The Cal State Stanislaus women's soccer team looks to continue to reach more new program heights as the West Region Champ Warriors take on South Central Region winner Colorado School of Mines today at Noon Pacific Time

Sunday, Noon PST (1 p.m. MST)
at #7 Colorado School of Mines, CSM Soccer Stadium, Golden, Colo. [Live Video] [Live Stats]

West Region Champs: Cal State Stanislaus defeated Cal Poly Pomona, 2-0, on Friday to win the Warriors' first-ever West Region Championship. The Warriors advance to the quarterfinal round against host Colorado Mines to determine who will be one of the final four teams to play in the national semifinals in Louisville, Ky.

Series Notes: This will be the teams' first ever meeting.

How Did the Warriors Get Here: In Bellingham, Wash., No. 4 seeded Warriors upended No. 1 Western Washington, 1-0, in the second round on Nov. 15 after defeating No. 5 Seattle Pacific, 2-1, in double overtime on Nov. 13 to win that half of the West bracket. In Golden, Colo., the Warriors took down No. 3 seed Cal Poly Pomona, 2-0, in the third round.

At Stake: Winner of this match will advance to the NCAA national semifinals on Dec. 4, in Louisville, Ky. (Bellarmine University's Owsley B. Frazier Stadium). The opponent will be either Minnesota Mankato or Grand Valley State, winner of the Central/Midwest Region (1 p.m. Eastern time in Somers, Wisc.).

Program's First NCAA Wins: The Warriors now have three NCAA tournament victories after Friday's regional title victory over Cal Poly Pomona. The No. 13 win over Seattle Pacific was the Stanislaus women's soccer program's first W during the NCAA tournament.

Coleman, the Megatron: Kirsten Coleman was in "beast mode" (according to head coach Gabriel Bolton) in Friday's win over the Broncos. She scored both Stanislaus goals in super-hero fashion to lead the Warriors. Coleman collected a saved shot of Tina Benson to give the Warriors the 1-0 lead in the first half. In the second half, after getting a long pass from Maryssa McDuffy, Coleman split some defenders, juked the Pomona goalkeeper and walked-in the score to make it 2-0.

Blanking Another Opponent: The Warriors blanked their foes 11 times in 2014, including the 4 of the last 5 matches. They have now recorded back-to-back shutouts in this postseason. They blanked Western Washington (outscored opponents 32-6) last week and held Cal Poly Pomona to just two shots of goal on Friday. With a solid defensive unit (including starters Karli Nestler, Nichole Donald, Maryssa McDuffy and Lauren Thornton) ahead of her, starting goalkeeper Chelsea Lewandowski has eight of those shutouts with 18 in her career.
Cold Weather Conditions Expected: Sunday's forecast will be in the host team's favor as cold and windy weather is expected in the Golden area. The highs will be in the upper 30s with strong winds.

Poon the Freshman Sensation: Jade Poon became the first Cal State Stanislaus freshman to score a goal during the NCAA tournament in the Nov. 15 win over Western Washington. Her score in the 52nd minute was of highlight-material. From a Sabrina Williamson corner kick, Jordan Moineau headed into the box over more than a half dozen SPU defenders to find Poon, who was just in front of the 'Keeper. Poon, with the goal to her back, flip it backwards for the go-ahead goal. Scan the QR code to the right to see the video.

Top Eight in the Country: The Warriors are now among the top eight teams in NCAA Division II out of 266 women's soccer programs. Cal State Stanislaus finished seventh in its own conference, the California Collegiate Athletic Association, and missed the conference tournament.

All-CCAA Stars: Joining CCAA Freshman of the Year Jade Poon on the All-CCAA first team were defender Karli Nestler and second team honoree Lauren Thornton, as they led the Stanislaus defense. Warriors making the list for honorable mention were GK Chelsea Lewandowski, F Mikayla Clifford, F Kirsten Coleman, D Maryssa McDuffy and D Nichole Donald.

Warriors In the Rankings: The Warriors had spent 22 consecutive regular season weeks in the NSCAA Top 25, dating back to the 2012 season until the streak was snapped in Week 7. They made a brief return to the poll in week 8 but dropped out again prior to the conference tournament.

Road Warriors: The Warriors have been extremely successful on the road in recent years. After last week's two wins on the road, they are now 25-3-4 over the last 32 matches, which dated back to the middle of the 2011 season. A 25-match unbeaten streak was snapped on Sept. 28 at Cal State Monterey Bay.

Prolific Offense: The Warriors are among the nation's top scoring teams with a 2.17 goals per match and 40 goals total. Stanislaus ranks third in the CCAA in scoring, six goals behind leader Cal State L.A. … Ten different players have scored goals this season with Jade Poon leading with 14 (six winners). Kirsten Coleman now has 10 goals and Mikayla Clifford have seven goals.

CSU Stanislaus' Recent West Region Titles: The women's soccer team became the 28th team to win a regional championship, but first in soccer. It is also the program's third Division II West Region title. The recent regional titles included the 2012 men's golf team and the 2007 softball teams.

Colorado Mines in the Postseason: The Orediggers are looking for their first berth to the semifinal round of the NCAA tournament today … This is the seventh NCAA appearance for Mines in only its 10th year of competition … The Orediggers, who have advanced to the D-II quarterfinals on three occasions, were unbeaten a year ago before being upset 3-1 by Metro State in the second round of the tournament … They are 8-5-3 in NCAA tournament games including a 1-0-1 mark this year.

How Mines Got Here: As the top seed, Mines edged St. Edwards, 1-0, in the second round at home. On Friday, CSM advaced on PKs (4-2) after a 1-1 tie against Texas A&M Commerce.

About Colorado Mines: Colorado School of Mines is a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference … The Orediggers went 15-1-4 during the regular season and won the conference tournament on penalty kicks over MSU Denver … 17 different players have scored goals with Laya Rybicki leading with five … CSM have outscored teams 33-6 … Jayln Yates has a 0.26 goals-against-average and has only allowed six goals … They are 9-1-3 at home this season … They have only scored four goals with five shutouts in last six matches.