TURLOCK, Calif.---Stan State men's soccer returns to Warrior Stadium this Sunday, Oct. 11, when the Warriors host Central Valley rival UC Merced at 11 a.m. in a key CCAA matchup. The contest begins a two-match homestand for Stan State, which will also host Cal Poly Pomona on Thursday, Oct. 15, at 4 p.m.

POWELL IN FOURTH SEASON AT HELM
Stan State head coach John Powell is in his fourth season leading his alma mater and sixth season overall as a collegiate head coach. Powell enters Sunday's match with a 30-22-15 record at Stan State. His 30 victories rank third in program history behind Dana Taylor (91) and Eric Mild (42).

Powell guided the Warriors to a historic 17-2-1 season in 2025, capturing the program's first CCAA Tournament Championship since 2012 and advancing to the NCAA Division II Third Round for the deepest postseason run in program history. The Warriors also spent two weeks ranked No. 1 nationally and established a program-record 14-match unbeaten streak.

Five Warriors earned United Soccer Coaches All-America honors in 2025. Gerardo Flores and Ian Reis were named First Team All-Americans, Angel Ruiz-Hernandez and Samuel Villanueva earned Second Team honors, and Emmanuel Duran was selected to the Third Team. Powell was named CCAA Coach of the Year, while the Stan State staff earned United Soccer Coaches West Region Coaching Staff of the Year honors.

WEEKEND RECAP
Stan State went 0-1-1 in CCAA play last weekend, battling No. 6 Cal State San Bernardino in a 1-0 setback Friday before earning a 1-1 road draw at Cal State East Bay on Sunday. The Warriors allowed just two goals over the two matches, while Dylan Isasi recorded six saves and a 1.00 goals-against average.

Adrian Yepez accounted for Stan State's goal on the weekend, scoring in the 24th minute at East Bay off an assist from Jose Tizoc. Yepez led the Warriors with eight shots over the two matches, while Alexis Cervantes had six and Hugo Canedo four. Stan State generated 30 shots on the weekend, including 21 in the second half, while its opponents finished with 34.

WARRIORS IN REVIEW
Stan State enters Sunday's match 2-5-5 overall and 0-3-3 in CCAA play. The Warriors have scored 15 goals with 18 assists through 12 matches, while seven different players have found the back of the net. 

Cervantes leads Stan State with six goals and 12 points, while Yepez has three goals and a team-high four assists for 10 points. Duran has two goals and one assist for five points. Cervantes leads the Warriors with 30 shots and 14 shots on goal, while Yepez has 29 shots and 10 on goal.

Isasi has played all 1,080 minutes in goal, recording 39 saves, a 1.50 goals-against average and two shutouts. Stan State is 2-1-4 at home this season heading into Sunday's Central Valley matchup with UC Merced.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Stan State has faced a challenging schedule this season, with its opponents owning a combined 63-38-29 record and only three of the Warriors' 12 opponents currently holding losing records.  Three Stan State opponents are currently ranked in the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Top 25 — No. 1 Cal State LA, No. 6 Cal State San Bernardino and No. 25 Cal State San Marcos. Seattle Pacific was ranked No. 25 when the Warriors faced the Falcons in the season opener and is currently receiving votes. No other teams remaining on Stan State's regular-season schedule are currently nationally ranked.

CCAA STATISTICAL LEADERS
As a team, Stan State ranks fifth in the CCAA in goals-against average, allowing 18 goals through 12 matches for a 1.50 average. The Warriors also rank sixth in the conference with 18 assists, averaging 1.50 assists per match.
Offensively, Cervantes ranks fourth in the CCAA with 30 shots, fifth with six goals and sixth with 14 shots on goal. Yepez ranks ninth with 29 shots and is tied for ninth with four assists.

In goal, Isasi ranks sixth in the CCAA with a 1.50 goals-against average and seventh with two shutouts. His 39 saves rank eighth in the conference, while his 3.25 saves per match also rank eighth.

NCAA STATISTICAL LEADERS
Stan State ranks 44th in NCAA Division II with 18 total assists through 12 matches.  Individually, Isasi is tied for first nationally with 1,080 goalkeeper minutes played and ranks 50th with 39 total saves. Cervantes ranks 37th nationally with six goals, while Yepez ranks 47th with four assists.

CLIMBING THE WARRIOR RECORD BOOK
Several current Warriors are making their way up the Stan State career record book. Yepez has eight goals and 12 assists for 28 career points and is just one point away from tying Josh Santillan and Samuel Villanueva for ninth on the career points list. His 12 assists already rank third in program history.

Cervantes has 11 career goals and 25 career points, with his 11 goals placing him in a tie for 10th in program history. Cervantes also has six goals this season and is one goal away from moving into Stan State's single-season top 10, where seven goals currently marks the threshold.

Duran has 12 career goals, tying Tony Amaral for eighth, and 28 career points, putting him one point away from the career top 10. Flores has 10 career goals and seven assists for 27 points, leaving him one goal shy of the career top 10 in goals and two points shy of the top 10 in points.

CCAA STANDINGS UPDATE
Cal State LA leads the CCAA with 16 points at 5-0-1, followed by Cal State San Bernardino with 12. Menlo and Cal State Dominguez Hills each have 10 points, while Cal State San Marcos and UC Merced have nine apiece. Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State East Bay each have eight points.

Stan State enters the week with three points at 0-3-3 and six regular-season matches remaining. The Warriors sit five points behind Pomona and East Bay in the race for one of the seven CCAA Tournament berths. Sunday's opponent, UC Merced, is tied for fifth with nine points at 3-3 in conference play, making the Central Valley matchup an important opportunity for the Warriors to gain ground in the postseason race.

The top seven teams advance to the 2026 CCAA Tournament. First-round matches will be played Sunday, Nov. 1, at campus sites, with the semifinals set for Friday, Nov. 6, and the CCAA Championship match on Sunday, Nov. 8, at Kellogg Stadium in Pomona.

SCOUTING UC MERCED
UC Merced enters Sunday's Central Valley matchup 4-3-3 overall and 3-3 in CCAA play. The Bobcats come to Turlock riding a two-match winning streak after earning a 4-2 road victory over Cal State East Bay and a 1-0 victory over then-No. 6 Cal State San Bernardino.

The Bobcats have scored 15 goals while allowing 14 through 10 matches. UC Merced is averaging 1.50 goals and 11.8 shots per match and has put 60 of its 118 shots on goal for a .508 shot-on-goal percentage. The Bobcats have also generated 52 corner kicks.

Erlin Gomez leads UC Merced with four goals and eight points while putting 12 of his 20 shots on goal. Christian Khanishian also has eight points with two goals and a team-high four assists. Matthew Aldana, Felipe Lopez and Jose Vazquez have each scored twice.

Angel Joaquin has seen the majority of the action in goal, posting a 3-2-1 record with 28 saves, a .757 save percentage, a 1.47 goals-against average and one shutout. Abel Calvillo is 1-1-2 with a 1.30 goals-against average in four appearances.

UC Merced has won three of its last four CCAA matches after beginning conference play 1-3.

SERIES HISTORY VS. UC MERCED
Sunday will mark the second all-time meeting between the Central Valley rivals. Stan State leads the series 1-0 after earning a 4-0 CCAA victory over UC Merced on Nov. 6, 2025, at Warrior Stadium.

After a scoreless first half, the Warriors erupted for four second-half goals. Ian Reis opened the scoring in the 47th minute off assists from Samuel Villanueva and Federico Barbieri. Duran made it 2-0 in the 69th minute off an assist from Flores before Duran assisted Kenneth Solares' goal in the 72nd minute. Cervantes capped the scoring in the 84th minute.

Stan State outshot UC Merced 17-9, including 10-5 in the second half, while recording four saves in the shutout. Duran finished with a goal and an assist, while Cervantes also scored in the victory.

CCAA SOCCER ON FLOCollege
Fans can watch Stan State men's soccer throughout the 2026 season on FloCollege as part of the CCAA's partnership with FloSports. Sunday's 11 a.m. Central Valley matchup between Stan State and UC Merced will be streamed live on FloCollege.

All Stan State home matches are also available on Blue Chip Broadcasting, with Kyle Morrison providing the play-by-play from Warrior Stadium.

UP NEXT
Following Sunday's match against UC Merced, Stan State remains home to host Cal Poly Pomona on Thursday, Oct. 15, at 4 p.m. The Warriors then hit the road for a pair of CCAA matches, facing Menlo on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 3 p.m. in Atherton and Chico State on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m. in Chico.

Stan State returns to Warrior Stadium for Senior Night against Cal Poly Humboldt on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m. The Warriors will recognize eight seniors — Christian Brenes, Federico Barbieri, George Riberal, Gerardo Flores, Emmanuel Duran, Sergio Garcia, Cameron Belandres and David Lozano — prior to the final regular-season home match.

The Warriors conclude the regular season at Fresno Pacific on Thursday, Oct. 29, at 2 p.m. in Fresno.