Published 2010-11-30T17:09:00Z”/>
Kevin Augustine
Despite bending winds and erratic showers, fans lined up outside University Stadium Nov. 20 for one last chance to witness Chico State soccer history.
Umbrellas and parkas filled the stadium, the Rowdy Red set up a canopy in the stands and even Chico’s firefighters were standing on top of their fire truck to see the game.
For the almost 700 fans who attended the NCAA Division II Championship quarterfinal, however, a game to remember in a season that defied expectation quickly fell as hard as
the rain.
The Wildcats’ season ended in a shutout as they lost 5-0 to the Midwestern State University Mustangs from Wichita Falls, Texas.
After a season that included a 15-7-0 record, California Collegiate Athletic Association North Division and Division II West Regional titles, third year coach Felipe Restrepo had words of encouragement after the loss.
“I couldn’t be more proud of a group or more excited about where our program is headed,” Restrepo said.
For the 19-0-2 Mustangs, junior midfielder David Freeland tallied a hat trick and senior goalkeeper Raul Herrera recorded his 21st career shutout.
The Wildcats, fighting the rain and the No. 2 ranked team in the nation, found themselves down less than a minute into the game.
After the ‘Cats took the tipoff, Freeland stole the ball, broke free from the defense and, facing freshman goalkeeper Sam Evans, hammered in a shot to the far post from 15 yards out.
In the eighth minute, Freeland scored again in similar fashion, breaking through the defense down the left flank and taking a shot aimed at the near post that flew just out of Evan’s grasp.
“From the start we wanted to run right at them,” Freeland said. “We kept working hard and never let up, regardless of the score.”
The Wildcats kept fighting, and in the 11th minute, sophomore forward Tyson Crim was on the receiving end of a bending pass and took a shot from within the penalty box, only to have it caught by Herrera.
The Mustangs continued on the offensive, and forward Chris Dwyer headed a loose ball over Evans that sailed just under the crossbar, giving the Mustangs a 3-0 lead in the 28th minute.
The ‘Cats devised another strong offensive push right before the half with First Team All-West Region selection junior forward Chris Akwaja passing to junior forward Ferid Celosmanovic in the penalty box for a dead-on shot, but Herrera caught the ball for another save.
Despite the three-goal advantage for the Mustangs and the few opportunities the Wildcats had offensively, both teams were tied in shots and corner kicks at the half.
“We were ready to fight no matter what, but they scored within the first minute and it changed the tempo for us completely,” Akwaja said. “We believed we were still in it being down three nil, but they kept attacking.”
The Mustangs showed no sign of letting up, and in the 48th minute, Freeland struck the back of the net for a third time, scoring off a header that was flicked into the box from forward Chad Caldwell and out of reach of substituted sophomore goalkeeper James Stroud.
“Things would’ve been a lot different had we scored first in the second period,” Celosmanovic said, who had a team-leading five shots and one shot on goal. “Being down 3-1 is manageable, but 4-0 is tough.”
The ‘Cats continued to battle, but signs of frustration from shots going wide and misplaced passes had players pounding the ground with their fists and waving their arms in confusion.
To add insult to injury, Mustang freshman midfielder VcMor Eligwe scored in the 82nd minute, striking from within the penalty box to the inside post.
Being on the road against a team with home-field advantage, a noisy crowd and wet weather gave the Mustangs no room to debate whether to sit back and play a defensive game or attack, said Mustang head coach Doug Elder.
“The thing about our team is we don’t have any one particular player to shut down,” Elder said. “We can score from all over with whomever.”
Akwaja handled the loss with humbling optimism for next season.
“They were experienced,” he said. “We are still young. We have 11 freshmen, so we’ll be back next year – we have the experience now.”
Kevin Augustine can be reached at
