The chemistry was off for Chico State’s Women’s Soccer team on Friday against Monterey Bay. They lost their first match on the road 3-0 and couldn’t find an answer to the Otters game plan. 

While a loss is not ideal, sophomore Brynn Howard said this team is poised in adversity and takes setbacks as a chance to make their comeback even stronger. 

“If we do drop a game we know we can’t dwell on it too much but rather use that as fuel for the next game,” Howard said. “It has been instilled in us that we must show up each game because this conference is tough and no game will be easy.” 

Howard has been a quiet anchor for the Wildcats this year, earning a player of the match award from her teammates and coaches a week ago. 

As a transfer to the program, she wanted to be viewed as a good teammate on the field, but more importantly a good teammate off the field.

“I think coming into this year as a transfer I knew it was going to be hard to join a new group of people,” Howard said. “But this team has allowed me to be myself which made the transition smooth.” 

Howard feels herself coming out of her shell with each match and feels she has a voice that will impact those around her in a positive way. 

Matches like this tend to happen in a long season. Freshman Kelli Litchfield talked about learning from their mistakes and pushing forward.

“There were many things we could’ve done differently, so I think that’s important to take into consideration,” Litchfield said. “From here we move on and continue to better ourselves.” 

This is the Wildcats second loss of the season and both times they have viewed the loss as unfortunate but important to the goals they have for themselves. 

“We have definitely learned that we need to show up for every game,” Litchfield said. “Our team has so much talent and it was good that we learned from that game.” 

Many teams are dispirited when a single goal goes against them. However, senior defender Kylie Martinez says this team isn’t one for packing it in early. 

“A game can be changed in seconds or minutes,” Martinez said, “so we don’t stop until the clock says zero.”  

Similar to Litchfied and Howard’s attitude toward the loss, Martinez said as long as the team grows in defeat, then that’s what counts. 

As mentioned many times throughout the year, this team is chasing a banner to hoist after going a season without any games. One loss in a sea of victories will allow the Wildcats to sharpen their play as the season progresses. 

Mason Tovani can be reached at [email protected] or @masonmtovani on Twitter