Thursday’s game was the first home exhibition match of the 2019 season, and for some of the Wildcats it was their first time playing at home.

Our Chico State women’s soccer team faced off against Dominican at University Soccer Stadium, and it was evident that they were looking to give the home crowd a high scoring game.

The Wildcats were able to take control early in the game, and sent multiple shots toward the goal, all stopped by Dominican goalkeeper Alyssa Ramos.

While the Wildcats couldn’t put the ball in the net early, they did a great job at making sure that the Penguins wouldn’t either.

Chico’s defense was stellar through the first half, allowing just one shot on goal and didn’t face a lot of offensive pressure from Dominican.

The teams went into the half tied 0-0 and Chico State had out shot Dominican seven to one.

On a night of “firsts” Freshman Camille Lidster scored her first career goal as a Wildcat when she headed in a corner kick off an assist by Kylie Martinez.

The goal gave Chico State a lot of momentum, which led to a second half that featured a lot more offensive pressure from the Wildcats.

It seemed as though for much of the period the ball stayed in Chico’s offensive zone, and they didn’t have much trouble taking the ball back when Dominican threatened.

The 1-0 lead didn’t satisfy the Wildcats though, they kept trying to score and push the ball, which likely led to their success.

The team put up another seven shots in the second half, while Dominican only had 2.

The Penguins seemed to pose a threat in the final five minutes of the game, but Chico State’s defense held its own, ending with a victory.

The Wildcats next match up will take place at University Stadium Sept. 14 against Holy Names University.

Matthew Ferreira can be reached at [email protected] or @MattFerreira__ on Twitter.