Box Score CARSON – Joachim Gasmi and Jake Ward scored their first goals of the season in the opening half and the Chico State men's soccer team held on to hand 14th-ranked Cal State Dominguez Hills its first loss of the season Sunday at the Stub Hub center.
The Wildcats improved to 6-2-0 overall and 4-2-0 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association with the crucial win, coming on the heels of Friday's loss at Cal State L.A. The Wildcats are now a point behind UC San Diego and Cal State L.A. in the tightly-bunched South Division Standings. Cal State
Dominguez Hills (5-1-2, 3-1-2 CCAA) is a point behind the Wildcats.
Chico State will host Cal State San Bernardino Friday night at 7 on Pack The House Night before reaching the midway point of conference play with a match at San Francisco State Sunday.
Gasmi's first goal as a Wildcat gave Chico State a lead it would not relinquish. The native of France and transfer from Foothill Community College cracked home Octavio Guzman's deflected shot in the 27th minute.
That score came soon after Sam Evans' fantastic one-handed diving stab of Sebastian Cortez's header, leaving the momentum squarely on the Chico State side.
Ward doubled the advantage seven minutes later, hitting rocket into the upper left corner from just outside the box for his first goal of the season and the third of the senior defender's career.
Chico State's defense held strong against a Dominguez Hills side that led the conference in goals entering the match. But the Toros broke through in the 86th minute when Aaron Salazar's free kick from 25 yards out hit the crossbar, bounced down off the keeper Evans, and trickled past the goal line to cut the lead in half.
Chico State, however, continued to clear the ball over the final five minutes of play to hold on to the win.
The Wildcats finishes with a 6-4 edge in shots on goal and a 7-4 advantage in corner kicks.
Evans made three saves in his 2013 debut and earned his 29th win in the process, tying him with Tom Carter (1968-70) for second most in school history and positioning him only one behind all-time leader Tom Liner (1988-91).
