SEASIDE, Calif. — The Cal State Monterey Bay men's soccer team will look to take the next step this season, hoping to secure the NCAA Tournament bid it just missed out on in 2013.

The Otters enjoyed an historic 2013 campaign in which they set a school record for wins (11) while posting the fourth–best record in the CCAA (11–5–2). Despite returning 16 players from that squad, including 2013 All–CCAA midfielder Max Madrigal (Oxnard College) and 2012 All–CCAA goalkeeper Evan Drake (Sacramento/El Camino HS), the CCAA coaches picked the Otters to finish just eighth in the 12–team CCAA standings this season.


CSUMB will get its first chance to prove the prognosticators wrong this week when it opens the regular season Thursday (Sept. 4) against Notre Dame de Namur. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m.

CSUMB dropped the first three meetings against NDNU at the NCAA level before finally breaking through against the Argonauts last season, posting their first win in the NCAA series with a 2–1 overtime win in Belmont. Servando Perez scored the golden goal to give the Otters the win. Then sophomore Rudy Gonzales (Bakersfield/Independence HS) countered a goal by NDNU's Jonathan Gonzalez to force extra time.

The Otters are 1–1–1 all–time in season openers under Head Coach Rob Cummings (@RobCummings3).

In addition to Drake and Madrigal, key Otters to watch in the early season include Drew Ramsey (Encinitas/La Costa Canyon HS) in the defense, Manny Cazares (Panorama City/Drexel Univ.) and Julian Salas (Long Beach/Lakewood HS) orchestrating the attack in the midfield and pesky Michael Brixey (Truckee HS) buzzing in the opponent penalty area..

After opening against NDNU, the Otters will concluded their brief 2–game homestand against Great Northwest Conference foe Northwest Nazarene Saturday (Sept. 6) at 11 a.m. Both matches will be the opener of men's/women's doubleheader action. The Otter women will battle NDNU at 3 p.m. Thursday and Central Washington at 2 p.m. Saturday.