Chico State Head Coach Kim Sutton’s decision to get senior Kasey Wall more involved in the offense this season is turning into a good one. Wall scored for the second straight match to lift the women’s soccer team to a 1-0 victory over Humboldt State Sunday at University Soccer Stadium. The win moved the Wildcats into a tie for first place atop the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) North Division standings.
Wall, a defender and holding midfielder for much of her career, has moved into an attacking midfielder position this season and seems to be finding her niche. She found the net in the Wildcats’ 1-1 tie against Cal State Stanislaus Friday night, and did so again to break a scoreless tie in the 56th minute Sunday.
The goal was set up with freshman Alyx Williams drew a foul about 40 yards from the goal, giving the dangerous Carly Singer a free kick. Wall got to the
strike, but couldn’t get it headed towards the goal, and instead, it bounced toward the corner where Lisa Webster corralled it. She got around a defender and dropped a pass back to Shelby Dunlap, who served a perfect ball to Wall, her physical 5-foot-11 target. This time Wall got it on frame, redirected it into the side netting with a header.
The goal was Wall’s third of the season, all of which have come in the last six games. Dunlap and Webster were each credited with an assist. It was the first of Dunlap’s career, while Webster’s gives her 17 and moved her into a tie with Nicky Benson (1992-94) and Traci Horan (1986-89) for the fifth most in school history.
True freshman goalkeeper Brianna Furner collected four saves for her third shutout of the season.
The Wildcats had a 13-12 edge in shots and took eight corner kicks to Humboldt State’s five.
Chico State, unbeaten in its last four contests, improved to 5-3-2 overall and 5-2-1 in the CCAA with the win. The Wildcats are tied with Sonoma State thanks to the Seawolves’ 3-2 win at previous North Division leader Cal State Stanislaus Sunday.
Those teams’ 16 points are currently the second most in the CCAA at the midway point of the season behind only UC San Diego, which visits University Soccer Stadium next Friday. The Wildcats host Cal State San Bernardino Sunday in the finale of a four-match home stand.
Looming at the beck end of the regular season schedule is a showdown at Sonoma State on Oct. 30.
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