Point Loma Nazarenes women’s and men’s soccer programs are headed to the NCAA Division II playoffs, while San Diego State will not be joining USD in the men’s Division I field.
San Diego State’s men’s soccer season ended Wednesday, when the top-seeded and Western Athletic Conference regular-season champions were upset 3-2 by fifth-seeded San Jose State in the semifinals of the WAC Tournament in Phoenix. The Spartans scored three second-half goals after the 10-5-3 Aztecs had taken a 2-0 lead on a pair of Andre Puente goals.
USD finished a 13-2-2 regular season Sunday with a 1-0 win at Loyola Marymount. Samy Kanaan scored the Toreros’ goal on a feed from Owen Walz while goalkeeper Donovan Parisian got the shutout as USD held the hosts without a shot on goal in the second half.
Meanwhile, both Sea Lions teams are nationally ranked heading into the Division II tourney.
The defending NCAA Division II champion PLNU women will host seventh-seeded Simon Fraser on Thursday. The PacWest Conferences regular-season champions, PLNU (15-2-1) captured the postseason tournament last week with wins of 3-0 over Westmont and 3-2 over Hawaii-Hilo in the championship game.
Tourney most outstanding player Bethany Arabe scored the winning goal against Hawaii-Hilo in the 15th minute of overtime after Zoe Crockett, the tourney’s top defender, tied the game in the 88th minute. Alana Diaz scored goals in both wins.
The Sea Lions’ Emma Thrapp was named the PacWest Defender of the Year for the second straight season. Julia Pinnell was the co-Goalkeeper of the Year, Priya Torres was named the Freshman of the Year and Kristie Kiely was named the Coach of the Year.
The men’s soccer team will enter the NCAA Division II playoffs as the No. 8 seed and face ninth-seeded Western Oregon Thursday in a first-round game at Pueblo, Colo. The Sea Lions (11-3-3) were ranked sixth in the nation and won the PacWest regular season title before losing a second straight 1-0 decision to Fresno Pacific in the semifinals of their conference tournament.
Elsewhere
Mesa College’s football and women’s volleyball teams qualified for state playoffs, while the regional champion men’s and women’s cross country teams run for state titles Saturday in Fresno.
The Olympians’ football team beat Palomar College 14-10 on Saturday to complete the regular season with an 8-2 record and No. 6 ranking. Sophomore running back Danny Davis (San Pasqual High School) scored both Mesa touchdowns on runs of three and 10 yards and finished with 103 yards on 19 carries. Mesa will play at Riverside on Nov. 30 in a Southern California Regionals semifinal.
The reigning state champion women’s volleyball team will learn Thursday who it will play in the regionals, which run from Nov. 23-30. The Olympians are 23-1 and won 14 straight matches to finish the regular season as Pacific Coast Athletic Association champions (16-0). Seventh-ranked Grossmont College (19-8) and 24th-ranked Palomar College (18-5) tied for second in PCAC play with 12-4 records.
• Regular-season champion MiraCosta College is one of four PCAC teams in the Southern California women’s soccer regionals, which start Wednesday. MiraCosta (16-4-1, 15-0-1 in PCAC play) will host Bakersfield College. Miramar College (14-7) and Mesa College (12-9) are on the road Wednesday. Southwestern College (19-1-1) earned a first-round bye.
• A number of San Diego college basketball teams are off to fast starts. The San Diego State women’s team is 4-0. USDs women are 2-0. Point Loma Nazarenes men are 4-1, as are the Cuyamaca College men. The Mesa College women are off to a 4-0 start, while the Grossmont College and Palomar College teams are both 4-1.