Chico State men’s soccer (6-1) survived a tightly contested game Saturday evening against the Stanislaus State Warriors (4-2-1). Despite being outshot by the Warriors, the Wildcats scored early in the second half and held on to secure the 2-1 victory.
The Wildcats scored their first goal of the game in the fourth minute from a contested high center goal from senior Miles Rice.
“I just really tried to make sure it went in because it was kind of a 50-50. It was probably gonna go in but I just made sure to run through it and put the nail in the coffin,” Rice said.
The momentum the Wildcats gained after their goal was short-lived as the Warriors responded with a goal of their own just 37 seconds later, tying the game at 1-1. The match saw both teams playing very physically which led to a total of four players receiving yellow cards.
“They were super annoying, they kept stepping on my feet and I kept getting kicked. They were getting in my head a little bit so it was kinda throwing me off,” Rice said.
In the 55th minute, sophomore Sylas Sells showcased impressive footwork on the ball and found an opening to slot the ball into dangerous territory in the Warriors box. At the same time, senior Benjamin Ralph was the first player to the ball, beautifully redirecting the pass into the right corner of the net giving the Wildcats the 2-1 lead.
“It was a very similar play to what we practice in warmups and practice. Sylas had a heck of a game and played in a couple of those good balls and I’m glad it ended up the way it did,” Ralph said.
Wildcats senior goalkeeper Emanuel Padilla played a solid game, securing five saves and not allowing any goals in the second half despite a high volume of shot attempts from the Warriors.
The Warriors had two final chances late in the match, with the ball going just right of the net both times, allowing the Wildcats to secure the win.
“Our confidence levels are high, we are rolling. We just have to keep getting wins, take it one game at a time and see how far we can take it,” Rice said.
The Wildcats will begin CCAA conference play when they take on nationally ranked No.3 Cal State LA on Oct. 4 at 4:30 p.m. at the University Soccer Stadium. Students can watch the game free by showing their Wildcat ID card.
For information about all Chico State athletics or to keep up with the game live, visit the Wildcat home page or watch through FloSports.
Trevor Lee can be reached at [email protected].
