HAYWARD, Calif. – Cal State East Bay men's soccer will open league play inside Pioneer Stadium on Friday, Sept. 26, against Humboldt State. Head Coach Andy Cumbo will once again face the team he previously coached from 2004-08 and defeated 2-1 in last year's meeting.

Cal State East Bay vs. Humboldt State (Match Notes)
Humboldt State enters Friday's contest on a 5-match unbeaten streak (4-0-1) and has scored 13 goals during that stretch. Braxton Griffin and Alan Castillo have combined to score eight of the team's goals and provided all four of the Jacks game-winners this season.

Cal State East Bay snapped a 3-game losing skid to Humboldt State following last year's win. Javier Martin scored a pair of first half goals and the Pioneers hung on for the victory.

Both squads are unbeaten this year (7-0-2) when scoring at least one goal in a match. The Cal State East Bay offense has scored six times over its past two games including goals from Chris Lara and Michael Paiva in a 2-1 win over Chaminade this past Saturday.

Humboldt State was picked to finish 10th out of the 12-team field in the CCAA men's soccer coaches preseason poll. The Jacks (39) received only four points more than the Pioneers (35), and teams eight through 11 finished within 10 points of each other in the rankings.

Cal State East Bay at San Francisco State (Match Notes)
In that same poll, the Gators received only 15 points and picked to finish last. However San Francisco State is off to a 4-1-1 start and is 3-0-1 at Cox Stadium heading into the weekend. SFSU hosts Cal State Stanislaus and Cal State East Bay in the final two matches of a 5-game homestand on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

The Gators stingy defense has surrendered just three goals in 560 minutes this season (0.48 GAA). Starting goalkeeper Daniel Boyer has allowed only two scores in 450 minutes of action and boasts a 4-1-0 record with 19 saves and a 0.40 goals against average.

Cal State East Bay has dominated the "Battle of the Bay" rivalry as of late winning four straight meetings. Three have come in shutout fashion including last year's 3-0 victory at Cox Stadium. Trey James, Chris Franco, and Kellen Crow each scored second half goals to roll past the Gators.

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