Chico State midfielder Cayden Hotaling's mouth was as wide with wonder as the goal mouth as he sprinted in jubilation following his match-winning header Sunday afternoon at University Soccer Stadium. And when he was done celebrating with all of his teammates, Hotaling hustled across the pitch to Head Coach Felipe Restrepo and joy-screamed "I told you so!" It was a special moment for a special young man with dreams of one day coaching or becoming a Navy SEAL. Today, he's the Wildcat of the Week.
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It was the first goal of Hotaling's collegiate career and gave the Wildcats a 2-1 lead in what would eventually become a 3-1 win against Holy Names. It came in the 62nd minute. Trevor Fritz got his head on an Adrian Fontanelli corner kick at the top of the 6-yard box and his shot took a deflection off a Hawks defender and then goalkeeper's fingertips before bouncing off the crossbar. Hotaling aggressively pursued the ball, anticipating it might stay in play, while his defender was caught spectating, and when it bounced directly in front of the goal, he headed it home inside the right post for the match winner.
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The sophomore midfielder from Davis (Davis High School) is also a crucial part of the Wildcats' defensive game plan and has helped the Wildcats limit the opposition to just four goals during a 3-2-1 start.
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Hotaling and the Wildcats host Cal Poly Humboldt Saturday at 7 p.m. in their final non-conference tilt of the regular season. The women's teams will open the festivities at 4:30. The doubleheader is the focus of the latest installment of the nationally-televised LG Electronics USA, NCAA Championship Channel docuseries, The Rivalries. A film crew will be on the Chico State campus Thursday through Saturday to capture stories of the history of these proud soccer programs, as well as their current student-athletes. What's sure to be an exciting night of soccer will be made even better with LG-provided free food and refreshments from local vendors, along with exciting LG product giveaways. Students get in free with a Valid ID.
