SAN MARCOS – The Chico State men's soccer team earned another point on the road with a 1-1 draw at Cal State San Marcos Friday. Omar Nuño scored his fifth goal of the season and the Wildcats' fifth goal of the season, in the 35^th minute.
 
Chico State is now 1-3-3 overall and 0-1-2 in the CCAA. The Wildcats will try to nab their first conference victory Sunday at 21^st-ranked UC San Diego. The match is scheduled to kick off at 11:30 a.m.
 
Cal State San Marcos is now 2-2-1 overall and 1-0-1 in the CCAA.
 
Nuño's goal was technically unassisted. But Garrett Hogbin and Justin Bethke played key roles in the strike.
 
Hogbin, a freshman defender, played a nice transition ball down the field that was deflected for a throw in. He connected with Bethke on the throw in and the two played a nice combination to get Bethke free down the right sideline and toward the touch line. Bethke stung a cross on target to Nuño, who gathered it with his right foot just above of the top-right corner of the six-yard box. His first shot was blocked by a defender, but the ball fell right back to him. His second try caught the goalkeeper flatfooted and pinged off the post in the back-right corner of the net.
 

Cal State San Marcos took advantage of a Chico State foul deep in its own territory to equalize 14 minutes into the second half. Isaiah Dargan picked up a yellow card for a foul from behind about six yards above the top-right corner of the box. Andrew Stalboerger redirected Jacob Cintas' looping free kick toward the far post with a header from directly in front of Wildcats goalkeeper Damion Lewis to tie the match.  
 
The Wildcats were forced to play a man down for the last 13-plus minutes of regulation and beyond after Hogbin picked up his second yellow card and was shown the red. But the defense held strong, limiting the Cougars to just two more shots in regulation and three in overtime. Lewis saved the final three tries and finished the match with five denials.
 
Carter Johnson nearly won it in the fourth minute of overtime, hammering a free kick toward the upper-V that was punched away by a leaping Cougars goalkeeper.
 
Wildcats keeper Damion Lewis returned the favor with a diving stop of a shot from close range in the 98^th minute.
 
Chico State finished with a 12-11 edge in shots and took eight shots on goal to Cal State San Marcos' six.


Following Sunday's match, the Wildcats will play six of their final eight regular season matches at home.