ARCATA – Two weeks ago, Chico State women’s soccer coach decided to move three-year starting defender Shelby Dunlap into the midfield. Three goals and three assists later, the Wildcats are on the verge of moving into the postseason.
Dunlap assisted on the first goal and scored the second as the Wildcats took a huge step toward qualifying for the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship
Tournament with a 2-0 win at Humboldt State Friday afternoon. The Wildcats will likely now gather around their smart phones to watch live stats of the Cal State Stanislaus-Sonoma State match in Rohnert Park. The Wildcats will have clinched a berth in the CCAA Championship Tournament unless Cal State Stanislaus can get a win on the road.
If the Wildcats (9-5-3 overall and 9-4-2 in the CCAA) don’t clinch today, they’ll attempt to do so in Sunday’s regular season finale at Sonoma State. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. They have 29 points to lead the North Division. Sonoma State has 26 and Cal State Stanislaus 24 in the midst of their match in Rohnert Park. Teams earn three points for each win and one for each tie.
If it weren’t for Dunlap’s development into one of the hottest scorers in the league, the Wildcats might be looking at a completely different, and depressing set of scenarios. Though they lost her first start at midfield, they’ve won four in a row since, including Friday’s shutout win.
Dunlap’s cross and freshman Alyx Williams’ finish at the far post gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead in the 41st minute. Williams, in the match for just 1:50 before scoring, has now scored three goals this season, the most by a Chico State freshman since Mackenzie Doty scored four in 2006.
A bit more history was made with the next goal, albeit on the opposite end of the spectrum. Lisa Webster’s assist on Dunlap’s goal gave the fourth-year senior her 19th career helper, drawing her even with Sarah Stone (1990, 1993) and Amy Swanson (2001-04) for the third most in the program’s history. It was also her 59th career point, tying her with Leondra May Dodge (1987-90) for the sixth most in school history.
Webster had he ball out wide and attacked toward the right post, drawing a pair of defenders at around the six-yard box before dropping a pass back to Dunlap who beat the goalkeeper with ease from in close in the 54th minute.
The lead held up thanks to solid play by the Chico State defense, which limited Humboldt State to 14 shots and just one corner kick. True freshman goalkeeper Brianna Furner finished with her sixth shutout of the season, saving five shots in the process.
BOX SCORE
