SEASIDE—The pressure of the postseason was not the only thing host Cal State Monterey Bay was facing in the opening round of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament Sunday. The Chico State men's soccer team had the Otters in chase mode all afternoon. The Wildcats used the power, speed, and opportunistic strikes of Justin Ricketts and Miles Rice to get in behind the Otters' defense three times, leading to a 3-0 victory on a misty and windy day at Cardinale Stadium in Seaside.
 
With their most important win since 2018, the Wildcats (7-4-8) advance to take on top-seeded Cal State Dominguez Hills in the CCAA Tournament semifinals at Premier Field on the campus of Cal State San Bernardino Friday at 2 p.m. Cal State Monterey Bay had its season end at 8-8-2.
 
In the starting lineup for the second time this season, Ricketts made a huge contribution early, pouncing on a bad pass that got behind the Otters' defense on the right flank. Ricketts immediately went on the attack. While dribbling at an angle toward the right post, he fended off a defender with his left arm. The goalkeeper came out to defend as Ricketts (and the defender) reached the top corner of the six-yard box, so he slid to get to the ball first poking it with past the keeper and inside the far post with his right foot.    
 
That 19^th-minute strike was the lone goal during a first half in which the teams managed four shots apiece.
 
Rice ruled the second half. The fast and powerful sophomore proved too much for the Otters to handle Sunday, and especially during a one-minute stretch in which he put the match away by drawing a penalty kick and then scoring a goal in the run of play.
 
The PK was set up when Rice won a ball deep on Chico State's own side of the field and immediately turned straight upfield on the dribble attack. A give-and-go with Dawson White left Rice on the left flank with one defender ahead of him and one in pursuit. He blew past the one defender with a hesitation move—stutter step and then quick burst—even avoiding his attempt to grab him. Now with just one man to beat, the defender that had been running with Kameron Kascht down the middle of the pitch, Rice angled toward the goal before being taken out with a card-inducing tackle eight yards out from the mouth of the goal.
 
Adrian Fontanelli stepped to the spot to take the PK and drilled it by the diving goalkeeper for a 2-0 lead with 30 minutes remaining in the match. But in effect, it would be decided less than a minute later when Rice got behind the defense in transition, juked the goalkeeper, 30 yards out from the goal, and coolly scored into an open net for a 3-0 lead.
 
Noah Ross set up the play by winning a header and then outracing a Cal State Monterey Bay opponent to it and passing it into the wide swath of turf awaiting Rice, who was just then reaching midfield. To his delight, the defender who Ross beat to the ball had been the left back. The right back, meanwhile, was flat footed, leaving Rice five yards behind both defenders.
 
Chico State's defense allowed only 12 shots all day three of which were saved by Luis Albarran, who collected his eighth shutout of the season and the 13^th of his career.
 
Tickets for Friday's CCAA Tournament semifinal match are $10 for general admission and $5 for seniors, active military, students with ID, and children ages 3-12. They can be purchased HERE or via a link on the Chico State men's soccer schedule page at www.ChicoWildcats.com where links to the match broadcast and live stats can also be found. The match will be broadcast on the CCAA Network and live stats are also available. Links can be found at www.chicowildcats.com in the calendar section on the homepage and on the women's soccer schedule page. Access to the live video stream requires a subscription fee that grants users access to every CCAA event on the network, home and away.
 
2022 CCAA Men's Soccer Tournament
Sunday, Oct. 30 - First Round (at campus sites)
Match 1: #6 Sonoma State 0, #3 Cal Poly Pomona 0 (SSU advances on PKs, 7-6)
Match 2: #5 Chico State 3, #4 Cal State Monterey Bay 0


Semifinals and Final
at Premier Field, Cal State San Bernardino, San Bernardino, Calif.
Friday, Nov. 4 - Semifinals
Match 3: #2 Cal State LA vs. Sonoma State, 11:30 a.m.
Match 4: #1 Cal State Dominguez Hills vs. Chico State, 2 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 6 - Championship
Match 5: Match 3 Winner vs. Match 4 Winner, 1 p.m.
 
 
"The Rivalries," Featuring Chico State Soccer, Premieres Wednesday
Docu-series episode scheduled to air on LG Smart TVs at 5 p.m., 8 p.m., and 11 p.m.
 
The LG docu-series "The Rivalries" will premiere on Wednesday night at 5 p.m., Pacific, on LG Smart TVs. Available exclusively on the NCAA Championships Channel (Channel 100) via LG Channels, a free streaming service available exclusively on LG Smart TVs, the episode captures the history of the Chico State-Cal Poly Humboldt soccer rivalry. It culminates with the September 17 doubleheader between the teams in Chico.
 
The production crew split the week leading up to the match between Arcata and Chico, interviewing current and former players and coaches, and capturing the scenes of the respective universities and communities. "The Rivalries" docu-series is presented by LG USA in partnership with the NCAA. Following Wednesday's 5 p.m. premiere, the episode will be re-aired at 8 p.m. and again at 11 p.m. It is titled "The Battle for the North."
 
"The Rivalries" endeavors to give viewers access to some of the greatest rivalries in small-college sports. Each episode highlights a different sports rivalry as told through interviews, historical moments, and the most recent game footage.
 
The exclusive content series is part of a three-year partnership with the NCAA, Turner Sports, and CBS Sports for category exclusive marketing and distribution rights to NCAA Championship competitions that will expand the reach of college sports to legions of current fans and generations of new ones. LG's support of the NCAA Championships will include multiple initiatives to inspire fans and support student athletes including the recent launch of the NCAA Championships Channel, which will feature up to 50 NCAA Fall, Winter and Spring championships, both live and on-demand via LG's exclusive free streaming service, LG Channels.
 
Learn more about LG's NCAA partnership, The Rivalries docu-series and the NCAA Channel exclusively on LG Smart TVs, by visiting LG.com/NCAA.