SEATTLE – For 88 minutes the Chico State women's soccer team fought tooth and nail in an attempt to equalize. But the goal the Wildcats surrendered just 1:48 into the match Saturday afternoon at Interbay Stadium proved the difference in a 1-0 defeat against Seattle Pacific.
 
SPU freshman Brooke Lanaster hit a blast from 13 yards out that ricocheted off a defender and inside the right post to give the Falcons (2-0) the lead on the first shot of the match.
 
Chico State dipped to 1-1 with the loss, having beaten Saint Martin's 2-0 in Thursday's season opener. Seattle Pacific, picked to finish second in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC), beat Humboldt State 2-0 in its season opener on Thursday.
 
The young Wildcats team, featuring only two seniors and four freshmen in the starting lineup, seemed to be a bit overwhelmed in the early going against a Falcons squad that has made 12 consecutive NCAA Championship Tournament trips and returns seven to the starting lineup.
 
But Chico State settled down in the final third of the first half. The Wildcats managed four scoring opportunities in that final 15, including shots by Lindsey Dias and Shelby Lanksbury that were both saved.
 
That momentum ended with the half, however. The Wildcats only managed two of the teams' seven second-half shots as the Falcons took a much more conservative approach. The first of Lanksbury's attempts missed wide, and her second, a header, was blocked.
 
Freshman goalkeeper Mackenzie Boulton made four saves for the Wildcats, who will play their 2015 home opener on Thursday night against Concordia (Ore.). That's the first of four consecutive home matches for the Wildcats. They host Dixie State next Saturday, California Baptist on Thursday the 17^th and Dominican on Saturday the 19^th. All four matches will kick off at 7 p.m.