Oh that sexy banner. A 4x6 slice of vinyl never looked so good. Those metal grommets, aching to be filled… to feel the strain of gravity’s pull. The shiny white background, existing only to make the reflex blue wording pop in the viewer’s eye.

The burning desire of every piece of the Chico State men’s soccer program is to hold it, caress it, and see it hanging proudly forever. It reads: “CCAA Champion… Men’s Soccer… 2011.”

Fourth-year Head Coach Felipe Restrepo’s program has accomplished much in his short time at the helm – three CCAA Championship berths, two CCAA North Division titles, and last season’s NCAA Championship West Regional title to name a few. But that banner is something the Wildcats have not held since 2003.

That could change this weekend.

The Wildcats’ pursuit of the aforementioned pennant and the permanence it represents begins Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. when they take on Cal State Dominguez Hills in the opening round of the CCAA Championship Tournament at Warrior Stadium in Turlock. The winner will advance to the title match to take on either Cal State L.A. or Cal State Stanislaus Sunday afternoon at 2.

Chico State earned the tournament’s top seed thanks to a tiebreaker over Cal State L.A. The Wildcats, 12-3-3 overall and ranked No. 15 in the nation by the National Soccer Coaches Association, finished high atop the CCAA North Division standings at 11-3-2. Their 33 points matched the total of Cal State L.A., which won the CCAA’s South Division with a record of 10-1-5. Because those teams tied 2-2 earlier this season in L.A., the tiebreaker came down to results versus Cal State Dominguez Hills, which finished with the third highest point total in the conference.

Chico State shocked the Toros 5-0 on Sept. 16 in Carson. That, coupled with the Toros’ win and tie in two matchups with Cal State L.A. this season, made the Wildcats the top seed.

Cal State Dominguez Hills is the No. 3 seed and Cal State Stanislaus No. 4.

The Toros are 12-4-2 overall and finished CCAA play with a record of 10-4-2. Cal State Stanislaus, which moved past Sonoma State to grab the conference tournament’s final berth on Sunday, finished 11-5-2 overall and 9-5-2 in the CCAA. The Wildcats beat the Warriors 2-0 in Turlock on Sept. 11 and then played them to a scoreless draw in Chico on Sept. 30.

This weekend also marks the final opportunity for the four tournament teams to make their case for a spot in the NCAA Championship Tournament. Four teams from the West Region will receive an invitation during Monday’s 4 p.m. selection show. The most recent rankings were released Wednesday and the Wildcats were listed No. 2, behind only Seattle Pacific University. Cal State L.A. is No. 3, Grand Canyon No. 4, Cal State Dominguez Hills No. 5, and Cal State Stanislaus No. 6.

It’s safe to say that that beautiful banner is not this weekend’s only object of desire.

Chico State is 2-3-1 all time in five trips to the CCAA Championship Tournament. The Wildcats won that title in 2003, by beating Cal State San Bernardino 1-0 in overtime and then UC San Diego 5-1 in the title match

They’ve faced Cal State Dominguez Hills in each of their last two trips to the CCAA Championship Tournament, losing on penalty kicks in 2008 and 3-0 in last season’s first round.

The conference championship match will be televised live on Comcast Hometown Network for Comcast cable subscribers. The broadcast feed also will be streamed live through Stretch Internet. Access that through the CCAA Men’s Championship Tournament link provided below. Live stats will be available for all tournament matches via that site.

Tickets to the CCAA Soccer Tournament are available for advance purchase by visiting WarriorAthletics.com/CCAASoccer.

Two-day tournament passes are $15 for general admission, $8 for students and seniors, and $3 for children under 12. Single-day tickets are $8 for general admission, $5 for students and seniors, and $2 for children under 12.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE CCAA MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT HOME PAGE

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS

The entire CCAA Championship Tournament schedule follows…

2011 CCAA Championship Tournament Schedule
November 4-6
Turlock, Calif.

Friday, November 4
Women’s Tournament
Game 1: No. 2 Cal State L.A. vs. No. 3 Chico State; 11 a.m.
Game 2: No. 1 UC San Diego vs. No. 4 Cal State Stanislaus; 1:30 p.m.

Men’s Tournament
Game 1: No. 1 Chico State vs. No. 3 Cal State Dominguez Hills; 4:30 p.m.
Game 2: No. 2 Cal State L.A. vs. No. 4 Cal State Stanislaus; 7 p.m.

Sunday, November 6
Women’s Championship: 11:30 a.m.
Men’s Championship: 2 p.m.