In the classroom, finals take place during the last week of the semester. Meanwhile on the pitch, finals are already beginning for the Chico State women's soccer team.
 
California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play starts this weekend and the Wildcats will be tested right away with matches at UC San Diego and Cal State San Marcos to start a challenging 12-match stretch.
 
The top six teams at the end of conference play will advance to the CCAA Tournament.
 
Chico State's practice tests have gone well. The Wildcats won three straight in impressive fashion after a season-opening loss at Seattle Pacific. Now 3-1-0, the Wildcats are ranked No. 5 in the West Region in the United Soccer Coaches Poll.
 
They've been led up top by Erin Woods, a defender-turned-striker tied for the national lead with three game-winning goals. She's tied for seventh in the nation with five goals and sixth with 12 points. The junior from Santa Cruz (Harbor High School) leads the CCAA in game-winning goals, goals per game, and points per game.
 
UC San Diego is the defending CCAA Champion and unanimous preseason favorite to repeat. The Tritons (3-2-0) are ranked No. 19 in the nation and No. 3 in the West Region. Friday at 7 p.m., the Wildcats will attempt to snap UC San Diego's streak of 14 straight conference victories and 20 in a row against CCAA foes.
 
Cal State San Marcos is 2-2-0. The Wildcats play there Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
 
For the Wildcats' season-preview story, Head Coach Kim Sutton had this to say about her team: "This is one of the most impressive freshmen classes I've seen. But they've yet to be tested in this conference, which we all know is a gauntlet… But I think they are going to respond well."
 
They are about to find out. The test begins this weekend.