Here's a Halloween costume idea for Chico State freshman goalkeeper Emma Hofmann: Put on a cape and a shirt with a big number zero. She's the zero hero! Hofmann handled a season-high seven saves as the Wildcats outslugged first-place Sonoma State in a 1-0 victory Monday morning on the turf at the Pleasant Valley High School's stadium. Defenders Jordan Doukakis, Nicole Fairbanks, Sarah Speros, Megan Looney and Kylie Martinez could join her, creating the zero heroes. Or, they could just put on clean sheets. Hofmann posted her fifth straight and eighth of the season in the win.
 
The Chico State offense needed one goal to get perhaps their biggest win of the season. It came with 11:14 to play, and the offense started with some good defense. Fairbanks and Antonia Diaz did work to work the ball down toward the right corner of the field, and then Camille Lidster intercepted an attempted clearance to gain possession for good. She out-fought one defender and outran another to make her way to the right corner flag before firing a cross right toward the penalty spot. Susanna Garcia mis-hit a try at a one-timer but did not panic. She regathered the ball, took a turn and touch to create space, and then slammed a low strike that beat the goalkeeper to her right.
 
The goal was Garcia's team-high fifth of the season and first since she scored in the team's first four matches of the season. Lidster's assist was her fifth.
 
Tied for seventh in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings entering the match, the Wildcats (now 8-2-4 overall and 4-1-3 in conference play) rose to fourth with the victory. They trail first-place Sonoma State (11-3-0 and 6-2-0) by three points and Cal State East Bay and San Francisco State by two points. The top six teams at the end of the regular season earn CCAA Tournament berths, the top two teams get first-round byes, and the third- and fourth-place teams earn the right to host a first-round match.
 
The Wildcats will be on the road this weekend against Cal State L.A. Friday and Cal Poly Pomona Sunday. They will return home to wrap up the regular season against Humboldt State on Thursday, November 4.