Friday, Oct. 5 
vs. Chico State (4-6-0, 2-5-0 CCAA)
Pioneer Stadium | Hayward
7 p.m.
Live stats

Sunday, Oct. 7
vs. #8 Cal State Stanislaus (9-1-0, 5-1-0 CCAA)
Pioneer Stadium | Hayward
2 p.m.
Live stats


HAYWARD - Following six straight CCAA road games, the Pioneer women's soccer team returns home this week.  On October 5, the Pioneers will host Chico State at 7:00 p.m. The October 5 game will be Pioneer Women's Soccer Alumni night.  Alumni players who contributed to the success of the Pioneer women's soccer program will be honored. One lucky CSUEB student could win a $100 Pioneer Bookstore Gift Card on October 5. On October 7, Cal State East Bay will host Cal State Stanislaus on US Youth Soccer Day. The game is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Over 23 youth soccer teams will be in attendance.

“The team is very excited to play at home this weekend,” Pioneer coach Amy Gerace said.   “We haven't had a home match since our season opener against Sonoma State. Obviously, we take a lot of pride in playing in front of our fans and we love our field.”

The Pioneers, fourth in the CCAA North at 2-4-1 and 4-4-1 overall, lost a pair of 1-0 road decisions to Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus back in September.  Cal State East Bay split a pair of CCAA games over the weekend, losing to San Francisco State 2-1 on September 28 and defeating Cal State Monterey Bay 1-0 on September 30.

The Pioneers have outscored their opponents by a 16-11 margin. East Bay's backline remains solid having allowed six goals in their last six road games. The Pioneers will have the home field advantage when they face Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus this weekend at Pioneer Stadium.

“I think we have the advantage that we play at home on turf,” Gerace said.  “We are comfortable with our field and it's nice to be able to stay in familiar routine by not being on the road.”

Shianna Falk, coming off a game winning goal against Cal State Monterey Bay, tops the team in scoring with four goals and three assists. Falk is tied for sixth in the CCAA with three goals scored. Kara Yamamoto has scored two goals with a team-best five assists in nine games. Zuly Diaz has done a great job in the roll of center back for East Bay.                                                                                                                         

“Shianna, Kara and Zuly have all had a great season so far,” Gerace said. “Zuly stepped up immediately in the roll of center back and is such a tremendous player and leader. Kara is so consistent in the midfield and organizes our play on the field. Shianna is really starting to come on strong.  She has always done such a great job with her role on the field and it's exciting to see her getting goals and stepping up as a player.”

Eugenie Foote has scored three goals for the Pioneers followed by Breahna Berry and Ariana Gordon with two each. The Pioneers continue to receive solid play from goalkeepers Nina Cefalo and Jamie Botteon.  Cefalo, who has allowed 0.86 goals a game, is third in the CCAA with a .833 save percentage. Botteon , allowing 1.61 goals a game, ranks fifth in the CCAA with a .818 save percentage.

Chico State is in fifth place in the CCAA North Division with a 2-5 record. The Wildcats are 4-6 overall. Chico State is currently on a four-game losing streak.  Scotie Walker and Gail Bassett each have scored three goals for the Wildcats. Chico State goalkeeper Brianna Furner has allowed 1.18 goals and recorded four shutouts in 10 games.
     
Cal State Stanislaus, currently ranked eighth nationally, stands in second place in the CCAA North Division with a 5-1 record. The Warriors, currently on a seven-game winning streak, are 9-1 for the season. Cal State Stanislaus has scored 27 goals compared to six for their opponents. Karenee Demery has a team-high 12 goals scored for the Warriors. Demery leads the CCAA with six goals scored. Allie Dugan has scored three goals in 10 games this season.

The Pioneers, who will play six of their last eight CCAA games at home, are hopeful of reaching the post-season tournament in November.

“My expectation for this team is to take each game one at a time,” Gerace said. “We can't look past any opponent at this point. Having lost four conference games, we need to do our best to get points in every game from here on out and hope for the best come tournament time.”