Prior to the season, Chico State women's soccer coach Kim Sutton said that the game would be her team's teacher during the preseason. With just four juniors and two seniors on the roster, most of the Wildcats had a lot of learning to do.
 
They've proven to be quick learners, having gone unbeaten in their last five matches to finish the non-conference portion of play with a record of 4-1-1. The true tests begin with the start of California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) action this weekend.
 
Chico State opens its CCAA slate Friday afternoon at 4:30 at Cal State Dominguez Hills. Once a year the Toros host a soccer doubleheader in the Dignity Health Sports Park Main Stadium, home of the LA Galaxy, and Friday night is it for 2019. Sunday, the Wildcats will play at Cal State LA.
 
Links to live stats for each match at available on the top-right corner of this release, along with links to pay-to-view streaming video for both matches. All links are also accessible on the homepage and women's soccer schedule page.
 
At least one win this weekend would not only get the Wildcats off on the right foot for conference play, but also mark Sutton's 187^th at Chico State, which would break the deadlock with the program's first and only other head coach, Bob Russ, for most in the history of the program.
 
The Wildcats dropped out of the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 rankings following a 1-0-1 weekend in which they played to a scoreless draw at home against Azusa Pacific and then beat Fresno Pacific 2-0 on the road. They remain among teams receiving votes in the national poll and currently come in at No. 6 in the West Region.
 
Cal State Dominguez Hills is 1-3-1. The Toros have played at home only twice, falling 3-1 to Azusa Pacific and then beating Fresno Pacific 1-0. The Wildcats are 9-0-1 in the last 10 matchups with the Toros, and 8-0-2 in their last 10 matches in Carson.
 
Cal State LA enters Friday's match against Stanislaus State with a record of 3-1-0 and ranked No. 5 in the West Region. The Golden Eagles are also among teams that received votes in the latest national poll. Chico State is 2-0-1 against Cal State LA in their previous three meetings, but prior to that, the Golden Eagles had won eight of the last nine matchups. The Wildcats had dropped six consecutive matches to the Golden Eagles in LA before winning 1-0 there in 2017.
 
Friday's match marks the first of four in a row on the road to start conference play for the Wildcats. After that tough stretch, they'll play five of their final eight at home.