SAN BERNARDINO – The Chico State women's soccer team enjoyed a seriously sweet Sunday. Playing their last road match of the regular season, the Wildcats ripped Cal State San Bernardino 3-0. That result, combined with favorable outcomes around the California Collegiate Athletic Association, helped the Wildcats climb from fifth to second place in the CCAA standings.
 
With four home matches remaining in the regular season, the Wildcats are tied with Cal State L.A. and UC San Diego with 16 points apiece, six behind first-place Sonoma State. But Cal State L.A. has only three matches remaining and UC San Diego two, including next Friday's match at Chico State.
 
The top six teams at the end of the regular season will earn a berth in the CCAA Championship Tournament. The top two teams will receive a first-round bye and automatic entrance into the conference tournament semifinals.
 
The Wildcats, now 9-3-2 overall and 5-2-1 in the CCAA, improved to 5-0-0 when scoring at least three goals.
 
True freshman Carlie Reader opened the scoring with a 37^th-minute strike, assisted by Pooja Patel. The sophomore now has 13 career assists, tied for 10^th in Chico State history. Her nine helpers this season are tied for ninth most in a single season by a Wildcat.
 
Patel's pass put Reader in for a counter attack right down the middle of the field. Lindsey Dias drew some focus from the defense with a nice run from left-to-right, providing the opening Reader required. She slammed a left-footed shot low and inside the left post from 18 yards for her third goal of the season.
 
That was all the cushion freshman goalkeeper Mackenzie Boulton needed. She made six saves en route to her sixth shutout of the season.
 
Dias made it 2-0 early in the second half. Cassi Scroggins won a ball at midfield and played it quickly over the top to Dias, catching the Coyotes back line flat footed. Dias was in behind from 30 yards out and beat the charging keeper for her sixth goal of the season.
 
Patel put the finishing touches on that match with her strike in the 62^nd minute. Shelby Lanksbury flicked Brooke Coelho's throw-in toward the top of the box. Patel pounced on it, cut smartly to her right to put the defender on her hip, and then slid the shot inside the near post.
 
It marked the second goal and assist match of Patel's weekend.
 
Cal State San Bernardino, which had allowed three goals just one other time this season, slipped to 4-7-3 overall and 3-4-1 in the CCAA.