It seems like only yesterday the Chico State's elite eight-man senior class stepped onto campus for the first time. Their final home regular-season match Sunday seemed to take everyone involved back even further in time, when they were kids playing a pick-up match in the vacant lot down the street. It was filled with child-like exuberance and finished with a goalkeeper wearing a jersey with athletic tape for a number, and a defender, playing up top.
 
The Wildcats walked off the pitch with a 3–0 victory over Cal State Monterey Bay and walked over to the picnic area for a potluck with family and friends who came to celebrate Senior Day.
 

They also walked away in second place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings with two to play and still in control of their own destiny in the race for the conference crown. The Wildcats trail Cal Poly Pomona by two points, but have a match in hand. (Wins are worth three points and ties one.)
 
Chico State will wrap up the regular season at third-place Cal State Dominguez Hills Thursday at 4:30 and Cal State LA Saturday at 11:30 a.m.
 
Carter Johnson, Dylan Wakefield, Matthew Tarr, Triston Montoya, Donta'e Garcia, Christian Roman, Sasha Peranteau, and Frankie Palmer were all celebrated prior to Sunday's match.
 
Making his return after missing the past four matches with an injury, Johnson jump-started the Wildcats with two goals, and Garcia got in on the action with his third goal in as many matches, assisted by the defenseman Tarr, who along with backup goalkeeper Montoya was inserted up top with five minutes to play.
 
All eight seniors were at least in part responsible for the Wildcats' imposing defensive effort. They limited Cal State Monterey Bay to just one shot in earning their seventh shutout of the season, all of which have come in the past 11 games.
 
The Wildcats were slow out of the gates following Friday night's six-goal effort before Johnson broke the seal just 41 seconds before halftime. Michael Hirsch headed Esten Schroeder's corner into the mix and Johnson turned and whipped it through traffic and into the back of the net from 12 yards.
 
Johnson scored again in the 56th minute, this time volleying a waist-high corner kick from Fabian Roman off the pitch and into the top shelf from 10 yards.
 
Garcia got in on the action with five minutes to play, benefitting from Tarr's dangerous try from inside the box that the keeper parried in Garcia's direction. The senior sailed high into the air to head it home, giving him a goal in each of Chico State's last three games.