The Chico State men’s soccer team managed two equalizers Sunday, but a third in the final 58 seconds proved too much to ask. Elliot Plummer scored his first career goal to knot the score in the 27th minute and Mike Janjigian jammed home his first goal of the season to re-tie it in the 74th minute, but Cal State San Bernardino’s Derek Taddei’s 90th-minute goal gave the visiting Coyotes a 3-2 victory at University Soccer Stadium.
Taddei scored twice and Martin Esqueda once for the Coyotes, who improved to 5-7-0 overall and 3-7-0 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA).
The Wildcats, who entered the day atop the CCAA North Division standings, fell back into third at 6-3-3 overall and 5-3-2 in the CCAA. They led Sonoma State and Cal State Stanislaus by a point entering the day’s action, but both of those teams won Sunday.
Taddei's game winner came after Julian Garcia connected with him with a hard pass across the face of the goal. Taddei had time to survey the situation and rolled a shot back across the goal, sneaking it just inside the post.
Taddei took advantage of another nice feed to put the Coyotes into the lead in the 22nd minute. Marco Martinez caught Chico State flat across the back and played a well timed through ball into space. Taddei outran the Wildcats defense and beat Chico State goalkeeper Sam Evans to the ball before chipping it over the charging keeper from 20 yards to give the Coyotes a 1-0 lead.
Plummer took advantage of a bit of Micah Miranda Magic to notch his first collegiate goal. Miranda dribbled by a number of defenders and eventually worked his way to just outside of the left post. His bouncing cross found it’s way cleanly to Plummer, who simply needed to direct it home to tie the score at 1-1.
Cal State San Bernardino retook the lead in the 64th minute on a gorgeous goal off the boot of Martin Esqueda. Perhaps only Julio Ayala’s effort to get him the ball was prettier. Ayala worked his way down the left flank before cutting back inside and using a spinning dribble to gain space. He then switched the field with a quick pass to Esqueda, who took one touch and then blasted a shot into the upper-V just inside the near post to make it 2-1.
Chico State’s second equalizer came 10 minutes later. Octavio Guzman drew a foul with an attacking dribble just outside the box to set things up. Coyotes keeper Tanner Olinger saved Ferid Celosmanovic’s shot with a dive, but he couldn’t hold on to the ball. It bounced out to Janjigian who jammed it home to tie the match at 2-2 in the 74th minute.
The Wildcats had a pair of great chances to get their own potential game-winner in the final five minutes, but Celosmanovic missed high and Tyson Crim missed wide.
The Wildcats will attempt to regain first place next weekend, but that will certainly be a challenge. They’re on the road at San Francisco State Friday and Cal Poly Pomona Sunday before wrapping up the home schedule the following weekend against Cal State East Bay on “Pack The House Night” Oct. 21 and against Cal State Monterey Bay on “Senior Day” Oct. 23.
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