There may have been tears of joy. But with the rain falling down in sheets in Turlock, it was impossible to tell. Omar Nuño scored the golden goal with just 55 seconds remaining in double-overtime to lift Chico State to a desperately needed 2-1 road win Friday night at Warrior Stadium in Turlock and the Wildcats rushed to envelope him in celebration.
Nuño's shot was the wettest thing in the stadium on a very damp Friday night. The senior poked home the first goal of the match in the 27
th minute before sneaking the match-winner around a four-man wall and inside the near post from 20 yards to give the Wildcats their first road win of the season.
Coby Cueva helped anchor another strong defensive effort for the
Wildcats and also delivered a vital free kick that set up the winning goal.
With four wins in their last five matches, the Wildcats are now 5-5-3 overall and back into the thick of the California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament mix at 4-3-2 in the CCAA. They are now 1-3-3 on the road, and Sunday's match at Cal State Monterey Bay their last away affair of the regular season.
The Wildcats nearly got on the board in the 18
th minute but Frankie Palmer's shot banged off the post and Dylan Wakefield's follow was saved.
The Wildcats did break through about 10 minutes later, and this time Palmer was the distributor. He lofted a pass from midfield down the left flank for Nuño, who shielded his defender to create open space in behind them. Nuño then ran down the ball and dribbled into the box. His attempted cross was deflected by a defender, but it rolled right back into his path toward the near post. Nuño, the goalkeeper and a defender all converged on the ball, but it was Nuño who got his boot on it first and he slammed it home.
The Warriors tied the score in the 76
th minute off a corner kick and the match remained tied through the end of regulation and the first overtime.
Freshmen Alex Fluitt and Garrett Hogbin, two of the main cogs in the Wildcats' recent run of success, played key roles in setting up the winning goal. First Fluitt took the ball from a Stanislaus State player, and as the fleet-footed Fluitt attempted to start a counter attack, he was grabbed and held. The foul drew a yellow card and gave the Wildcats a free kick from about 15 yards from the midfield stripe. Coby Cueva's free kick was a good one, right to the top of the 18-yard box. Hogbin was lurking there and drew a foul (a two-handed shove in the back) to set up Nuño's winning strike.
Nuño has now scored eight goals this season and 18 in his two-year Chico State career.
