POMONA – Lindsay Dias and Pooja Patel produced a goal and assist apiece as the Chico State women's soccer team scored three times in the first half and held on to beat host Cal Poly Pomona in a key California Collegiate Athletic Association showdown Friday in Southern California.
 
With the win, the Wildcats moved into a tie for fifth place with the Broncos in the CCAA standings with a game in hand. Chico State is now 8-3-2 overall and 4-2-1 in conference play. Cal Poly Pomona dipped to 7-4-2 overall and 4-3-1 in the CCAA with just its second home setback of the season.
 

Dias set up Patel on the day's first goal, finding her near the top of the box. Patel maneuvered past a pair of defenders and then deposited a left-footed shot to the low left corner for a 1-0 lead in the 17^th minute. It marked the fifth time in the last five matches that Patel and Dias have paired up on a score.
 
Just 2:26 later, Patel connected with Erin Woods for a header off a corner kick for a 2-0 edge. The goal was the first of the freshman Woods' collegiate career and the assist the 12^th of Patel's career, drawing her within one of the school's career top-10 list in that category.
 
The host Broncos cut the lead in half with a 37^th-minute strike, but the Wildcats took the momentum into the half thanks to Dias' goal just 15 seconds before intermission.
 
Carlie Reader fed a long cross to Dias in the box. She trapped it and hit a left-footed strike into the lower right corner of the net for a 3-1 edge.
 
Cal Poly Pomona again trimmed the lead to one in the 58^th minute, but could not find the equalizer.
 
The Wildcats have five matches remaining in the regular season, beginning with their regular-season road finale Sunday at Cal State San Bernardino. They return home for their final four matches. With one to two more matches remaining than all but one of the teams above them in the standings, the Wildcats have a chance to continue their climb up the conference standings as the season nears its end.