ATHERTON -- The Cal State Dominguez Hills men's soccer team suffered a potentially disastrous 3-1 setback at Menlo College this afternoon, placing them eighth in the California Collegiate Athletic Association race with one match left in the regular season after the CCAA announced its "
average points per match calculations" to determine the final 2026 league standings.
These calculations, previously used in 2017 and 2019, were activated after weather forced the cancellation of a conference match and created an unbalanced schedule.  Instead of ranking teams by total points, the CCAA will divide each team's points by the number of conference matches played. This calculation accounts for differences in matches played while preserving the value of wins and ties.
After today's loss, CSUDHÂ faces the daunting task of not only needing a win against the top-ranked team in the nation in crosstown-rival Cal State LA, but also needing 6th-place Menlo to lose against 3rd-place Cal State Monterey Bay, which would drop MC to 8th place and move the Toros into the 7th and final spot.
Both matches take place on Thursday, October 29, at 2 pm.
After a scoreless first half, Menlo scored two quick goals 11 minutes after intermission for a 2-nil lead.
Tucker Malinofsky cut CSUDH's deficit in half with a diving header after a
Justin Cuevas cross at the 71:31 mark, but the Oaks answered with an insurance goal 12 minutes later to seal the win despite the Toros out-shooting MC 19 to 7 in the second half.
The teams combined for 20 fouls on the day, with Menlo earning two red cards, losing two starters heading into their regular season finale against the Otters.
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