TURLOCK, Calif.--  Stan State men's soccer team will begin their 2023 regular season this Thursday and Saturday, August 31 and September 2 at the Heritage Club Classic in Santa Barbara, Calif.  The Classic will be hosted by Westmont University.  The Warriors will face Simon Fraser on Thursday, August 31 at 12:30pm and Saint Martin's on Saturday, September 2 at 11:30am. 
 
FIRST-YEAR HEAD COACH:  John Powell'11 returns to his alma mater as the Warriors' head men's soccer coach.  He was hired this Spring after spending the past two seasons on the sidelines at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho. Powell guided the Nighthawks to a 15-4-3 record this season including an appearance in the NCAA Division II Super Region Four Final (Elite Eight).  He was the 2022 Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Coach of the Year and guided the Nighthawks to their best season in program history.  They captured the GNAC regular season title and won three NCAA Division II Tournament matches, before losing 1-0 to the National Champion Runner-up, Colorado State-Pueblo.  He coached twelve All-GNAC honorees and four All-Region players during his two-years at NNU.
 
LAST YEAR:  Stan State returns All-CCAA performer Finn Hoffmann who scored two goals and assisted on two goals last season.  He also recorded the game-winning goal in the Warriors' 3-0 victory over UC Santa Cruz.  Alecxander Cuellar returns after a shortened first season for the Warriors. Cuellar scored three goals including the game-winner against Fresno Pacific and assisted on a goal.  Robby Rosas returns in goal for Stan State.  Last season, Rosas posted a 1.27 goals against average with a .765 saves percentage.  Rosas had 58 saves and recorded five shutouts in 16 matches in goal for the Warriors. They went 5-7-6 overall and 2-6-3 in the CCAA.  Four of their losses were by just one goal.
 
STAYS ON THE ROAD:  After Labor Day Weekend, the Warriors will continue their season beginning four-match road trip in Azusa, Calif., for a 7pm match against PacWest Conference member, Azusa Pacific.  Their final match of their road trip in Fresno for a match against PacWest member and Central Valley rival, Fresno Pacific on September 13 at 7pm. 
 
HOME OPENER:  The Warriors' home opener is set for September 16 at 7pm against another PacWest opponent, Hawai'i Pacific at 7pm.  Stan State will have two more non-conference matches before beginning the CCAA season.  The Warriors will entertain Academy of Art (PacWest Conference) at 7pm on September 19.  Their final non-conference match will be against CCAA rival, Chico State, on September 23 at 4:30pm. 
 
CCAA OPENER:  Coach Powell and the 2023 Warriors will begin their CCAA season on September 29 at 4:30pm hosting Cal State San Marcos.  This will be the beginning of an 11-match CCAA schedule. Stan State will look to qualify for the six-team CCAA Men's Soccer Championships.  The Semi-finals and Finals of the CCAA Men's Soccer Championships will be hosted by Cal Poly Humboldt in Arcata, Calif., Nov. 10-12.  The First Round is set for Sunday, Nov. 5 at the site of the higher seed (either the third or fourth seed).
 
SIMON FRASER:  The Red Leafs went 11-5-1 last season including 8-3-1 in the GNAC.  They return Devin O'Hea who scored six goals including three game-winners to go along with his two assists.  Nico Papakyriakopoulos scored three goals last season and assisted on six others for Simon Fraser during the 2022 season.  Justyn Sandu posted a 1.00 goals against average in goal last season and had a .802 saves percentage.  The Red Leafs lead the all-time series with the Warriors 1-0.  They defeated Stan State 2-1 in the second round of the 2012 NCAA Division II West Regionals in Hayward, Calif.
 
SAINT MARTIN'S:  The Saints went 2-14-2 in 2022 including 2-9-1 in the GNAC.  Ethan Judd returns from 2022 when he scored seven goals and assisted on one goal.  Diego Andrade scored four goals and assisted on three goals during 2022.  Nick Mueller posted a 2.52 goals against average with a .656 saves percentage.  This will be the third all-time meeting between the two teams with the series tied 1-1.  Stan State defeated the Saints 1-0 last season in Monmouth, Ore., when Josh Santillan scored the game-winner with five minutes left in regulation.  Current assistant coach, Alex Renderos, had four saves in goal for the Warriors.
 
HERITAGE CLUB CLASSIC: To watch the Warriors this weekend, go to https://portal.stretchinternet.com/westmont/ and for live stats go to https://athletics.westmont.edu/sidearmstats/msoc/summary.
 
LIVE STATS/VIDEO:  During the regular season, to view the live stats, go to https://warriorathletics.com/sidearmstats/msoc/summary and for the CCAA network go to www.ccaanetwork.com/Stan.  The CCAA network has a monthly subscription rate of $9.95, which can watch any CCAA sport that is hosted at any CCAA institution during that 30-day period. The two exhibit