This time, the stakes are even higher.
 
Heading into Saturday's match at University Soccer Stadium, the Chico State and UC San Diego men's soccer teams had already locked up berths in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament. They just did not know who or where they would be playing.
 
Less than 20 minutes after the Wildcats' 2-0 victory they both knew that a rematch, right back at Chico State, was on the horizon.
 
Chico State finished third in the CCAA standings and earned a first-round home match. UC San Diego finished in a tie for fifth, and by virtue of a tiebreaker, wound up as the No. 6 seed.
 
The teams will meet again Tuesday night at 6 p.m. This time, there are no guarantees for the losing team. The winner will advance to face Cal State LA in a CCAA Tournament semifinal match Friday at 4:30 p.m. at Triton Soccer Stadium on the campus of UC San Diego in La Jolla. The loser will await the NCAA Championship Tournament selection announcement on Monday, Nov. 5, at 3 p.m., to learn if it is one of three at-large teams chosen for the field. (The champions of the CCAA and Great Northwest Athletic Conference tournaments, along with the Pacific West Conference's regular-season champion, automatically grab three of the six berths.)
 
Chico State, which improved to 12-4-1 with Saturday's win, is No. 8 in the most recent West Region Rankings. UC San Diego, which fell to 13-3-2, was No. 3 in last week's rankings. But those rankings were released prior to Chico State's two victories (and the Tritons' win and loss) last week.
 
 
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30
UC San Diego at Chico State
6 p.m. PDT, University Soccer Stadium, Chico
CCAA Tournament – Opening Round
• Webcast: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/chico/
• LiveStats: https://chicowildcats.com/sidearmstats/msoc/summary
 
 
CCAA TOURNAMENT TICKETS (for match at Chico State)
The first 100 Chico State students with a valid ID will get in free. Tickets prices for Tuesday night's tilt are:
 
General Admission: $8
Seniors (age 60 and over)/Visiting Students w/ID: $5
Child (3-12 years of age): $3
Chico State Students w/valid ID: $3
 
There are no complimentary admissions for postseason games.
 
 
WILDCATS NEWS
The Wildcats worked hard to earn a first-round home match, winning 10 of their last 12 matches following a 2-2-1 start. They've won six straight at home, all in shutout fashion, including 1-0 against Cal State San Marcos and 2-0 over UC San Diego to round out the regular season.
 
The Wildcats rank sixth in the nation with a 0.487 team goals-against average, eighth in shutout percentage, and goalkeeper Damion Lewis is fourth in saves percentage. Senior striker Jeremiah Egujie ranks 11^th in the nation and leads the CCAA in game-winning goals. Five of his nine goals have nailed down a victory.
 
This marks Chico State's 11^th CCAA Tournament berth in 21 seasons, and seventh in the past nine. They are 3-8-2 in the event, having lost in the first round each of the past two seasons.
 
Chico State boasts an all-time postseason record of 22-20-5.  
 
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
UC San Diego (13-3-2)—The Tritons, who finished in a tie for fifth in the CCAA standings, are ranked No. 17 in the nation and No. 3 in the West Region.
 
If the Tritons have had a weakness, it's been their play on the road. After starting the season with 10 straight home matches, they have played six of their past eight on the road and gone just 2-3-1 in those matches.   
 
UC San Diego leads the all-time series, 12-8-4, though the Wildcats have won the last two meetings: 2-0 in La Jolla in both teams' 2017 CCAA opener; and 2-0 in Saturday's regular-season finale. 
 
The Wildcats have faced UC San Diego twice in the CCAA Tournament, beating the Tritons 5-1 in 2003 and falling to them 2-1 in overtime in 2013.