HAYWARD, Calif. — The Cal State East Bay women's soccer team leaps into California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play this weekend with two home showdowns at Pioneer Stadium.

CSUEB (1-3-2) plays host to No. 1-ranked UC San Diego on Friday, Sept. 27, beginning at 4:30 p.m., and takes on Cal State San Marcos on Sunday, Sept. 29, at 11:30 a.m. Both contests will have live stats and will be streamed here.

All eyes will be on Friday's conference opener against UC San Diego (5-0), which enters the contest ranked No. 1 in the nation. However, the Pioneers played the Tritons to a scoreless tie in 2017 and dropped a close contest in San Diego last season, 2-1.

"I'm so excited," said Pioneer senior defender Ally Smith. "I know (UC San Diego) is No. 1 right now, but last year we matched up pretty good. We're looking forward to it."

Not to be overlooked is a looming matchup against Cal State San Marcos (1-2-2) on Sunday, as the Cougars are coming off a 0-0 tie against Biola on Sept. 21.

"We always look forward to starting CCAA play," said head coach Robin Hart. "In the CCAA, every game is a battle."

The Pioneers are riding high after an emphatic 5-0 home victory over Holy Names on Sept. 19, and are coming off a 0-0 tie on the road against Dominican on Sept. 21. After a tough start to the season on the road, a couple subtle adjustments have Cal State East Bay in position begin conference play on a high note.

"We picked up a lot of things we were struggling with, and the win vs Holy Names was huge for us," said Smith. "Also, to get two shutouts in a row was really big for our back line."

The Pioneers will find out exactly how far they've come when the clock starts Friday evening.

"We've had some bumps in the road and have talked about fixing things one degree at a time," said Hart. "We've gotten back on track and are heading in the right direction. Now it's time to perform.

"Against a quality team like UC San Diego, you can't take plays off," said Hart. "We need 100-percent focus 100-percent of the time."
 
PIONEER NOTES:

• The Pioneers have outshot opponents this season 107-73, with a 48-42 edge in shots on goal
• Cal State East Bay has recorded 23 corner kicks this season, while the opposition has 22
• Junior Lauren McDougal has team highs four goals and eight total points this season
• Senior Chace Miguel, junior Riley Spitzer and senior Kellie Murphy each have a team-best two assists
• Miguel has recorded a team-high 11 shots on goal
• Freshman goalkeeper Jordan Smith has made five starts this season, tallying 30 saves and allowing 11 goals
• Cal State East Bay is 1-4 all-time against Cal State San Marcos and 1-10-1 against UC San Diego