plus. The Tritons boasted one of the top seven defenses nationally in Division II in terms of team GAA for three straight seasons between 2012-14, but fell back to the 48th spot a year ago (1.09). They led the country in that category in 2012 with a then-CCAA-record mark of 0.44, before finishing fourth in 2013 (0.52) and seventh in 2014 (0.65).

PROGRAM FIRST FOR CAM
Cameron McElfresh on Tuesday became the first UCSD men's player named the NSCAA Division II Player of the Week, following his back-to-back home shutouts over the weekend. The NSCAA expanded its weekly awards program to include the Division II ranks back in 2013.

HOME DOMINANCE UNDER PASCALE
UC San Diego is an unbeaten 7-0-1 at Triton Soccer Stadium in 2016, with two more regular-season home dates left. The Tritons went 5-1-2 inside the friendly confines in 2015. Under head coach Jon Pascale over eight-plus years, the Tritons are 53-20-15 (.688) in La Jolla. They are an unbeaten 9-0-2 in their last 11 at Triton Soccer Stadium, since a 2-1 loss to Stanislaus State on Sept. 27, 2015. UCSD has thus not lost at home in over a full calendar year.

McELFRESH BESTS COHEN MARK
On Sept. 25 against Chico State, Cameron McElfresh posted his fourth individual shutout of 2016 and 23rd of his five-year UCSD career, breaking former All-American teammate Josh Cohen's program record for the NCAA Division II era, since 2000. He had matched it with a clean sheet at Concordia on Sept. 17. McElfresh now has six on the season, including three straight, and 25 as a Triton. The school standard is held by UCSD Athletics Hall of Famer Brian Siljander (1987-90), at 37. Michael Madden (1991-93) is second with 29. McElfresh leads the league and the West Region, and is up to third nationally, with his career-best goals-against average of .293.

#PALANOPOWER
The Sept. 1 season opener versus Azusa Pacific meant the first time in the four-year college careers of Nick Palanoand Sam Palano that the identical twin brothers combined on a goal, and was also the first time they both scored in the same match. Sam now leads the team with four goals following his first collegiate brace against rival Chico State on Sept. 25. He also paces the Tritons in total points, with 12 from the four goals and four assists. The twins have accounted for three of UCSD's seven game-winning tallies. Sam in fact had produced three straight goals for the team, with no other Triton having found the back of the net over 594:39, leading up to Riley Harbour's overtime winner at 97:12 against Humboldt State on Oct. 2.

OFFENSIVE UPTICK
UC San Diego has 15 goals over 10 games in 2016, reaching its 18-game total from a year ago. They scored a pair in each of their first two matches, having not produced multiple scores in back-to-back games even once in 2015. UCSD then struck for six on Sept. 10 against Saint Martin's, achieving its first 6-0 scoreline since another such home defeat, that one over Cal State East Bay, in the 2010 finale (Oct. 31). Five of those goals came before the break, marking the first period of play for the Tritons with five goals, since the second frame of that East Bay matchup.

OVERTIME FORTUNES OVERTURNED
The double-overtime triumph over Azusa Pacific on Sept. 1 marked UCSD's first overtime win since Malek Bashti's first collegiate goal took down rival Chico State in the 2013 CCAA semifinals in Turlock. The Tritons went 0-1-12 in overtime contests in 2014 and 2015, with 12 straight draws since, ironically, a 1-0 double-overtime loss to APU in La Jolla on Sept. 20, 2014. They have since added a second overtime victory, 1-0 at home against Humboldt State, on Oct. 2, and are 2-0-2 in extra periods in 2016.

RALLY TRITONS
UCSD posted a pair of come-from-behind 2-1 wins at home courtesy of late goals after facing 1-0 deficits to begin the year. Sam Palano volleyed in the 68th-minute equalizer and turned provider for twin brother Nick Palano with just 1:41 left in the second overtime to down West Region rival Azusa Pacific on Sept. 1. Then it was Riley Harbour's hero turn on Sept. 3 against Westmont, as he slotted home his first of the year in the 79th minute, after Uly de la Calhad tied the match late in the first half.

TRITON NOTES
After missing the entire 2015 season through injury and entering the year with one career assist, redshirt junior striker Malek Bashti leads the Tritons with five helpers despite missing three games ... UC San Diego is 9-6-2 in CCAA openers after a 1-0 loss at CSUSM on Sept. 21, which snapped a string of two straight wins ... UCSD is 12-3-2 in season openers in its NCAA Division II era, since 2000, following the Sept. 1 defeat of Azusa Pacific, 2-1, with the Tritons an unbeaten 3-0-1 over their last four ... UCSD was picked fifth in the CCAA preseason coaches' poll, with reigning West Region champion CPP the favorite.

2016 SEASON OUTLOOK
UC San Diego had no seniors on its 2015 roster, but has eight in 2016. The Tritons welcome back the core of their defense in redshirt seniors Cameron McElfresh in goal and Brett Sampiere and Kuba Waligorski on the back line alongside junior Kyle Panganiban. Waligorski is a two-time All-CCAA Second Team pick, with McElfresh gaining All-CCAA honorable mentions for each of the past two years without missing a single minute between the posts. Sampiere, making a permanent return to his natural spot at right back, earned All-CCAA honorable mentions in 2013 and 2015. Nolan Mac and Jeff Powers were in the lineup at times and will vie for minutes.

The offensive production should be boosted by the return of Malek Bashti after missing the entirety of 2015 through injury. Junior Uly de la Cal tied for the team high in total points from two goals and three assists a year ago. Senior Riley Harbour, one of two Tritons he shared that designation with, is back in central midfield, as are Justice Duerksen, Zachary Lagotta and Nick Palano among numerous wing options. Lagotta was All-CCAA honorable mention as a sophomore in 2015. Forward Sam Palano joins his identical twin brother as a fourth-year senior who will be counted on.

2015 REWIND
UC San Diego is coming off of three successive postseason appearances in the form of the CCAA Tournament, with NCAA Championship berths in 2013 and 2014. The Tritons went 6-6-6 in 2015, breaking a string of five straight years with an overall winning percentage of greater than .500 under head coach Jon Pascale. UCSD lost just one of its last seven regular-season contests, and was 5-3-4 in league play.

ROSTER NOTES
Among 29 players on the 2016 roster are 23 returners, just six newcomers, and eight seniors. There are four San Diego products, in redshirt senior right back Brett Sampiere (Solana Beach/Torrey Pines HS), junior winger Zachary Lagotta (Cathedral Catholic HS), sophomore forward Nathaniel Bloom (Encinitas/San Dieguito HS Academy) and redshirt freshman midfielder Daniel Boemer (San Diego/Scripps Ranch HS).

CCAA FORMAT UNCHANGED
For the third year in a row, the CCAA slate consists of a single round robin, with every team facing off once against one another for 12 matches total, and the top six sides (based on most points; three for a league win, one for a tie) in the final regular-season standings qualifying for the 2016 CCAA Tournament. Cal State San Marcos, a new addition in 2015, is ineligible again this time around. First-round matchups will take place on the campuses of the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds on Tuesday, Nov. 1. The semifinals and final will be hosted by Stanislaus State for the sixth time in the last eight years, at Warrior Stadium in Turlock, Nov. 4-6.

HEAD COACH JON PASCALE
Jon Pascale, a two-time CCAA Coach of the Year through back-to-back honors in 2012 and 2013, has posted an 81-47-33 (.606) overall record in his ninth season in charge of the UC San Diego men's soccer program. He is 58-38-24 (.583) in arguably the toughest NCAA Division II conference in the nation, the CCAA. Pascale has guided the Tritons to six straight campaigns with an overall record of .500 or better, and six winning seasons out of his eight. They are coming off of three successive berths in the CCAA Tournament, with trips to the NCAA Championship in 2013 and 2014. A 1-0 home victory over Sonoma State on Sept. 29, 2013, gave him career win No. 50, while a 2-0 triumph at Stanislaus State in the very next match on Oct. 4 marked his 100th contest at the Triton helm. Pascale directed his first postseason tilt on Nov. 8, 2013, in Turlock, a come-from-behind, 2-1 overtime win over rival Chico State in a CCAA semifinal. He made his NCAA Championship debut as a head coach on Nov. 16, 2013, in La Jolla. A 2-0 home decision over Cal State East Bay on Oct. 12, 2014, meant CCAA win No. 50 for Pascale, who coached his 100th CCAA tilt at Cal State Monterey Bay five days later.

ABOUT THE GATORS
SF State (6-4, 3-3 CCAA) is coming off of a big upset at then-12th-ranked Cal State LA, which was the league's last remaining unbeaten side. Freshman Richard Leon scored with just eight seconds left in regulation on Sunday afternoon. The Gators had previously dropped three successive 1-0 decisions, also on the road, that on the heels of a five-game win streak at home. They are 5-1 in San Francisco in 2016. Former Cal assistant Javier Ayala-Hil is in his first year in charge of the Gators.

SERIES HISTORY
UCSD leads the all-time series, 10-5-4, after a scoreless draw in La Jolla last Oct. 11. The Tritons dropped the 2014 meeting, 2-0 in San Francisco. They were 2-1 victors at home in 2013. In 2012, UCSD won 1-0 in La Jolla before the sides played to a goalless stalemate in San Francisco. The teams faced each other twice in 2011 as well, as fellow members of the CCAA South, with the Tritons pulling off a sweep. UCSD was an unbeaten 6-0-2 against SF State over eight matchups prior to 2014.

ABOUT THE OTTERS
Cal State Monterey Bay (2-5-2, 0-4-2 CCAA) is a winless (0-4-2) over its last six, all to begin league play, with three straight losses. The Otters have managed only three goals during this stretch, with five of the contests away from home. They are an unbeaten 1-0-1 in Seaside in 2016, and host Cal State San Marcos on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m., prior to UCSD's visit Sunday. Rob Cummings is in his sixth season in charge in Seaside.

SERIES HISTORY
UCSD leads the all-time series, 7-2-3. The Tritons are unbeaten in their last nine (6-0-3) against the Otters, with five of those six wins of the one-goal variety around a 5-0 triumph in Seaside in 2012. They rallied from a 2-1 halftime deficit to edge out a 3-2 decision last Oct. 9, with Brandon Monteiro Magpayo turning in a brace around a Justice Duerksen equalizer from the penalty spot. The Tritons had won four straight over the Otters, including a come-from-behind 2-1 decision behind a late Andisheh Bagheri brace in La Jolla in 2013, prior to a scoreless draw in Seaside on Oct. 17, 2014.

GEAR UP
For the latest in Triton athletic gear, make sure to visit ucsdtritonsgear.com. Run by UCSD Athletics' online partner Advanced-Online, the site provides an on-demand option for Triton Athletic apparel and merchandise. Fans have access to over 600 products that can be processed and shipped within 24 hours.

FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UCSD home athletic events, and much more!

SOCIAL MEDIA (#AllForOne)
UCSD Athletics on Facebook (UCSDtritons)
UCSD Athletics on Instagram (@UCSDtritons)
UCSD Athletics on Twitter (@UCSDtritons)
UCSD Athletics on YouTube (UCSDathletics)
UCSD Men's Soccer on Facebook
UCSD Men's Soccer on Instagram (@ucsdmenssoccer)

UP NEXT
UC San Diego returns home for one final weekend for the 2016 regular season next week, taking on a pair of tough foes in unbeaten Cal State LA in primetime (7 p.m.) on Friday, Oct. 14, and Cal State Dominguez Hills on Senior Day (2 p.m.) on Sunday, Oct. 16.

#AllForOne