SAN RAMON—Head Coach Kim Sutton says she doesn't know why she gets so worked up about things like the All-California Collegiate Athletic Association team. But the answer is obvious: it is because she cares, perhaps more than she would like to admit. 
 
It was obvious in her emotion and excitement when she learned that Susanna Garcia is the 2018 CCAA Freshman of the Year, that sophomore midfielder Sarah Emigh and senior defender Jamie Ikeda made First Team All-CCAA, that senior defender Korie Bozart was named to the Second Team, and that senior forward Erin Woods, senior goalkeeper Brenna Meier, and junior midfielder/defender Abbie Jones were honorable mention All-CCAA selections.
 
It was also obvious in the disappointment she voiced about some who were not named to the team, which is selected by her fellow CCAA coaches.
 
Sutton is always keeping watch over her flock. She sees the work they put in, the success that work reaps, and it matters to her very much that those who should, see it too.
 
Perhaps that is one of the secrets to Sutton's success. She entered the season ranked No. 32 all-time in Division II coaching victories (227), and Thursday was named the CCAA Coach of the Year for the third time in her career.
 
Sutton guided the Wildcats to a 10-1-5 regular-season record, and Friday at 11 a.m. in La Jolla, on the campus of UC San Diego, will lead the team in a CCAA Tournament semifinal match against Sonoma State.
 
The Wildcats' highlights thus far this season include: a school-record 13-match unbeaten streak to start the campaign that included a seven-match win streak; an unbeaten record at home that extended their school-record University Stadium unbeaten streak to 23 matches and included a scoreless draw against Colorado School of Mines—currently ranked No. 5 in the nation—and a 1-0 victory against current No. 10 UC San Diego; and a second-place finish in the CCAA and No. 24-national ranking.
 
A mix of raw talent and seasoned performances from up and down the lineup led to the Wildcats' success. Fourteen different players have logged at least one goal or assist, 22 different players have started, and 25 have seen the pitch. 
 
Garcia has made a huge impact as a true freshman, starting 12 matches and notching a team-high six goals (including three game winners) and an assist. Four of those goals came in the final six matches of the regular season, including the match winners against rival Sonoma State and CCAA regular-season champion UC San Diego.
 
"Yes," exclaimed a fist-pumping Sutton upon learning of Garcia's honor. "Obviously, she's proven herself as a goal scorer, but the thing she works so hard at is her defense. She's really helped us on that side of that ball as well."
 
Ikeda represents the other end of the spectrum. The senior spent her first three seasons with the team in the midfield but transitioned to a role as a center back and has blossomed in her final campaign. 
 
"At the beginning of the year we weren't sure she would survive as a 5-foot-1, 107-pounder, or whatever, back there," Sutton said. "We kept taking her out to give other players a chance to fill that role, but when we did, things fell apart. We realized she was the glue. She's just a smart player. Probably our smartest. And I'm really happy for her to receive this recognition from the coaches that watched her really lead our back line."
 
Emigh continued her fantastic play after starring last season as a true freshman with three goals and an assist. This season, she's primarily worked as the team's defensive holding midfielder and helped the Wildcats post nine shutouts while allowing only nine goals in 16 matches.
 
The sophomore has also delivered a goal and an assist.
 
"What an engine," Sutton said. "She's such a hard worker and I'm really pleased she was recognized. She does the unheroic, unseen dirty work all the time in the midfield so she doesn't really get a lot of the glory. So that's really great that people recognized her abilities."
 
Meier was locked in a battle with true freshman Vic Graham for the starting goalkeeper role for the first half of the season before reeling off six shutouts in her final nine starts. She's the seventh keeper in Chico State history to log eight or more shutouts in a season, leads the CCAA and ranks seventh in the nation in save percentage (.892), and boasts the lowest goals-against average in a season (.498) and career (.512) in the history of the program.  
 
"She's been so outstanding," Sutton said. "The later the year's gone the better she's gotten."
 
Woods is no stranger to honors. A 2017 All-West Region selection, she's now thrice been named honorable mention All-CCAA and was the CCAA's Newcomer of the Year in 2015. This season, Woods has tallied five goals (three match-winners) and an assist while learning what it's like to be the main focus of opposing defenses. 
 
"Erin is tough to handle and she causes a lot of problems for defenses trying to stop her, which frees up a little more space for everyone else," Sutton said. "So even though she has not scored as many goals as she did last season, she's been as effective as ever and a real key to our success."
 
Woods enters the postseason with career totals of 16 goals and 10 assists despite spending her early collegiate days as a defender and midfielder.   
 
Jones, like Woods, started her career as a defender, but has recently transitioned into more of an attacking midfielder role, which seems to suit her very well. A Second Team All-West Region selection and All-CCAA honorable mention last season, Jones has notched a goal and two assists over the past six matches after helping anchor the back line for the first two-thirds of the season as Ikeda's fellow center back.
 
"That says a lot that the coaches would vote for her despite her changing positions in the middle of the season," Sutton said. "It just goes to show that she's been a weapon for us wherever she plays."
 
Sutton, all seven of the Wildcats that were honored, and all the rest who were not, have the team on the brink of one of the best seasons in the history of the program. Whether the season ends in disappointment or with an NCAA Championship, Sutton will do her best to keep her emotions in check. But she won't be fooling anyone. No one could successfully hide the enormity of her care.