Wild West showdown Sunday at high noon at University Soccer Stadium

Chico State hosts Grand Canyon for NCAA Championship Tournament West Region title

It’s hard to imagine something more impressive than the line of red-clad fans that curved one hundred yards or more into the Chico State parking lot prior to Friday night’s NCAA Championship Tournament West Regional opening round game pitting rivals Chico State and Sonoma State against each other. Or for that matter, the Wildcats’ dominant display in a 2-0 win that propelled them into Sunday’s regional title game scheduled to start at noon. Unless you were there to watch Grand Canyon crush Cal State San Bernardino a few hours earlier, that is.

The ’Lopes, ranked seventh in the nation at 15-2-2, certainly looked like one of the nation’s top teams during a 4-1 dismantling of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) South Division crown-holding Coyotes. Kyle Caliento, the nation’s scoring leader, netted his 26th and 27th goals of the season and also dished out an assist, while Cordero Young notched a goal and assist. They led 4-0 just over 52 minutes into the game.

Of course, the Wildcats (14-6-0) had some impressing of their own to do. Ferid Celosmanovic, the CCAA Offensive Player of the Year, tallied a goal and an assist and a patchwork Wildcats’ defense shut out the high-powered Seawolves’ offense in a 2-0 win in front of the largest crowd ever on record at University Soccer Stadium – 1,126.

High noon on Sunday is clearly a fitting time for these teams to settle the NCAA Championship Tournament West Region title. Tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for seniors, $3 for students with ID, and $2 for children 12-under.

Sunday’s survivor advances to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the right to advance to the National Final Four. The Wildcats, by virtue of their No. 1 seed in the West, would host that game versus the winner of Sunday’s showdown between South Central Region Champion Colorado School of Mines and South Region Champion Midwestern State (Texas) next Saturday at 1 PM. If Grand Canyon wins Sunday, the ’Lopes would play on the road next Saturday.

Either way, an impressive team will be representing the West.