With the postseason field now set, five teams will compete for an NCAA berth in the 2026 SCIAC Men's Soccer Tournament, beginning on Tuesday, November 3.
Redlands claimed the top spot with 27 conference points, followed by Claremont-Mudd-Scripps as the second seed, La Verne as the third seed, Pomona-Pitzer as the fourth seed and Whittier as the fifth seed.
The Bulldogs, led by first-year head coach Alex Ortega, lost just one match in SCIAC play and allowed six goals in its 12-match conference slate. Complimenting the defensive efforts, the offense is tied for a league-best 23 goals against conference opponents, with Zachary Darmanyan scoring 10 of those. He has found the back of the net in all but four SCIAC matches played this season and recorded braces against both California Lutheran and Occidental. Goalkeeper Jaden Nisperos has fortified the net by making 47 saves with a league-high .887 save percentage. Though Redlands is just over one week removed from its first conference loss of the season, the Bulldogs quickly recovered and ended the regular season with back-to-back shutout wins.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps fell four points shy of the regular season championship but still earned hosting privelages, as the Stags will take on La Verne in the semi-finals on Wednesday night. After CMS won just one match in its first five SCIAC contests, the Stags went on to finish 6-2 in their final eight tilts. The resurgence was led by James Gomez, who was tied for second in goals scored in conference play with six. Notably, he recorded a hat-trick in a win over Occidental and later had a two-goal performance against Cal Lutheran.
Despite being winless in their final four matches, the Leopards booked their trip directly into the semi-finals with 17 conference points. La Verne began its SCIAC slate with a 2-3-2 record but followed it up a three-match win streak in which the team outscored its opponents 10-1. Amongst the league's leading goal scorers is Alexander Bastidas, who scored five times against conference teams. In the assists category, Joel Trejo is also in the top-10 in the SCIAC with three.
In a dramatic final day of the regular season, the Sagehens earned a hard-fought three points with a 1-0 win over the Kingsmen to finish fourth and set up a home match for the first round against Whittier. The two teams are set to face off on Monday night in Claremont, Calif. After Pomona-Pitzer saw a three-match losing streak in early October, the Sagehens went unbeated in their last four contests with three wins, including an impressive 2-1 victory over Redlands. Nate McGlinchey officially sent the team to the postseason with a 71st minute goal against Cal Lutheran in the regular season finale.
Though Whittier finished tied with Chapman in the standings with 15 points, the Poets claimed the head-to-head tiebreaker to clinch a tournament berth. It is Whittier's first time in the postseason since 2013, which was the final of five straight SCIAC Tournaments appearances. The Poets are seeking their first conference championship in nearly 50 years and their third title in program history.