SAN MARCOS—Less than one minute after the Chico State women's soccer team thought it had the overtime match winner on Susanna Garcia's strike—only to see the offsides flag go up—host Cal State San Marcos scored the golden goal to defeat the Wildcats 1-0 Sunday afternoon in San Marcos.
The entire match was a back-and-forth affair. Cal State San Marcos' match-winning shot gave the Cougars a 15-14 advantage in that category.
It nearly went the other way seconds before. Abbie Jones won a 50-50 ball in Chico State territory and chipped a pass ahead to Camille Lidster late in the first overtime. Lidster's angled ball down the right flank got Mackenzie Gill free in space. With the Cougars defense desperately retreating, Garcia was a step ahead sprinting down the middle of the pitch. Gill passed ahead to Garcia just inside the 18-yard box, but the flag went up just as Garcia's shot slapped the back of the net inside the near post.
The Wildcats were whistled for a foul right at midfield on the ensuing free kick. Jessica Harloe dumped the ball right near the top of the six-yard box and Briana Daoust flicked on with a header with pace, placing into the top shelf from about eight yards.
Chico State goalkeeper Victoria Graham, who made a season-high eight saves Sunday, had no chance this time because of the ball's pace and placement.
Jordan Doukakis led Chico State with five of the team's 14 shots, including two of which were on target but saved. Garcia and Gill added two shots apiece. Antonia Diaz and Paige Slusarek also had shots saved.
The Wildcats fell to 8-5-1 overall and 4-4-0 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association with their second loss in a row, while Cal State San Marcos improved to 5-6-2 overall and 4-4-0 in the CCAA.
The teams are now tied for fifth in the CCAA standings with 12 points apiece and enjoy a two-point cushion on seventh-place Cal State East Bay. The top six teams in the final standings will earn berths in the CCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats will now take their longest break of the season before playing at Stanislaus State on Wednesday, October 30. After that, they'll play their final three regular-season matches at University Soccer Stadium where they are 3-1-1 this season 37-5-10 since the start of the 2014 campaign.
