Chico State Men’s soccer (3-2-2) played a heated game against Cal Poly Humboldt (1-2-4) on Sept. 17 at University Stadium, which ended in a 0-0 tie after 90 minutes of play. 

The game marked only the second tie ever between these two rivals since Chico State started keeping record in 2003. The Wildcats still lead the all-time record with a record of (18-4-2). 

The clash between the Wildcats and Lumberjacks was labeled “The Battle of the North,” and was filmed as a part of a docuseries with the NCAA and in partnership with LG titled “The Rivalries.” 

The largest crowd of the season of about 800 people cheered on the Wildcats for the full 90-minute period.

“That was the biggest crowd I ever played in front of,” sophomore Preston Moll said. “Hearing them scream gives you the extra push in the last 10 minutes.”

Living up to the rivalry name, both teams accumulated 22 fouls throughout the matchup, despite many of the fouls being left uncalled. 

Freshmen defensive center back Avery Huggins helped set the tone using his physicality on defense, helping him earn Wildcat player of the week. 

“We just got to play through it, it was very physical out there but that’s how the game should be,” Huggins said. 

The game was a defensive battle and Huggins led the charge on defense for the Wildcats, with the Lumberjacks having a total of 10 shots, but only two of them being on goal.

The defense also held the Lumberjack’s offense to a total of zero corner kicks compared to the Wildcat’s eight corner kicks. 

Despite the disparity in corner kicks and shots overall, the Wildcats were unable to get rid of their dry spell and failed to put the ball in the net. 

This was largely attributed to the fact that the Lumberjacks themselves had their defense on lock, with their goalkeeper, Adrian Gallardo racking up a total of six saves. 

Sophomore forward, Miles Rice began to turn up the pressure on offense only 14 minutes into the game. However, the shot went to the top right of the box and was saved by Gallardo. That would be one of two shots on goal for Rice, who led the offense in shots, shooting a total of six times. 

The Wildcats have been dominant on defense all year, only allowing four goals in the seven games they have played this year. Sophomore defender Trevor Fritz has been a main component of that.

“Everyone is working together, our offense is doing a good job not letting the ball out of their half and our defense is doing a good job of keeping the ball out of the net,” Fritz said.

The Wildcats hope to put this game behind them as they prepare for their first California Collegiate Athletic Association conference matchup against Sonoma State this Friday on Sept. 23 in Rohnert Park, California. 

Jackson Elrod and Raymundo Sayago can be reached on Twitter @jacksonelrod13 and @rsayagoaguilar or [email protected]