CHICO, Calif. - It was another solid side from Washington taking on the Wildcats Saturday night and another win for the home side under the lights. The 2-0 victory comes from another early goal for the 'Cats scored by Noah Ross and another goal from Miles Rice, who assisted Ross's opener just five minutes prior. 

The Wildcats have been great early into matches this week, applying pressure from the first whistle, causing teams to make costly mistakes. Miles Rice, coming off of a brace against Seattle Pacific, was able to drive the ball down the left side of the Vikings box, recognizing a lagging run from Noah Ross and slotting a great pass across the box for him to finish off. Ross still had to find a gap between the covering WWU defenders and keeper but could power it under the back line for his first goal of the season, taking the early lead in the 8th minute of play.

Not too long after assisting the opening goal for the Wildcats, Rice added another tally to his account this season, tapping in a rebound in front of goal from his own header in the 13th minute. Adrian Fontanelli served in a floating cross to the back post where Ross was able to force a save from the keeper with a strong header, pouncing on the loose ball to tap the ball into the net. Rice scored three this week against GNAC opponents at home.

The Viking's closest attempt at cutting the deficit came in the 21st minute when a slipped-in ball from the left side found its way in front of a crashing Viking forward. Junior keeper Emanuel Padilla made quick work of the first touch effort, dropping to his right and deflecting it out of harm's way.

Throughout the rest of the match, the Vikings pushed the ball into their attacking half more. Still, despite the increased offensive presence, Chico State maintained the dominance in attempts on goal. Both teams recorded 12 shots each in the match.

Freshman Silas Sells recorded his first minutes for the program, with five other Wildcats playing the entire 90 minutes, earning the shutout.

Chico State Wildcats will take their talents to the Pacific Northwest next week to take on more GNAC opponents, crossing the border to take on Vancouver, B.C.-based university Simon Fraser. It followed up by a matchup against Saint Martin's before returning home for more regular season action.