The Chico State Men’s soccer team (1-1-1) started off their home opener in dominant fashion, with a 6-1 preseason win against Saint Martin’s University (0-2-1) on Sept. 1. 

Both teams came into the game (0-1-1) and were looking for their first win of the season.

After a rough road trip where they couldn’t find the back of the net, the Wildcats needed a bounce-back win at University Stadium.

The team’s first win of the season puts their overall record at (1-1-1), three games into their 2022 season. 

The Wildcats also now lead the all-time record against the Saints with a record of (4-2). 

Chico State got off to an early lead with a goal in the third minute, due to a cross into the box by Kameron Kascht that led to a goal from Owen Vasta.

They didn’t let off the gas. A cross by Vasta led to a touch pass from Kascht to Miles Rice for a goal in the 12th minute. 

Rice did not slow down. He went on to score two more goals, en route to only the 25th hat trick ever in Chico State Men’s soccer history.

In true freshman fashion, last year Rice appeared in 17 games tallying a goal and an assist. 

Now as a sophomore, Rice’s overall play has become increasingly aggressive.

“This is big, especially in the first home game,” Rice said. “It just kind of sets the tone for hopefully the rest of our season.”

However, Rice and Vasta were not alone. Bryan Marquez and Kristopher Brown each tallied a goal as well.

While not scoring, junior Kascht played an essential part, racking up three assists during the match. 

After transferring from Folsom Lake College, Kascht has made an immediate impact on the team. 

“Some games are about scoring and some are about giving it to others… today I think I just gave it to others,” Kascht said.

Following the first half, the Saints attacked early with a goal by Arjun Gill off of an assist from Jay Mendoza, cutting the lead to one goal.

Justin Ricketts, a redshirt freshman, also made an impact last night with his aggressive defense and quick moves. 

The Wildcats were on a roll, scoring four unanswered goals in the second half.

In terms of ball possession, Chico State dominated.

Thanks to their highly aggressive offense, the Wildcats had 22 shots compared to the Saints’ 10.

“We’ve been working on that at practice these last two months,” Vasta said. “I think tonight the light bulb went off in our heads, everything was clicking and we were firing on all cylinders.”

Chico State is in good spirits after their first victory of the season. However, there is still a lot of hard work to be done if they want to dominate the rest of their games. 

 “We got to just learn to push through it and mature, understand the gravity of this season and what we’re looking for,” Rice said. 

Chico State now prepares for their next game on Sept. 8, at 3 p.m. against Dominican for an away game. 

To watch it live, make sure to tune into the live stream on the CCAA network. 

Jackson Elrod, Julia Travers and Raymundo Sayago can be reached at [email protected]