The Chico State men’s soccer team will reach the halfway point of its 2010 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) schedule on Sunday. Whether the Wildcats will look back on it as a phenomenal first half or just a good one depends on what happens when they host Cal State Dominguez Hills Friday and Cal State L.A. Sunday.

Chico State currently sits atop the CCAA North Division standings, two points ahead of Cal State Stanislaus, which hosts Cal State L.A. Friday and Cal State Dominguez Hills Sunday. At 7-1 overall, 5-1 in the CCAA, and ranked No. 6 in the nation and No. 1 in the West Region, the Wildcats are currently riding high.

Their 7-1 start is matches the best start in the program since 1981. An 8-1 start would match their second best start ever behind only the 1971 Wildcats’ 8-0-1 start. That team went all the way to 13-0-1.

Cal State Dominguez Hills, in town for a 4:30 p.m. game Friday, is 5-1-2 overall and 4-1-1 in the CCAA, a point ahead of both Cal State San Bernardino and Cal State L.A. The Toros were ranked No. 1 in the nation a little over a week ago, but dropped completely out of the Top 25 after tying San Francisco State, losing to Cal State San Bernardino 4-0, and then slipping by Cal Poly Pomona 1-0.

Cal State L.A. was ranked No. 9 in those same national rankings before being swept by San Bernardino and Pomona last weekend and also dropping out of the Top 25. The Golden Eagles are 5-2 overall and 4-2 in the CCAA.

The Wildcats are coming off a huge 2-0 win against then-No. 23 Sonoma State in which Ferid Celosmanovic scored twice to raise his season goal total to a team-high six. The team’s defense has been equally impressive, however, allowing only five goals on the season thus far. The back line of Mike Janjigian, Jacob Darr, Ryan Nevarez, and Evan Johnston has also sparked the offense, combining for two goals and seven assists thus far.