The Chico State men’s soccer team went into Sunday’s match against San Bernardino with an overall record of 7-3 and had won four of its last five games. Over that stretch of games the Wildcats have had no problems putting up points but Sunday’s contest was a different story.

Neither team was finding any offensive success in the first half, both teams had instances where they picked up momentum but the ball stayed in the middle of the field for most of the half.

Statistically the Wildcats were the better offensive team in the opening frame. They had five shots on goal compared to San Bernardino’s one, but a solid effort from goalkeeper Jacob Huber kept Chico scoreless.

Defender Garrett Hogbin nearly broke the tie 18 minutes into play with a perfectly placed “bicycle” kick but Huber kept the game tied with an even more perfect save.

The teams went into the half tied at zero, both looking to regroup and get on the scoreboard.

“We were defending as a team in the first half, and communicating very well….in the second half we just wanted to try and put the ball away and put the team away,” said goalkeeper Jose Paredes.

The Coyotes had a similar strategy as they moved the ball into Chico territory early in the second half. After a few shots and rebound opportunities they finally got what they were looking for.

With 52 minutes on the clock San Bernardino’s Gerardo Flores kicked a goal off of a long throw in from forward Brandon Sangbarani. The goal was Flores’ fifth of the season and gave the Coyotes the first goal of the game.

After the goal, the San Bernardino defense continued to frustrate Chico’s offense. The Wildcats only put up two shots in the next 18 minutes. Within that time frame Flores lost no time and struck again 59 minutes into play to extend the Coyote’s lead 2-0.

The Wildcats struggled offensively for the rest of the half, only putting up one more shot bringing their match total to eight.

With six minutes left in the game, San Bernardino’s Omari Mark put the final nail in the coffin with a goal off an assist from forward Pedro Arellano to put the game out of reach.

“In the second half they (San Bernardino) played more offensively and we didn’t defend well enough on the set pieces and it cost us the game,” Paredes said.

This was Chico State’s second straight scoreless loss and look to get back on track when they face UC San Diego Friday night in La Jolla.

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