The highly-anticipated rematch between the Chico State and Fresno Pacific men's soccer teams Friday at University Soccer Stadium contained little to none of the drama of last season's 2-2 draw in Fresno. The Wildcats did not mind one bit. Chico State controlled the match from the outset and rolled to a 3-0 victory against the Sunbirds, improving to 3-0-0 on the season
 
Wildcats center back Garrett Hogbin scored a goal for the third straight match to open the scoring in the 21^st minute, assisted on Ronan McEnroe's 44^th-minute tally, and helped anchor a defense that allowed the Sunbirds just nine shots, only three of which were on goal.
 
The back line of Hogbin, Justin Bethke, Servando Higuera, and Ben Souza made life relatively easy for goalkeeper Jose Paredes, who turned away three shots for his first collegiate shutout.
 
Freshman Noah Ross added to the lead in the 74^th minute with his first collegiate goal, becoming the fifth Wildcat to find the back of the net in their first three matches of the season.
 

Hogbin's eight career goal was his simplest yet. Higuera's corner kick rolled to the near post and deflected across the box where Hogbin waited to blast it home with his right boot into an open net inside the far post. The assist was Higuera's first as a Wildcat.
 
That same pair teamed up to create another strike late in the half. This time Higuera's corner found Hogbin's head. His shot was saved, deflecting into the air and toward the right post. It may have gone in on its own but McEnroe made sure of it with a waist-high volley into the unoccupied net.
 
Ross and fellow freshman Jacob Chong teamed up on the Wildcats' final score, erasing any hopes for a Fresno Pacific comeback.
 
Cooper Renteria battled hard to win a 50-50 ball deep in the Sunbirds' end and quickly touched a pass to Chong 30 yards out from goal. Chong then slipped a pass through a pair of defenders to Ross near the top-right corner of the 18-yard box. Ross got into the space wide of the right post with a quick left-footed touch of the ball before slipping his shot inside the opposite post, splitting the charging keeper and defender who was in pursuit.
 
The Wildcats have now won nine straight matches at University Soccer Stadium, and during that stretch, have outscored the opposition by a combined 18-1. They'll attempt to add on to both marks Sunday when the host Academy of Art at noon in their final non-conference match.
 
They begin California Collegiate Athletic Association play with a road trip to Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State LA on September 27 and 29, respectively. After playing at Humboldt State and San Francisco State the following weekend, they'll return home to play five of their last eight CCAA tilts.