SAN MARCOS, Calif. — The Chico State women's soccer team lost to Cal State San Marcos 1-0 in The Cage Thursday afternoon.
In what is a extremely tight CCAA race, the result dropped Chico State (5-6-3, 4-2-3 CCAA, 15 points) from a tie for third place to a tie for sixth with Stanislaus State with four matches left on the schedule. The CCAA will take the top six teams in the standings to the conference tournament in November.
The Wildcats finished the match with a 12-9 shot advantage and matched the Cougars (7-2-5, 5-2-2 CCAA, 17 points) with five shots on goal but were held scoreless.
Chico State recorded the first shot on goal in the 12th minute, with Olivia Hohnstein putting an attempt to the bottom left that Keira Patterson saved. Four fouls between the teams followed before Yulisa Reyes sent a shot high in the 20th minute.
The Cougars scored in the 24th minute when Addison Leite finished for a 1-0 lead, then added a corner kick and shots by Lily Jensen, saved by Charlotte Mailer, and Isabelle Walsh.
The Wildcats generated chances from the 34th minute through the final minutes of the first half, getting saved shots from Natalie Nevarez and Laila Hadid, attempts from Mia Valdez and Jamie Maas, and two corner kicks, but the Cougars carried the 1-0 lead into halftime.
Mailer saved a Luca Puccio shot during an early Cougars push that included three corner kicks in the opening five minutes of the second half.
Chico State believed it tied the match in the 55th minute when Aiyana Finley chipped a shot over the keeper and into the goal. The Cougars challenged the play for a handball on the breakaway attempt and after video review the referee negated the goal and confirmed a foul was committed, keeping the score at 1-0 in favor of Cal State San Marcos.
The Cougars put another shot on frame through Jensen in the 67th minute before the Wildcats made a late push with a corner in the 79th minute, attempts from Starr and Hohnstein, and two more corners in the final seven minutes. Chico State could not find an equalizer, and the Cougars finished off the 1-0 result.
The Wildcats will head back to Chico to host UC Merced at University Soccer Stadium. Prior to the noon kickoff, Chico State will host Senior Day, celebrating the graduating Wildcats Laila Hadid, Olivia Wilson, Rebekah Hines and Olivia Hohnstein. The ceremony is set to begin at 11:50 a.m.
