The Chico State men's soccer team is hoping that Miles Rice's last-minute, match-winning strike Sunday against Cal State San Marcos provides the fuel that propels it toward a successful second half of the season. That quest continues this weekend with a road trip to Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal State Dominguez Hills. They'll face the Otters Friday at 4:30 p.m. at the Otter Sports Complex and the Toros Sunday at 2 p.m. at Toro Stadium. Both matches will be streamed for free on the CCAA Network.
 
The Wildcats (2-6-0, 1-1-0 CCAA) won their season opener against Western Washington, but then suffered from a combination of bad luck, missed opportunities, and missed assignments that led to a six-match losing skid. They hope to ride the momentum from Sunday's win to more good results moving forward.
 
It won't come easy. In the California Collegiate Athletic Association, it rarely does. Cal State Monterey Bay is 4-2-2 after dropping its first two matches of the season last weekend. But the Otters are unbeaten at home (3-0-2) and rank second in the conference in scoring at 2.250 goals per match. Cal State Dominguez Hills is off to a 4-1-1 start (2-0-0 in the CCAA) and ranked No. 25 in the nation.