The fans, friends and families of the five seniors on the Chico State women's soccer team celebrated the special group prior to Sunday's season-ending match. Those five seniors did plenty of celebrating of their own after the whistle blew.
 

Lindsey Dias, Katie Brown, Shelby Lanksbury, and Emily Shleppey accounted for four goals and three assists, while senior goalkeeper Amanda Simonich stopped two shots to earn the win in her first Chico State start, as they put a bow on their collegiate careers with a 5-1 victory against Humboldt State.
 
Dias scored twice, Brown and Lanksbury logged a goal and assist apiece, and Shleppey notched an assist as Chico State wrapped up its season 8-7-2 overall and 4-7-1 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA).
 
Few senior classes have accomplished as much as this one when it comes to a combination of academics and athletics.
 
All five qualified for Academic All-America nominations, meaning they have cumulative grade point averages of 3.30 or higher. That has helped the program earn three national team academic awards over the last three years, and three University Foundation Board of Governors Awards for Academic Excellence in a row, as the department's women's team with the highest combined GPA.
 
But they put down the books for a few hours on Sunday and had a little fun.
 

Dias' brace brings her career goals total to 22, tying her for sixth in the history of the program.
 
She struck first just 3:39 into the match, converting a penalty kick after Pooja Patel was dragged down from behind in the box.
 
Brown made it 2-0 a little more than three minutes later. After scoring the first goal of her career Friday night, she quickly tacked on another, directing home Lanksbury's cross into the mouth of the goal. Brooke Coelho was also credited with an assist for her ball down the right flank that put Lanksbury into space.
 
Dias bagged a brace in the ninth minute, heading Brown's cross back across the goal and inside the right post for a 3-0 advantage.
 
Sophomore Erin Woods joined the scoring party in the 26^th minute, heading home Korie Bozart's corner kick from the top of the six-yard box, giving the Wildcats a 4-0 lead they took to the half.
 
Humboldt State got on the board in the 47^th minute, but Lanksbury answered in the 76^th. Shleppey's steal and quick counter pass put Lanksbury in. She raced to the ball and poked it home past the charging goalkeeper for her 10^th career goal.
 
When the final whistle sounded the celebration continued as a throng of friends and family greeted the team coming off the pitch to take pictures and deliver hugs. The five seniors smiled wide the entire time, whether or not someone had a camera pointed their way.