Wildcats topple 24th-ranked SPU
Box Score To deem the win historic might be a bit of a reach. But if the Chico State women’s soccer team plays the rest of the season like it did in a 1-0 victory over 24th-ranked Seattle Pacific Wednesday night, it is certainly one that the NCAA Championship Tournament committee will look back on at the end of the regular season.
Shelby Lanksbury notched her first collegiate goal Wednesday.
It was a night of firsts for the Wildcats. Head Coach Kim Sutton earned her first victory in a dozen attempts against the perennial West Region power. Shelby Lanksbury’s first collegiate goal was the game winner. And a number of Wildcats made their University Soccer Stadium debut in the 2014 home opener.
Chico State improved to 1-1-1 with the win against a Seattle Pacific squad that had opened the season with a 2-1 win against UC San Diego. The Falcons fell to 1-1-0.
Lanksbury’s goal was a team effort as no less than six Wildcats played a role. True freshman Pooja Patel – a revelation in her collegiate home debut – rolled a ball to Scroggins in the right corner to set the play in motion. Scroggins ripped a cross into the box that ricocheted out to Emily Shleppey. She slammed a low liner back into the mix that Megan Tabler got a boot on. The ball was deflected high into the air before Katie Brown headed it toward the goal. Linsdey Dias played it back deftly to Lanksbury, who hit a left-footed rocket inside the left post for the game-winner.
Patel entered the match in the 33rd minute and the tenor of the match changed completely.
Outshot 11-2 to that point, the speedy Patel paved the way as the Wildcats took control. Chico State enjoyed a 9-4 edge in shots and 4-1 advantage in corner kicks from that point forward.
The shutout was the 20th of goalkeeper Brianna Furner’s career, tying her with Nicole Adams for second in Chico State history. Furner made a trio of saves, including a perfectly timed punch of a header ticketed for the upper-V in the 24th minute.
Megan Tabler
She was aided by a backline of Jojo Smyth, Brooke Coelho (both making their Wildcats home debuts), Scroggins and Halima Abdelshife. They limited Seattle Pacific to shots from distance for most of the evening.
The victory was the 185th for Sutton at the Division II level, moving her to within one of the only other coach in the program’s history – Bob Russ – for 31st all time.
The Wildcats will attempt to get Sutton even with her predecessor Sunday when they host Saint Martin’s at 11 a.m. All Chico Youth Soccer League players and coaches who come to the match in uniform will get in free.
