Wildcats looking to make history in first round of NCAA Tournament

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Wildcats looking to make history in first round of NCAA Tournament

11/11/2009 11:41:53 AM

SAN DIEGO - If you've got a job to do, San Diego's a nice place to do it. The Chico State women's soccer team has a number of jobs to do. The Wildcats are looking for the first NCAA Championship Tournament win in the program's history and the first win against Seattle Pacific in the program's history Thursday in the opening round of the NCAA Championship West Regional, hosted by UC San Diego. And if they get those things done Thursday, they'll be after a trip to the NCAA Championship Tournament Sweet 16 against the host Tritons Saturday. Both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m.

The Wildcats enter the tournament as the region’s No. 6 seed at 8-5-8 overall. Seattle Pacific, 16-3-1, is ranked No. 19 in the nation and the No. 3 seed in the West.

Click here for an interactive NCAA Championship Tournament bracket.

Click here for the home of the NCAA Championship Tournament West Regional.

Click here for Chico State match notes.

Chico State women's soccer player Ashley Perlman.

The Wildcats are in the NCAA Championship Tournament for the fourth time in the last six years and their fifth time overall, but they are still looking for their first win. They’re 0-2-2 in NCAA Championship Tournament matches. They tied Seattle Pacific 2-2 in 2004 and tied Cal State L.A. 0-0 in 2007, but failed to advance on penalty kicks on both occasions. In 1992, their first NCAA Tournament appearance, they lost 1-0 to Sonoma State. In 2005, they lost a heartbreaker to Seattle Pacific in double overtime.

The two NCAA Championship Tournament results against Seattle Pacific provide a microcosm of the overall series between these teams. The Wildcats have never beaten SPU (0-7-2), though four of their last five losses have been by the score of 1-0, including their match earlier this season in Chico. Six of the nine matches have been decided by one goal or fewer.

All that would be forgotten with a win Thursday.

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Wildcats of the Week

Caressa Williams

Women's Basketball

For much of the season, redshirt freshman Caressa Williams has been sitting at the end of the Chico State women’s basketball team bench, seeing very little on-court action. But the former Paradise High School star continued to work hard on her game, and the extra effort has paid off in recent weeks with significantly more playing time. After a string of short but impressive relief roles, Williams delivered a breakout performance Saturday against Humboldt State, posting career highs in scoring and rebounding in the Wildcats’ 90-67 thumping of Humboldt State. Her strongest effort to date makes Williams the latest Wildcat of the Week.

Williams shot over 58 percent (7-of-12), averaging just under 10 points and five rebounds in Chico State’s two weekend contests. She began the weekend with a solid outing Friday against Sonoma State, contributing five points, two rebounds, one assist and two steals in 16 minutes of action. Saturday, though, she was a major part of the Wildcat reserves combining to score 51 in the team’s convincing 23-point win over Humboldt. Williams played 24 minutes, scoring 14 points and hauling in seven rebounds – both career highs – connecting on five of her seven field goal attempts. She also chipped in with an assist and a steal in addition to shining on the defensive end.

Williams’ productive weekend saw her season scoring average more than double, rising from 1.6 to 3.6 points per game. Overall, she is shooting 50 percent from the field and is averaging two rebounds a contest.

Chico State is back in action this weekend, hosting Cal Poly Pomona Friday and San Francisco State Saturday at Acker Gym. Both games are scheduled to tipoff at 5:30 p.m.

Amir Carraway

Men's Basketball

Amir Carraway capped a strong weekend with team highs of 16 points and seven rebounds in the Wildcats’ huge win against Humboldt State Saturday night to earn Wildcat of the Week honors for the second time this season.

The sophomore from Vallejo made two game-sealing free throws with 21 seconds left to finish the night 6-of-7 from the free throw line and pulled down key rebounds on two of the Lumberjacks’ last three possessions. He also set the screen on Jay Flores’ dagger 3-pointer with 40 seconds left.

Carraway finished with 10 points and four rebounds despite playing just 18 minutes due to foul trouble during the Wildcats’ loss to Sonoma State the night before.

The 6-foot-5 forward leads the team in rebounding at 5.5 per game and ranks second in scoring at 10.6 points per game a season after averaging just 1.4 points and one rebound in only 5.4 minutes a night. He’s now led the team in scoring five times and rebounding six this season.

Carraway and the Wildcats, among four teams tied for second in the California Collegiate Athletic Association standings, trail conference co-leaders Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Dominguez Hills by just one game. They’ll welcome Cal Poly Pomona to town Friday night and San Francisco State Saturday.

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Fall’s finest to be honored at halftime Friday

The Chico State women’s soccer team and cross country programs will be honored for their runs in this fall’s NCAA Championships during halftime of Friday night’s men’s basketball game against rival Sonoma State. The game is scheduled to tipoff at 7:30.

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1.13.12 | Women's Soccer

The great Wall of Chico

The final brick has been placed in the illustrious women’s soccer career built by Kasey Wall during her five seasons at Chico State. Wall was recently named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Scholar All-West Region First Team on Friday. Teammate Denni Jo Berger earned honorable mention as well. Tweet #ChicoUknow!

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12.9.11 | Women's Soccer

Accolades finally arrive

The Chico State women’s soccer team is finally receiving some recognition. That’s what a trip to the Final Four will do. Defender Molly Downtain was deemed a National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Continental Tire NCAA Women’s Division II Third Team All-American and First Team All-West Region selection, with defenders Carly Singer and Kasey Wall snagging Third Team All-West Region accolades it was announced Friday.

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Rising in the fall

While the leaves have been falling in the City of Trees, the citiy's University, Chico State, has been rising toward the top of the list of the nation’s best NCAA Division II athletic programs. The Wildcats finished the fall ranked second in the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup fall standings, released Thursday.

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12.5.11 | Women's Soccer

Webster, Downtain named to Final Four All-Tournament Team

PENSACOLA, Fla. – The Chico State women’s soccer team’s strong showing in the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship Tournament Final Four netted All-Tournament Team honors for seniors Molly Downtain and Lisa Webster.

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12.5.11 | Women's Soccer

Webster ends her Chico State career with Final Four appearance and Wildcat of the Week award

Last week was no doubt bittersweet for Chico State women’s soccer standout Lisa Webster. The senior played the final match of her four-year Wildcat career, but it happened to be in the NCAA Championship Tournament’s Final Four. The’Cats fell just short of playing for the national championship, losing a heartbreaker Thursday to Grand Valley State, but Webster delivered the team’s lone goal to help cement her standing in the Chico State record books. As she leaves the program, Webster has earned one last accolade – Wildcat of the Week.

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The season ends, but the song remains the same

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Sometimes it lasts in love and sometimes it hurts instead.

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