CHICO, Calif. - It was another warm night at the University Soccer Stadium. The tension around the field was visible on the faces of the players and the spectators watching on as the Wildcats battled back to a 2-1 win over Menlo College after trailing early into the match.

An early goal from the Oaks set the tone in favor of the visitors, who wanted to send a message that they are a new contender in the west region as they open up their inaugural season with the PacWest Conference this fall.

The Wildcats responded with resilience in the 21st minute as Josh Moll claimed the equalizer with help from Justin Ricketts, who won an important header on the back post that crossed the box to the waiting Moll and struck the ball into the Oaks net. Moll now leads the team with the most goals scored this season with two and has notched both in the last two games for the Wildcats.

An energy shift was noticeable as the Wildcats began to push the ball with more intent and put the Oaks on their heels with the quick goal.

Emanuel Padilla was active throughout all 90 minutes of the game, making essential saves and stepping off his line to snatch any ball in his area on multiple occasions. The Santa Rosa native grabbed six saves in Saturday night's win.

As the Wildcat's defense continued to hold off the visitor's potent offensive weapons, the home side found high-quality opportunities on the transition with a fast set of forwards at their disposal, especially early into the second half. 

Bryan Manriquez has had a solid senior season and sparked the sequence that led to Chico State's second goal—the senior won the ball off a scrambling Oaks midfielder, and the ball made its way to Miles Rice, who noticed a strong run from teammate Thomas Douglas, finding his feet and Douglas was able to compose himself with two defenders on his back to send his 'Cats up 2-1 in the 48th minute.

After an onslaught of chances from the visiting side, the Wildcats' defense prevailed and sealed the scoreline, Chico State winning their fifth straight non-conference match. 

The Wildcats will return home next Saturday, September 28th, to take on Stanislaus State in a pre-conference matchup with the Warriors. Kickoff is at 7 pm under the lights of University Soccer Stadium. Watch live on FloSports or follow the action through live stats updates.