Chico State Men’s Soccer fell short in the California Collegiate Athletic Association tournament quarterfinals against the No. 5 San Marcos Cougars in a 4-5 penalty shootout on Sunday. Both teams came into the game looking to advance to the semi-finals to play against the No. 1 ranked Los Angeles Golden Eagles.

It was a scoreless game in the first half. The Wildcats were outplayed until the second half when they started to pick things up. Freshman forward Vas Syrengelas gave Chico the second-half advantage, netting his second goal of the season in the 57th minute of the match.

The Wildcats lead didn’t stand long as the Cougars scored a goal past goalkeeper Emanuel Padilla 10 minutes later. Padilla notched four saves in their quarterfinal match. He has had a total of 65 saves this season.

The Cougars came through with the win in penalty shots. Despite the Wildcats losing on Sunday, they still have a chance at making the National Collegiate Athletic Association DII  Tournament.

A decision will be made on Monday, Nov. 13 in the NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer selection show. Chico State’s phenomenal season hopefully gives them a chance to make history.

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

Nick Sanders can be reached at [email protected]