TURLOCK, Calif.--- No. 5 Stan State returns to Warrior Stadium for its 2026 home opener Thursday, Sept. 3, when the Warriors host Saint Martin's at 7 p.m. The match begins a six-match homestand for Stan State, which will also host Simon Fraser on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 11 a.m. to close out the weekend.
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 is 28-20 at Stan State and 54-38-13 in his collegiate coaching career.
Powell's 28 victories rank third among Stan State men's soccer head coaches, trailing only Dana Taylor (91) and Eric Mild (42). Powell needs two victories to become the third head coach in program history to reach 30 wins.
Powell guided the Warriors to one of the most successful seasons in program history in 2025. Stan State finished 17-2-1, captured its first CCAA Tournament Championship since 2012 and advanced to the NCAA Division II Third Round for the deepest NCAA postseason run in program history. The Warriors climbed to No. 1 in the nation for two consecutive weeks, established a program-record 14-match unbeaten streak and finished the season ranked No. 5 nationally.
For his efforts, Powell was named the CCAA Coach of the Year, while the Stan State coaching staff was named the United Soccer Coaches West Region Coaching Staff of the Year.
The Warriors' coaching staff also features a familiar face in 2026 as former Stan State All-American
Ian Reis joins the program as a student assistant. Reis earned United Soccer Coaches First Team All-America honors in 2025 and was named the CCAA Tournament Defensive MVP while helping the Warriors capture the conference tournament championship and advance to the NCAA Division II Third Round.
WEEKEND RECAP
No. 5 Stan State returns to Turlock with an 0-2 record after opening the 2026 season with a pair of West Region matches in Washington. The Warriors fell 3-1 to No. 25 Seattle Pacific on Thursday in Seattle before dropping a 2-1 decision to Western Washington on Saturday in Bellingham.
Alexis Cervantes scored Stan State's first goal of the season against Seattle Pacific off an assist from
Adrian Yepez, while Yepez scored against Western Washington off assists from
Kenneth Solares and
Cameron Belandres. Cervantes and Yepez each scored their sixth career goal during the trip, while Yepez now has six goals and nine assists for 21 career points.
Dylan Isasi recorded seven saves, including five in the second half, against Western Washington.
WARRIORS IN REVIEW
Through two matches, Stan State has scored two goals on 23 shots, with seven shots on goal. The Warriors are averaging 11.5 shots per match. Yepez leads Stan State with three points on one goal and one assist, while Cervantes has one goal. Solares and Belandres each have an assist.
Emmanuel Duran leads the Warriors with six shots, followed by Yepez and Cervantes with five apiece.
Isasi has played all 180 minutes in goal and has nine saves through the first two matches.
WARRIOR RECORD BOOK
Adrian Yepez is tied for eighth on Stan State's career assists list with nine. He is one assist shy of tying Hugo Brambila and Daniel Kuczynski for sixth with 10. Yepez also has six career goals and 21 career points, putting him eight points shy of the career top 10 in points.
Emmanuel Duran has 10 career goals and is one goal shy of tying Josh Santillan, Patrick Carey and Rigoberto Gonzalez for ninth on Stan State's career list. His 23 career points are six shy of the career top 10.
Gerardo Flores has nine career goals, two shy of the career top 10. His six career assists are three shy of the career top 10, while his 24 career points are five shy of the career top 10.
SIX-MATCH HOMESTAND
Thursday's home opener begins a stretch of six consecutive matches at Warrior Stadium for Stan State. The homestand spans three weekends and includes four non-conference contests before the Warriors begin CCAA play.
Stan State is 12-8-5 at Warrior Stadium during
John Powell's tenure, including an 8-1-1 home record last season.
Following this weekend's matches against Saint Martin's and Simon Fraser, Stan State hosts Hawaii Pacific on Thursday, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m. and Dominican (Calif.) on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m.
The Warriors conclude the home stand by opening CCAA play against Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. before hosting No. 20 Cal State Dominguez Hills on Sunday, Sept. 20, at 2 p.m.
REMEMBERING MARCUS ZIEMER
Prior to Thursday evening's home opener against Saint Martin's, Stan State will hold a moment of silence in memory of longtime Sonoma State men's soccer coach and college soccer legend Marcus Ziemer, who passed away this past spring at the age of 62.
Ziemer spent 36 years coaching at Sonoma State, including 35 seasons as head coach, and was a respected figure throughout the CCAA and NCAA Division II soccer communities. He led the Seawolves to the 2002 NCAA Division
II National Championship, eight CCAA titles and was named CCAA Coach of the Year six times.
Beyond his accomplishments on the field, Ziemer will be remembered for his dedication to his student-athletes, Sonoma State and the countless lives he touched throughout his career.
SCOUTING SAINT MARTIN'S
Saint Martin's enters Thursday's match 2-0 after opening the season with back-to-back shutouts. The Saints defeated Walla Walla 5-0 on Thursday before earning a 1-0 neutral-site victory over Westmont on Saturday. Saint Martin's has outscored its opponents 6-0 while holding a 37-22 advantage in shots through two matches.
Xander Koenig leads the Saints with two goals and one assist for five points. Juan Diaz has one goal and two assists, while Jonathan Wright has a goal and an assist. Cole Sullivan and Ismail Mamadou have also scored. Goalkeeper Connor Leistiko has played all 180 minutes, recording seven saves and two shutouts.
SERIES HISTORY
Stan State is 4-1 all-time against Saint Martin's, including a 4-0 victory last season in Lacey, Wash.
Emmanuel Duran scored twice, while
Kenneth Solares and
Christian Brenes each scored once.
Sergio Garcia,
David Lozano and
Hugo Canedo recorded assists in the victory.
The Warriors' only loss in the series was a 4-1 setback to the Saints in Turlock in 2019.
SCOUTING SIMON FRASER
Simon Fraser enters the week 0-1 after opening its season with a 2-0 loss to Westmont on Aug. 27 in Burnaby, B.C. Simon Fraser will travel to Chico State for a 7 p.m. match on Thursday before facing the Warriors Saturday morning at 11 a.m. at Warrior Stadium.
Simon Fraser held a 14-13 advantage in shots against Westmont, put six attempts on goal and finished even with Westmont at eight corner kicks.
Arin Garza and Daniel James Jackson each recorded four shots in the opener, with Jackson putting two on goal. Koji Poon finished with two shots and had a penalty kick saved in the 64th minute. Goalkeeper Harrison Gough recorded three saves.
Simon Fraser finished the 2025 season 6-9-3 overall and 5-4-1 in GNAC play.
SERIES HISTORY
Simon Fraser leads the all-time series 2-1. Stan State earned its first victory in the series last season with a 3-0 win in Canada.
Gerardo Flores scored twice and
Christian Brenes added a goal, while
Adrian Yepez recorded an assist.
Saturday's match will mark the first meeting between the two programs in Turlock. The previous three meetings were played in Canada, Santa Barbara and Hayward.
FALL SEASON TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR WARRIOR ATHLETICS
Season tickets for the 2026 fall season are available for Warrior Athletics home events. Family passes are $120 and include admission for two adults and up to four children, while individual season tickets are $60. Single-game tickets are $12 for adults and $7 for children ages 5-17 and seniors ages 55 and older. Stan State Athletics will be cashless for all ticket purchases during the 2026-27 academic year. Fans can purchase season and single-game tickets online through WarriorAthletics.com.
WATCH THE WARRIORS
Warrior fans can follow Stan State on FloCollege throughout the season when the Warriors compete at CCAA venues. Beginning with the Sept. 10 home match against Hawaii Pacific, all remaining Stan State men's soccer home matches will also be broadcast live on Blue Chip Broadcasting and FloCollege from Warrior Stadium, with Kyle Morrison calling the play-by-play. A FloCollege subscription provides access to more than 12,000 events throughout the season and can be streamed through the FloSports app on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and mobile devices.
UP NEXT
Stan State continues its six-match home stand next week with two more non-conference matches at Warrior Stadium. The Warriors host Hawaii Pacific on Thursday, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m. before welcoming Dominican (Calif.) on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m.
Both matches will be streamed on FloCollege and broadcast on Blue Chip Broadcasting.
