The regular season stretch run has begun, and it’s time for the Chico State men’s soccer team to go to the whip. The defending NCAA West Region champion Wildcats are in a tightly bunched group of eight teams vying for the four spots in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship Tournament that starts just three weeks from Friday.

The Wildcats have six conference games remaining, beginning with Friday’s 12:30 p.m. match at San Francisco State. They’ll continue south to take own CCAA South Division leader Cal Poly Pomona Sunday at 11:30 a.m.

This weekend’s action could begin to separate out the wheat from the chaff in this year’s title hunt, as well as determine where teams are positioned when the first NCAA West Regional rankings are released Wednesday. The top four teams in the region at the end of the season will be chosen to advance to the NCAA Championship Tournament.

At 6-3-3 overall and 5-3-2 in the CCAA, the Wildcats currently sit in third place in the North Division with 17 points, two points behind Sonoma State and Cal State Stanislaus. (Teams receive three points for each win and one point for each tie.) Cal State Monterey Bay lurks just behind with 16 points.

Cal Poly Pomona paces the South Division with 22 points, but Cal State L.A. and Cal State Dominguez Hills have 19 apiece and UC San Diego has 15.

The winners of the North and South Divisions earn an automatic berth in the CCAA Championship Tournament, along with the two teams with the next highest point totals regardless of division.

The Wildcats are unbeaten against San Francisco State (3-0-1) since 2008 and have won the last three matchups. Chris Akwaja, who has scored in two of Chico State’s last three matches, has found the net in each of the Wildcats’ last three meetings between the teams.

The CCAA’s top two strikers from 2010 will square off in Sunday’s showdown. Cal Poly Pomona’s Luis Gonzales scored 12 goals last season and leads the conference this season with 11. Chico State’s Ferid Celosmanovic led the CCAA with 13 goals in 2010, and has found the back of the net six times thus far this season.

Celosmanovic got the better of the action in last season’s meeting, a 3-0 Chico State win. He scored the first two goals of the match, while Chico State goalkeeper Sam Evans stuffed Gonzalez’s only shot that was on frame in four attempts.

Live stats for both matches will be available at ccaalivestats.com.

The Wildcats will see their last home action the following weekend when they host Cal State East Bay on “Pack the House” night Friday at 7 and Cal State Monterey Bay on “Senior Day” Sunday at 2 p.m.

They’ll head back on the road to wrap up the regular season against Humboldt State Oct. 28 and Sonoma State Oct. 30.