The Chico State men’s soccer team had its highest scoring game of the season Oct. 16 against Cal State East Bay, as they scored 4 goals in 27 minutes.

The offensive burst came from unexpected players, as junior defender Donta’e Garcia, and first-year forward Mikey Hirsch scored their first goals of the season.

Hirsch started the barrage with a rebound score at the 36-minute mark. Sophomore midfielder Esten Schroder assisted on the play by passing the ball to Hirsch inside the goalkeeper box.

Despite scoring the first goal of the game, Hirsch had only 20 minutes of playing time.

It took junior midfielder Frankie Palmer only two minutes to follow with his second goal of the season on a penalty kick.

Schroeder opened up the second half of the game with a goal in the first two minutes. Garcia closed the game with a goal at the 63-minute mark to give Chico State a 4-1 win. Garcia had not taken a shot during a game this season before scoring.

The ‘Cats had not scored over four goals in a single game since last season when they faced Cal State East Bay at home.

The Wildcats improved their conference record to 5-3-2 and their ranking from ninth place to second with their win. Chico State is currently tied with the Sonoma State Seawolves with 17 points.

Chico State kicked off its season without a win until its fifth game. Although the Wildcats suffered early in their season, they have found recent success in their last six games with a 5-1 record.

The ‘Cats have the chance to settle the tie on Oct. 21 on their home field, as they try to defend against the Seawolves.

Gabriel Moreno can be reached at [email protected] or @GabeSports3 on Twitter.