After a 3-0 loss on Friday, the Wildcats turned things around on Sunday and defeated Dominguez Hills 1-0 with a goal in the 76th minute. 

The Chico State’s Women’s Soccer team faced their biggest loss against Monterey Bay on Friday, and senior defender Jordan Doukakis felt a big difference in the team’s energy coming into Sunday’s match. 

“I think we were definitely fired up from the loss on Friday and we wanted it a lot more on Sunday,” Doukakis said. “We played a lot more as a team rather than as individuals.”

Doukakis was the lone goal scorer for the Wildcats. She found the back of the net with a penalty kick with 14 minutes left in the match. They had hopes of salvaging the weekend and going home on a winning note. 

As a leader on the team, she said there were no nerves taking the penalty. 

“I knew that it was either me or Emma that was going to take the penalty kick, so I wanted to step up as a senior and take it for the team,” Doukakis said. “We’ve been practicing them a lot during practice so I knew exactly where I was going to hit it.”

This game was an opportunity for other members on the team to showcase what they can do. Freshman Megan Looney got her first start against the Torros and played meaningful minutes. 

“Starting this Sunday was super exciting, especially since it was my first start of my collegiate career,” Looney said. “But the role in my mind still doesn’t change. My goal every game is to contribute and work hard no matter where I am.” 

Looney said Friday’s loss was a wake up call for the team and one they were certain to answer. 

“We decided that we never wanted to feel that disappointment again,” Looney said. “I’m super proud of us for showing up on Sunday and performing at our usual level.” 

Allowing three goals on Friday, freshman goalkeeper Emma Hofmann was looking to have a better outing in Sunday’s game. She said it was nice to earn a shutout before an important match ahead of them.

“Getting the clean sheet was very encouraging especially with a big game against East Bay this week,” Hofmann said. 

Many teams are disheartened after a loss and it makes it harder for them to move on and improve from it. Hofmann said every individual on the team is accountable for the way they respond to the challenges throughout the season. 

“Our team has grit and determination and we are able to take a loss and learn from it,” Hofmann said. “We set very high expectations for each other and we turn to our leaders to help bring us back up when we are down.” 

With a loss and a win over the weekend on the road, the Wildcats know they can improve. Looney sees the growth of a team from Friday to Sunday as a positive moving forward. 

“Since we grew as a team this weekend, I would consider that successful,” Looney said. 

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