TURLOCK, Calif.---Nationally ranked Stanislaus State men's soccer wraps up its historic 2025 campaign this week, hosting UC Merced in the Warriors' home finale at Warrior Stadium. Kickoff is set for Thursday morning at 11:30 a.m. on FloCollege. The Warriors enter the match with a chance to clinch their first-ever CCAA regular-season title — if Stan State wins and Cal State Dominguez Hills loses or ties at Cal State East Bay, with both matches kicking off simultaneously at 11:30 a.m., the Warriors will secure the championship outright.

Weekend Recap
The then No. 1 ranked Warriors (13-1-1 overall, 7-1-1 CCAA) saw their school-record 14-match unbeaten streak come to an end Friday night in a narrow 1-0 loss at No. 10-ranked Cal State Dominguez Hills, their first defeat since early September. Prior to that, Stan State had won seven straight matches—also a program record—outscoring opponents 21-4 during that span.

Warriors Update
Stanislaus State enters the final week of the regular season as one of the nation's top-ranked programs and the top team in the West Region, boasting one of the country's stingiest defenses and most balanced attacks. The Warriors have scored 33 goals while allowing only nine, ranking among the national leaders in goals-against average (0.60) and goal differential (+24).

Gerardo Flores continues to pace the offense with nine goals and five assists (23 points), while Emmanuel Duran has added seven goals and two assists to give the Warriors a powerful one-two punch up front. Sebastian Carbajal has contributed five goals and an assist, and playmaker Adrian Yepez has been instrumental in the midfield with two goals and six assists. Samuel Villanueva leads the CCAA and ranks among the national leaders with nine assists, driving the Warriors' fluid attack from the back and midfield lines. Together, that core has powered a Stan State offense averaging more than two goals per match.

The Warriors' defensive unit — anchored by Villanueva, Christian Brenes, Ian Reis, Federico Barbieri, David Lozano, and Ryan Rosas — has been a steady and disciplined force all season, helping limit opponents to fewer than 10 shots per game and just nine total goals allowed. Goalkeeper Angel Ruiz-Hernandez anchors the group with 50 saves and an .847 save percentage, owning seven shutouts on the year. At home, the Warriors are 6-0-1, outscoring visitors 13-3.

CCAA Standings and Postseason Picture
The Warriors enter Thursday's finale in second place in the CCAA standings with 22 points (7-1-1), just one point behind Cal State Dominguez Hills (7-0-2, 23 points). Both teams have clinched first-round byes and semifinal berths in next week's CCAA Tournament. The top six seeds have clinched postseason spots — Cal State Dominguez Hills, Stanislaus State, Cal State East Bay, Cal State LA, Cal State San Marcos, and Cal State San Bernardino. UC Merced, in its first provisional NCAA season, sits ninth in the standings at 2-6-1 (7 points) and is not eligible for postseason play.

If Stanislaus State defeats UC Merced and Dominguez Hills fail to win at Cal State East Bay, the Warriors will capture their first-ever CCAA regular-season championship.

NCAA Super Region 4 Rankings
The NCAA released its first set of Division II men's soccer Super Region rankings on Tuesday, Oct. 29, with nationally ranked Stanislaus State listed among the programs receiving consideration in Super Region 4. The initial release, which lists teams alphabetically, marks the first step in the NCAA postseason selection process for the Division II Men's Soccer Championship.

Super Region 4 includes programs from the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC), Lone Star Conference (LSC), Pacific West Conference (PacWest), and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC). Among the teams receiving consideration this week are Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State LA, CSU Pueblo, Cal State San Bernardino, Fort Lewis, Hawai'i Hilo, Midwestern State, Point Loma Nazarene, Seattle Pacific, Stanislaus State, and Western Washington.

The next Super Region 4 rankings will be released on Wednesday, Nov. 5, with the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship Selection Show scheduled for Monday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. ET on NCAA.com. The top 10 teams in Super Region 4 will receive berths to the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship, which begins Thursday, Nov. 20.

NCAA and CCAA Leaders
The Warriors rank among the national leaders in several team categories, sitting tied for sixth in assists per game, tied for eighth in goal differential, 11th in points per game, seventh in save percentage, tied for 20th in scoring offense, tied for fifth in shutout percentage, third in winning percentage, and 14th in total points. Stanislaus State is also one of just eight teams in the nation with only one loss this season, while only five programs remain unbeaten in Division II men's soccer.

Individually, Samuel Villanueva is tied for eighth in Division II with nine total assists and ranks sixth nationally in assists per game. Gerardo Flores is tied for fifth in the nation with five game-winning goals. Goalkeeper Angel Ruiz-Hernandez ranks seventh in goals-against average, 10th in save percentage, and sixth in total shutouts.

Within the CCAA, Flores is tied for first with nine goals, leads the league with five game-winning goals, and is tied for sixth with five assists. Duran is tied for fourth with seven goals and tied for fifth with two game-winners, while Carbajal ranks tied for seventh with five goals and tied for fifth with two game-winning tallies. Villanueva leads the conference with nine assists, Yepez is tied for fourth with six, and Kenneth Solares is tied for fifth with two game-winners. Ruiz-Hernandez leads all CCAA goalkeepers in goals-against average, save percentage, and shutouts, and is tied for fifth in saves per game.

Scouting UC Merced
Thursday marks the first-ever meeting between Stanislaus State and UC Merced. The visiting Bobcats (3-9-3 overall) have endured a tough season in their first year as provisional NCAA members, but they've shown fight in recent weeks—picking up back-to-back wins over Chico State (1-0) and Cal Poly Humboldt (2-0) before a 1-0 loss at Cal State San Marcos on Sunday. UC Merced has scored 14 goals in 15 matches, led by Christian Khanishian and Jose Ontiveros with three goals each. Goalkeeper Abel Calvillo owns a 0.83 goals-against average and .815 save percentage with two shutouts in seven starts. The Bobcats average 10.6 shots per game but have converted on just 8.8 percent of their attempts.

Warrior Record Book
Several Warriors continue to climb both the single-season and career record lists this fall. Samuel Villanueva ranks second in program history with 13 career assists, while goalkeeper Angel Ruiz-Hernandez is third all-time with 13 shutouts, sixth with 108 saves, and third with 19 career victories. On the single-season charts, Gerardo Flores is tied for fifth with nine goals and tied for fifth with 23 points. Villanueva's nine assists this year rank second all-time for a single season, while Adrian Yepez's six assists are tied for fourth. In goal, Ruiz-Hernandez's eight shutouts this fall are tied for second-most in a single season in Warrior history.

FloCollege and Live Stats
Thursday's match will stream live on FloCollege with free live stats available at warriorathletics.com.

2025 CCAA Men's Soccer Tournament Presented by FloCollege
at Cardinale Stadium, Cal State Monterey Bay, Seaside, Calif.
Sunday, Nov. 9 – First Round (at campus sites)
Match 1: #6 Seed at #3 Seed, 11:30 a.m. or Noon
Match 2: #5 Seed at #4 Seed, 11:30 a.m. or Noon
Friday, Nov. 14 – Semifinals (at Cardinale Stadium)
Match 3: #2 Seed vs. Winner Match 1, 10:30 a.m.
Match 4: #1 Seed vs. Winner Match 2, 1:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 16 – Championship
Match 5: Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4, 11:30 a.m.
The winner of the CCAA Tournament will receive the conference's automatic berth into the 2025 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship.