The Chico State Women’s Soccer team ended their five-game undefeated streak when they fell to Cal State Los Angeles, 0-1 on Oct. 2, at the University Stadium. This would also mark their first loss in conference play this season.

It was a rough weekend for the Wildcats in their battles against Southern California based competition, as they also tied against Cal Poly Pomona, 0-0 on Sept. 30. 

The Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles started the first half with high energy and a consistent pace. This would have an unfavorable effect on the Wildcats early on. 

The Golden Eagles offense tallied 13 shots within the first half, while the Wildcat’s were only held to two of their own. They also allowed the defense to shut out Chico State’s chances of capitalizing on corner kicks, by allowing zero corners throughout the game. By the end of the matchup, the Golden Eagles ended with 20 shots in total, with Chico only having three. 

In terms of possession, Chico State struggled to stop their opponent’s momentum. The Golden Eagles had 41 percent of possession within the foul box and 57 percent of the total possession.

The Wildcat’s only two shots on goal came from two sophomores, forward Natalie Mendoza and midfielder Madison Noll. 

The lone goal of the game took place with 11 minutes left in the first half. Golden Eagle Shelby Mein centered a pass toward the middle of the box, where Kimberly Gamez tried for a header. Gamez wasn’t able to get enough power behind the ball but it fell to Erin Schrock who was able to net the second chance shot. Schrock placed the ball into the bottom left of the goal and took advantage of the opportunity. 

After this, the Wildcats faced hardships with regaining possession and momentum throughout the rest of the competition. 

“We came out a little bit slow and we weren’t winning a lot of the balls in air. I think that was one of our biggest challenges,” sophomore defender Emilia Kling said. “We needed to keep the ball on the ground and play our game because we’re really good when we keep the ball at our feet.” 

Prior to playing Cal State Los Angeles, the Wildcats were ranked as the number one team in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, and 16th in the nation. However, they are now currently ranked as the fourth team in the conference standings with the Golden Eagles now being ranked third. 

“Our saying this year is take one game at a time. We’re going to have just let this one be in the past and move forward,” sophomore forward Emily Billena said. 

This now puts the Chico State Women’s soccer record at (5-3-2) overall and (2-1-2) in conference matchups. 

“Every game is a close game, there’s no bad team in this conference, everyone’s so close. It’s hard to tell who really is the best,” freshmen forward Summer Baron said. 

Despite facing adversity throughout the game, goalkeeper Emma Hofmann continued to hold down the fort within the box. Hofmann got CCAA Defensive Player of the Week the week before and notched a total of seven saves in both games against the Broncos and Golden Eagles. 

Chico State is set to play against Cal State East Bay this Thursday at the University Stadium at 7:00 p.m. 

Raymundo Sayago can be reached on Twitter @rsayagoaguilar or [email protected]