The Chico State men's soccer team would like nothing more for Halloween than to treat itself to a postseason berth. Two wins this week would do the trick.
 
The Wildcats host Cal State Monterey Bay Thursday at 7 p.m. on Pack The House Night at University Soccer Stadium. Saturday is Senior Day and the Wildcats host San Francisco State at 4:30 p.m. The team's five seniors – Russell Ellyson, Justin Walmsley, Sean Gallagher, Matt Hurlow, and Octavio Murillo – will be honored prior to the match.
 
Unbeaten in four of their last five matches, the Wildcats are 6-6-3 overall and 4-4-2 in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play. They are currently in eighth place but could move significantly up the conference ladder with a pair of wins. The top six advance to the CCAA Championship Tournament, which begins next Tuesday.
 
Chico State could even host a first-round CCAA Championship Tournament match as the No. 4 seed with two wins and some help from this weekend's opponents of Sonoma State and Cal State L.A.
 
But the Wildcats aren't the only team playing with their playoff fate on the line. Cal State Monterey Bay must beat the Wildcats Thursday to keep its postseason hopes alive. The Otters (8-7-0 overall and 5-6-0 in the CCAA) snapped a five-match losing skid with a 1-0 win against Cal State San Bernardino Sunday and need a win Thursday and help from Sonoma State's opponents to sneak in.
 
San Francisco State (7-6-3, 3-5-3 CCAA) has been eliminated from playoff contention, but the Gators are a tough defensive nut to crack, having allowed only 12 goals in 16 matches.
 
There is a scenario in which the Wildcats could reach the postseason with a win and a tie this week. But they would need rival Sonoma State to gain no more than one point in its final two matches.
 
Ellyson, Hurlow and Gallagher, all fourth-year seniors, have already made two postseason appearances with the Wildcats, in 2012 and 2013. Walmsley's first season with the Wildcats was 2013 and Murillo redshirted due to an injury that season.
 
All five have been fantastic Wildcats and their teammates would love to help give them the gift of the postseason as part of what they hope might be a long, drawn-out goodbye.