CHICO, Calif. - In the first round of the CCAA Tournament, the Chico State men's soccer team had their conference campaign snuffed out at the hands of the Cougars in penalties. After 110 minutes of play, the scoreline was drawn at 5-4 in a penalty shootout in favor of the visiting #5 seed.

Both teams began the match with intensity, looking to jump ahead to take on Cal State LA in the next round on Friday.

It was a scoreless first half of play, with the Wildcats slow to start pressuring the Cougars, finally finding their fight in the second half with a consistent stream of chances.

Corner kicks and set pieces were abundant for Chico, with a handful of their 15 shots came from crashing plays in front of goal.

Vasilios Syrengelas scored the sole goal for the 'Cats in the 57th minute with a right-footed strike that snuck past the keeper, giving them an early second-half advantage. It was his first goal since scoring the tying goal against Cal Poly Pomona earlier in the conference season.

The lead would not stand for long as the Cougars scored ten minutes later, slipping the ball past a sprawling Emanuel Padilla. Padilla making four saves in Sunday's quarter-finals match.

Overtime saw much of the Wildcats pushing the ball forward, desperately trying to end the game in the added twenty minutes. With no goal to show for either team, the group's fate fell onto the penalty spot.

The scales tipped in favor of the Cougars, advancing them to the semi-final match against the #1-seeded Golden Eagles in Humboldt this Friday.

Despite the lackluster outcome, the Wildcats still have a chance at making a national tournament appearance, which will be unveiled on Monday, November 13th, in the NCAA DII men's soccer selection show. Following their successful season as one of the top in the nation, there still lies hope for more chances to rewrite history for Chico State.