Omar Nuño scored plenty when he played for the Chico State men's soccer team. Two years after he last suited up for the Wildcats, the forward continues to rack up goals and awards.
Playing for the Sonoma County Sol, Nuño earned the Golden Boot for the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). The award is given to the player who scored the most goals. Nuño totaled 20 goals in league play this season, the most among all 98 teams in the league across the nation.
The forward's finish to the season clinched the award while helping the Sol secure a postseason berth. Nuño managed three goals in back-to-back games before registering four scores in the regular-season finale that clinched a playoff spot for Sonoma County.
"You don't think something like that can happen," Nuño said. "You wish it."
Nuño notched a hat trick in each of his seasons with the Wildcats but never—at any level—had he managed three goals in consecutive contests, much less in three straight.
Former Wildcat standout, Omar Nuño, left, dribbles
with the ball while playing for the Sonoma County Sol.
"I want to thank my teammates as this award would not be possible without their hard work and play putting me in position to score," Nuño said. "I share this award with my team."
Goals and accolades are nothing new to Nuño. He totaled 10 goals and three assists in each of his two seasons with the Wildcats in 2015-16, becoming the fifth player in Chico State men's soccer history to earn consecutive First Team All-California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) honors. Nuño joined Tyler Cornell, Chris Wondolowski, Mike Gardner, and Ferid Celosmanovic on the exclusive list.
"He was a special player for us," Wildcats Head Coach Felipe Restrepo said.
Wondolowski, the San Jose Earthquakes forward who is nearing the all-time record for goals scored in Major League Soccer (MLS) history, was the last Wildcat with 10 or more goals in consecutive seasons.
"Once I got to Chico I started looking at soccer differently. I knew there was a chance I could play professionally. It made me want to play soccer every day," Nuño said. "That's how Chico State prepared me for what the future could be."
Omar Nuño led the Wildcats in goals in each of
his two seasons in 2015-16.
The Golden Gate Conference, which the Sol belong to, includes eight teams—Academica SC, CD Aguiluchos USA, East Bay FC Stompers, El Farolito, FC Davis, Napa Valley 1839 FC, Sacramento Gold FC, and Sonoma County. The conference is part of the West Region, one of four regions in the national league.
In his fourth year with Sonoma County, Nuño ratcheted up his scoring prowess to a new level just when the Sol needed him most. They won their final five games that included a 3-0 win over Aguiluchos, the second-place team, with Nuño providing all three goals. An earlier 2-1 triumph over East Bay, the third-place team, featured Nuño scoring the go-ahead goal in the 68th minute.
"Omar has been huge for us all season," Sol Head Coach Vinnie Cortezzo said. "The team all shares in this honor, but Omar put the team on his back and carried us into the playoffs."
Another highlight for the former Wildcat was his brother Juan Nuño joining Sonoma County this season as a reserve forward who received plenty of minutes, too. A 4-0 victory over Napa Valley in the regular season's penultimate game saw Omar score three goals and Juan provide the other.
"Who wouldn't want to play with their brother?" Nuño said. "It's a good thing for both of us. We know how we play."
Over four seasons, Nuño has 47 goals for the Sol. The 24-year-old now waits to see if he receives a contract from the United Soccer League, a professional league that's one level below the MLS. In the meantime, he's preparing to take the Santa Rosa Police Department's test on Monday. He's also been working as a delivery driver for Classic Mill and Cabinet in Cloverdale.
Prior to joining Chico State, Nuño starred for Healdsburg High School, earning multiple awards. Then in two seasons at Santa Rosa Junior College, Nuño did the same there for the Bear Cubs before transferring to complete his collegiate career with the Wildcats.
The NPSL is the largest established men's soccer league in the nation with 98 teams competing across the country in 2018. The NPSL is a successor to the Men's Premier Soccer League, which formed in 2002. The NPSL is a member league of the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) and sanctioned by U.S. Soccer, the governing body of soccer in all forms in the nation.
For more information on the NPSL, visit
npsl.com.
