Chico State Men’s Soccer picks up first playoff win in 4 years
From left to right Cayden Hotaling, Dawson White, Miles Rice, Adrian Fontanelli and Kameron Kascht celebrating on Oct. 30
Chico State Men’s Soccer secured their first playoff win since 2018 on Oct. 30, taking down the Cal State Monterey Bay Otters at Cardinale Stadium.
This win came exactly one week after the Otters spoiled the Wildcat’s senior day on their home turf in a 1-0 loss.
“You definitely have a little more motivation to beat them after that,” sophomore Liam Durkensen said. “They celebrated on our field, we wanted to beat them when it mattered the most in the playoffs.”
The Wildcats got off to an early lead. In the 19th minute of play defender Justin Ricketts scored an unassisted goal, kicking off an offensive surge for Chico State.
The Wildcats tacked on two more goals, both in the 59th minute, which left the Otters depleted. A penalty kick from midfielder Adrian Fontanelli extended the lead to 2-0, then just 43 seconds later Miles Rice netted his sixth goal of the season off an assist from Noah Ross.
The last time Chico State played Monterey they were only able to get three shots off. However, this time they adjusted and were able to get nine shots in during the game.
Sophomore forward Kristoffer Brown has been a big reason why the Wildcats clinched a playoff birth, starting 11 games and being the team’s second highest goal scorer with five this season.
“Honestly I think it was a momentum thing, we played pretty bad when we first played them,” Brown said. “They had a good day and then when we went to their home we started off better and everything clicked.”
Chico State’s defense has been stellar throughout the season and they were able to keep another clean sheet and pick up the crucial 3-0 victory.
The Wildcats now look forward to playing Cal State Dominguez Hills, who they recently tied.
“There’s definitely a chip on our shoulder,” Fontanelli said. “In such a big game like the semifinals, we know that anything can happen so we are looking to prove people wrong.”
The Wildcats face off against Cal State Dominguez Hills this Friday at 2 p.m., you can watch here.
For more information about all Chico State athletics, visit the Wildcats home page.
Jackson Elrod can be reached at [email protected] or @jacksonelrod13 on Twitter.
