One week ago the Chico State women’s soccer team’s postseason dreams seemed to be fading fast. But after three straight wins, including Sunday’s 1-0 shutout of Cal State Monterey Bay, the Wildcats control their own destiny.
Megan Tabler was tackled in the box and Carly Singer stuck the penalty kick in the back of the net for the game’s lone goal in the 14
th minute. That was enough for the Wildcats’ defense, which allowed just six shots, only two of which were on goal, while registering its fifth shutout of the season.
The Wildcats, 8-5-3 overall, are tied atop the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) North Division standings with Sonoma State with two matches remaining in the regular season. At 8-4-2 in the CCAA, the Wildcats and Seawolves have amassed 26 points. (Teams receive three points for each win and one point for each tie.) But the Wildcats hold the tiebreaker over Sonoma State thanks to their 2-1 overtime victory in their first matchup this season. Cal State Stanislaus is in third place with 24 points.
UC San Diego, the lone team to have clinched at berth in the CCAA Championship Tournament thus far, leads the South Division with 33 points. Cal State L.A. is in second with 27, and Cal State San Bernardino is still has designs on a spot as well with 23 points.
The winners of the North and South Divisions will gain automatic berths in the CCAA Championship Tournament Nov. 4-6 in Turlock, along with the two teams with the next highest point totals regardless of division.
Chico State will close out the regular season on the road next weekend at Humboldt State (2-11-2 overall) on Friday and Sonoma State on Sunday.
The Wildcats can clinch a CCAA Championship Tournament berth Friday with a win and losses by Cal State Stanislaus at Sonoma State and Cal State San Bernardino, which hosts Cal Poly Pomona. Otherwise, they’ll have to wait until Sunday to learn their fate.
With things so tight between the six teams still in the hunt, Sunday’s win certainly helped the Wildcats’ cause.
The Wildcats were 5-4-2 in the CCAA and trailing Cal Poly Pomona in the waning moments of last Sunday’s match in Pomona. But Denni Jo Berger blasted home a rebounding with 1:21 remaining in regulation and Lisa Webster scored the golden goal 3:49 into overtime in the Wildcats’ vital victory.
They still entered this weekend in third place in the North Division, but thanks to Friday’s 4-1 win, Sunday’s shutout, and stumbles by Sonoma State and Cal State Stanislaus during that span, they’re suddenly in first.
Chico State’s five seniors – honored during Sunday’s “Senior Day” presentation – certainly have a lot to do with that. Lisa Webster definitely did Sunday when she beat a double team with the dribble and slipped a pass to Tabler just inside the box. The freshman made a nice move to work her way around a defender and then got taken down in the box to prompt a whistle and the penalty kick.
Singer sent a scorcher into the back of the net for her third goal of the season.
Brianna Furner saved the only two shots that came her way to collect her fifth shutout, which lowered the true freshman’s goals-against-average to 0.83.
The careers of the team’s five seniors – Webster, Blake Lopes, Molly Downtain, Dara Karnofsky, and Kasey Wall – were celebrated prior to the match in a short ceremony. The way the Wildcats are playing lately, however, they might just have a bunch more matches to go.
BOX SCORE
