With tension in the air, the Chico State women’s soccer team played its final regular-season game on Thursday to decide the season conference champions. It was also the last home game for coach Kim Sutton, who is retiring at the end of the season after 25 years at the helm.

The ‘Cats needed a win in order to immediately clinch the championship. Unfortunately, they tied with Cal Poly Humboldt 3-3, leaving their fate out of their hands. In an agonizing wait, the ‘Cats joined together and waited for the deciding match between Cal Poly Pomona and  Cal State San Bernardino to conclude.

The ‘Cats could have become the champions if the match ended in a tie, but Cal Poly Pomona emerged with a 1-0 win to crown themselves the champions, pushing the ‘Cats back to second place.

Despite not clinching first, the ‘Cats played an outstandingly hard-fought game. 

“It’s tough to give up that many goals, but heck of a game, one of the best I’ve had the pleasure of coaching,” coach Sutton said. “Absolutely not a bad way to end it here on my longtime home field.”

Junior midfielder, Olivia Hohnstein, led the ‘Cats offense with two goals to ultimately even the score.

The ‘Cats started strong, earning a penalty kick in the 11th minute of the game. For the second time this season, sophomore defender Gabby Starr took the penalty shot for her team.

Starr slammed the ball towards the high left corner of the net, beating the airborne Lumberjack goalkeeper who dove the opposite direction, netting the first goal of the game.

After earning the lead, the ‘Cats made the mistake of slowing their aggressive play, allowing the Lumberjacks to sink two goals in the 19th and 31st minutes.  

Entering halftime trailing 2-1, Sutton set the fire back under the ‘Cats and adjusted their game plan.

“We needed to get more players, especially Klayre, into the midfield for attacks. It destroyed them when we used the flank; we had to gamble and go for it,” Sutton said. “We had to push because we needed those points. We made the adjustment, and it paid off.”

Sutton’s advice allowed the ‘Cats to open the second half with greater organization and a better sense of urgency.

The Lumberjacks managed to score a third goal in the 53rd minute, however, managing to sneak past the ‘Cats defense and widening the deficit to two scores.

The ‘Cats never counted themselves out of the battle, though. One of their core values is believing in themselves no matter the situation. 

Playing right into their philosophy, Hohnstein took matters into her own hands in the 56th minute. Rebounding after their opponents’ goal, the ‘Cats ran the ball down the field and found themselves with a golden opportunity for a shot on goal. 

Senior defender Klayre Barres sent a pinpoint pass to Hohnstein across the field, setting her up for a shot. Hohnstein floated the ball perfectly over the goalkeeper’s head, without an inch to spare, and the ball fell just under the crossbar for a second Wildcat goal.

With the time ticking away and one more score needed to close the gap, the game turned chaotic. Both teams were playing passionately and aggressively. The ‘Cats picked up 13 fouls and three yellow cards in the match. 

In the 68th minute, Hohnstein found herself in the middle of the action again. Receiving another beautiful assist, this time from senior midfielder Taylor McMahon, Hohnstein found the back of the net a second time with a shot almost identical to the first.

Senior midfielder and captain Hannah Pieri played the full 90 minutes and had a clear view of both Hohnstein’s goals.

“Im just so proud of her for being able to put the team on her back like that in such a high-stakes situation,” Pieri said. “I just couldn’t be happier for her; we all knew that we were never out of it.”

Now with the score tied, it was an all-out effort to score for both teams. In the end, neither side found the back of the net again, and the match ended in a 3-3 draw.

With the tie, the ‘Cats secured the second seed and a first-round bye in the CCAA championship tournament. 

“We have lots of days to prepare., It’s just a waiting game,” Sutton said. “All we need to do is keep doing what we have been doing all year and continue to grow. They have believed every day and kept believing in every moment. It’s so easy to push them because of how much everyone cares.”

The CCAA championship tournament is hosted by Cal State Monterey Bay at Cardinale Stadium. The ‘Cats play on Nov. 14 at 4:30 p.m. against the winner between No.3 Stanislaus State and No.6 Cal State East Bay.

For information about all Chico State athletics or to keep up with the game live, visit the Wildcat home page, or watch through FloSports.

Aiyana Curry can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].