The six seniors on the Chico State women's soccer team said a goodbye Saturday, playing their final regular-season home match at University Soccer Stadium. Then the 25^th-ranked Wildcats said a hello of sorts, grabbing the attention of the Division II women's soccer world with a 1-0 win against 6^th-ranked UC San Diego.
 
Susanna Garcia scored the match-winner in the 52^nd minute—assisted by Devon Morones—and Brenna Meier made six saves as the Wildcats kept the California Collegiate Athletic Association's highest scoring team off the board for the second time all season.
 
By improving to 10-1-5 overall and wrapping up CCAA play in second place at 9-1-2, a point behind UC San Diego, Chico State grabbed a first-round bye in the CCAA Tournament a 9-1-2. It also handed the Tritons just their second loss in their last 37 conference contests and extended the Wildcats' home unbeaten streak to 23 matches, datinb back to the 2016 season.
 
The Tritons fell to 15-2-1 overall and finished CCAA play with a record of 10-2-0.

 
The result also snaps the Wildcats' nine-match winless streak against UC San Diego, dating back to 2009, as well as the Triton's six-match shutout streak.
 
Chico State, meanwhile, has now registered four straight shutouts at home and wraps up the regular season with seven shutouts in nine home matches.
 
The victory not only earned the Wildcats a first-round bye, but also gave a big boost to their NCAA Championship Tournament resume. They entered this week's action ranked No. 4 in the West Region. UC San Diego was ranked No. 1. Following next weekend's CCAA Tournament, the selection committee will reveal which seven teams from the West will advance to the tournament.
 
The senior class of Morones, Meier, Erin Woods, Korie Bozart, Jamie Ikeda, and Juliana Los was honored in a short ceremony prior to the match. Then they went out and led the way to victory.
 
Bozart and Ikeda helped anchor the defense. Woods gave the Tritons defense fits. Meier made some momentous saves. Los gave the midfield a vital lift. And Morones battled over every inch of the pitch.
 
One of those inches might have made the biggest difference in the match.
 
Ikeda began what proved to be the decisive attack with what appeared to be a harmless clearance out of the back. Jordan Doukakis flicked it on to midfield for Abbie Jones, who drove down the right flank on the dribble before passing ahead to Woods.

 
Woods quickly played it back out to Jones, whose cross rolled between Garcia and Morones toward the top of the 18-yard box.
 
Not one to give up on a play, Morones quickly recovered before lunging and reaching out with her right foot to deflect the attempted clearance. The ball bounced directly to Garcia, who was making her home just above the top-right corner of the six-yard box. The true freshman took one touch, spun, and hit a left-footed strike just inside the near post.
 
The goal was Garcia's team-leading sixth of the season and fourth in the last six matches. Morones' assist was her second of the season and second on a match-winner.
 
Meier was magnificent in keeping the opposition off the scoreboard for the eighth time in 13 starts this season.
 
Perhaps the Tritons' best chance of the day came in the 48^th minute, but Meier saved a close-range rocket, popping it into the air and over the crossbar.
 
The Wildcats will now play the winner of Tuesday night's Cal State LA-Sonoma State match in Rohnert Park in a CCAA Tournament semifinal match at a time yet to be determined on the campus of UC San Diego in La Jolla. The winner of that match will advance to Sunday's CCAA Tournament title match in which an automatic NCAA Championship Tournament berth will be on the line.