It had been a long time since the Chico State women's soccer team won six in a row, and longer still since it had beaten archrival Sonoma State. The Wildcats had never gone 11 straight matches without a loss in the 35-year history of the program.
 
That all changed Friday night at University Soccer Stadium. True freshman Susanna Garcia tapped in fifth-year senior Devon Morones' cross at the far post with 2:04 remaining in regulation to lift the Wildcats to a 1-0 victory over 25^th-ranked Sonoma State.
 
When the final horn sounded the Wildcats celebrated it all, along with their ascent to the top of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings with aplomb, spraying water battles into the air and spreading hugs far and wide.
 
Chico State improved to 7-0-4 and 6-0-1 in the CCAA with its sixth straight victory and first against the Seawolves since 2011. The Wildcats stretched their school record for consecutive home matches without a loss to 20.

 

Sonoma State slipped to 8-2-3 overall and 6-2-1 in the CCAA.
 
The teams are now tied for first in the conference in points, but Chico State has two matches in hand, along with the head-to-head tiebreaker.
 
Goalkeeper Brenna Meier made a trio of saves in registering her fifth clean sheet in eight career starts, all coming this season.
 
Much of Friday's affair was reminiscent of the first three matches of Chico State's season, which all ended in scoreless draws. Both teams created some chances, but few were particularly dangerous, and it looked doubtful that either defense would crack.
 
Then Morones and Garcia brought the hammer. Morones made a nice move to split a pair of defenders near the top-right corner of the 18-yard box before rolling a pass through the middle of the box. Erin Woods, who created problems for the Seawolves defense throughout the night, shielded her defender away from the ball, allowing it to continue its journey toward the far post. Anticipating an opportunity, Garcia sprinted a long way to get there and ripped it home.
 
The assist was Morones' first in her Wildcats career. The goal was Garcia's first in front of the home fans.
 
And a story that they will undoubtedly re-tell over and over.
 
Chico State will look to keep its aforementioned streaks alive, as well as its 18-match regular-season unbeaten streak, when Humboldt State visits Sunday afternoon for a 2 p.m. kickoff. The Wildcats have won the last six meetings between the teams.