No. 5 Chico State Wildcats kept their playoff hopes alive with a win against the Cal State San Francisco Gators 2-1 on Friday.

It all started with sophomore Carson Zarate, who scored off a rebound volley after Adrian Fontanelli delivered a dangerous free kick that hit the right corner post. Zarate picked up his third goal of the season while Fontanelli grabbed his seventh assist.

“It was behind me and I tried to get a foot on it, I had no aim on it, luckily it went in,” Zarate said.

The Gators kept the Wildcats on their toes, scoring a goal six minutes later. It wasn’t until the second half sophomore Justin Ricketts was struck by a Gators defender leading to a penalty kick in the 65th minute of the game.

Junior defender Preston Moll capitalized on this penalty kick, netting his fifth goal of the season.

The Wildcats improved their record to (11-1-4) overall and (4-1-4) in conference play after Friday’s game. They are sitting in fourth place with 16 points, behind the Cal State Monterey Bay Otters who have 19 in the Conference standings.

With a win on Sunday against the Otters they can jump into a solo third spot. This could give them home field advantage in the first round of the CCAA tournament. However, with a win on Sunday and Thursday, the Wildcats could take second place from the Cal State Pomona Broncos.

The Wildcats are hosting senior day right before kickoff on Sunday against the Otters. They are recognizing seniors Adrian Fontanelli, Noah Ross and Kristoffer Brown for their time with the team.

Chico State hopes to win their game on Sunday against the Otters. Kickoff begins at 11:30 a.m. You can watch the game here.

For more information about Chico State Athletics, you can visit the Wildcats homepage.

Nick Sanders can be reached at [email protected]