No. 5 Chico State (11-1-5) tied 1-1 with No. 22 Cal State Monterey Bay Sunday afternoon, highlighted by freshman forward Sam Addo’s first goal as a Wildcat.

Before the match, the Wildcats celebrated seniors Adrian Fontanelli, Noah Ross and Kristoffer Brown for their time with the team. 

The first half was back and forth, with several shots that were unable to find the goal from both sides. However, the Wildcats were able to strike first when Addo scored just minutes before halftime, off an assist from Fontanelli.

The Wildcats carried the lead nearly to the end, until the 76th minute, when the Sea Otters were able to find the back of the net off a tough header from senior forward Kane Ritchie. 

The Wildcats were unable to answer, although they came close when junior defender Preston Moll nearly scored off a header in the 84th minute, but the Sea Otter’s goalkeeper was able to make the stop and seal the tie.

“We tend to score and then defend a lot,” junior goalkeeper Emanuel Padilla said. “It’s a lot of pressure on us. They got one back and it was just a stalemate game.”

Padilla, who has earned three California Collegiate Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Week awards this year, recorded a season-high seven saves.

The Wildcats now look forward to Thursday, when they face the Stanislaus State Warriors at home in the final game of the regular season. With a win, the Wildcats would clinch a home-field advantage in the first round of this year’s CCAA tournament. 

The match kicks off at 11:30 a.m., which you can watch here.

“We’re Chico State. We’re a winning program,” Addo said. “We’re going to come out here and win, win and win again, and then win some more.”

For information about all Chico State Athletics, visit the Wildcat homepage.