Women’s soccer squeezed past the Chico State Wildcats 1-0, Friday afternoon on the road.
The Broncos had a total of 11 shots, four of which were on target, compared to the Wildcats who had nine shots, six of which were on target.
“Traveling to Chico is a very difficult trip. Chico is one of the top teams in the region, so we knew it was going to be a tough task coming up here in their home field and get a result. But I thought we identified some things we could improve in the second half,” head coach Jay Mason said.
(Courtesy of Ryan McCasland)
“I thought we were able to link up once we got possession of the ball, and overall I was very proud of the girls because they found a way versus a very organized team who is hard to break down.”
The Broncos came out firing and had the first shot of the match, after sophomore midfielder/forward Allyssa Larkin had a shot two minutes into the game but the Wildcats’ goalkeeper saved it.
Despite the hot start, the Broncos struggled and didn’t have a shot until the 23rd minute when Larkin once again shot but it unfortunately went out wide of the goal.
Minutes later, the Wildcats attempted to break through the Broncos’ defense with their first shot of the match, but sophomore goalkeeper Sydney Williams made the save to deny the Wildcats.
Before the end of the first half, the Broncos had two more shots but fell just short of their first goal. First, Larkin had a shot but it was blocked by the Wildcat goalkeeper. Following that, senior forward/midfielder Amanda Duran took a shot but was high of the goal.
Coming into the second half, the Broncos right away went to work and continued with their attempts to score a goal after junior forward Taylor Scott took a shot that was saved.
The Wildcats responded with two shots that went out wide of the Broncos’ goal. Around the 65th minute, Scott once again made an attempt with a shot that unfortunately went just out wide of the goal.
Three minutes later, Scott’s attempts to break through the Wildcats’ defense was redeemed as the junior scored her seventh goal of the season.
The goal came when Larkin and senior forward Ambria Pogue initiated an overlapping pass down the right flank that was crossed and hit by Scott into the far corner of the net, despite the goalkeeper’s attempts to save it.
“I think our team chemistry this year has just been amazing. We have the ability to check into each other and throughout the game we will turn to each other and make sure that we are good. And because I think we are so close friends off the field, it allows us to be successful on the field,” junior defender Amanda Faber said.
Moments after the Broncos’ goal, the Wildcats went forward and almost broke through with multiple shots on goal. The first shot came in the 68th minute, but was saved by Williams. Two minutes later, the Wildcats had back-to-back shots but Williams once again was outstanding, denying the Wildcats a goal.
Despite the Wildcats’ efforts, the Broncos were able to weather the storm and took control of the game going into the last 10 minutes of the match. The Broncos maintained possession, despite the Wildcats’ pressure. The Broncos almost had a second goal in the last two minutes of the match after Pogue and junior midfielder Allison Hung’s shots were both blocked by the Wildcats’ goalkeeper followed by a header from Larkin that went wide of the goal.
On Sunday, the Broncos defeated the Stanislaus State Warriors 1-0.
In the 33rd minute, senior forward Shayna Larson broke open the scoring for the Broncos after an assist from Scott.
That would wrap up the scoring for both sides, resulting in a 1-0 victory for the Broncos.
The Broncos will return to action Thursday when they face Cal State Dominguez Hills at 4:30 p.m. at Kellogg Stadium.