HAYWARD, Calif. — The final two home contests for the Cal State East Bay men's soccer team have crept up fast on redshirt junior Alec Hester.

The midfielder joins defender Tyson Griffin as Pioneers who will play their final home games this weekend, first against Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday, Oct. 25, before being honored prior to Sunday afternoon's contest against No. 4-ranked Cal State LA.

A native of El Dorado Hills, Calif., Hester is ready to finish off the home schedule on a high note.

"I'm really excited, but kind of sad its coming up this soon," he said prior to Wednesday's practice. "I didn't think my last home games would come this fast.

"We know they're two very good teams. It's going to be tough, but we've been on the upswing lately. I think we're going to get good results."

Fourth-year head coach Mike Bielski acknowledged Hester and Griffin will be big losses for the program due to their leadership.

This is especially true for Hester, who is the first Pioneer Bielski has coached for all four years.

"I can't say enough good things about (Hester)," Bielski said. "He sees vision we have as coaching staff and embraces it.

"He tries to implement it as a captain and teaches the young players this is the way we do things here. He's irreplaceable."

A lot has changed over the past four years in Hester's eyes, especially the culture created within the program.

"This biggest thing is how far the program has come since I've been here," he said. "There's been much better team spirit and much better vibe among the team.

"We've come really far with team camaraderie and the brotherhood."

After missing all of the 2018 season due to injury, Hester said he's thankful to be back on the field this year for one final run.

"It makes me a lot more thankful and appreciative of the time I get on the field," he said. "You kind of take it for granted until it gets taken away, and you realize how much it means to you."

The Pioneers are coming off two narrow road losses last weekend, including a close defeat at San Francisco State after leading the majority of the game.

However, Hester believes the team is close to breaking through.

"I think it's just been unlucky," Hester said. "We played two of our better games, but unfortunately the results didn't come our way.

"But there's obvious improvement from everyone. We're just going to keep carrying that into games, and with enough improvement, the results will come."

PIONEER POINTS

• Junior forward Tommy Flora has scored a goal in three-consecutive games, and leads the Pioneers in goals scored (3)
• Freshman midfielder Zack Mason is tied for a team-high with two assists and six total points, and leads the Pioneers in both shots (14) and shots on goal (9)
• Sophomore goalkeeper Juan Diego Escalante has tallied a team-best 40 saves this season
• Cal State East Bay played Cal State LA to a tie, 1-1, in two team's last meeting in Hayward in 2017