ROHNERT PARK – It’s often been said that nobody wins in a tie, but the Chico State men’s soccer team hopped on the bus in Rohnert Park to come home to Chico with winning smiles after a 1-1 deadlock with the 11th-ranked Seawolves Sunday. The tie snapped a 10-match losing streak against the rival Seawolves and snapped Sonoma State’s nine-match home winning streak.
True freshman Luis Martinez tied the match at 1-1 in the 51st minute with an unassisted goal. Michael Keohane made 11 saves, allowing only one goal in the 34th minute to the high-powered Sonoma State offense that had scored 10 goals in the last three meetings against Chico State.
Chico State, which entered the weekend ranked No. 7 in the West Region, is now 4-1-1 on the season and 1-0-1 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Sonoma State, No. 2 in the West, is 4-0-2 overall and 1-0-1 in the CCAA.
The Wildcats did not seem to be intimidated by the Seawolves, and played them physically from the outset. Of the 44 fouls called, the Wildcats were responsible for 20 of them, and also collected a trio of yellow cards.
At least at first, Chico State’s tough play did not phase Sonoma State. The Seawolves blasted 14 of the first 16 shots of the match. The 12th shot found the back of the net after Cory Taufer’s pass found Jomed Tejan running behind the defense, and he finished to give the Seawolves the lead.
But Chico State started to turn the tide just before intermission, and actually matched the Seawolves in shots from that point on, 13-13.
The Wildcats will open the home part of their CCAA schedule Wednesday when Cal State Stanislaus comes to town to kick off a stretch in which they’ll play three home matches in five days. They’ll play the Warriors at 4:30, Cal State East Bay Friday at 7 pm, and UC San Diego Sunday at 2 pm.
BOX SCORE
Chico State recent history versus Sonoma State
Sunday: Tied 1-1 on the road.
2008: Lost 4-0 on the road.
2007: Lost 2-0 on road; Lost 4-1 at home.
2006: Lost 1-0 on road; Lost 2-1 at home.
2005: Lost 2-0 on road; Lost 3-1 at home.
2004: Lost 2-0 on road; Lost 2-0 at home.
2003: Lost 1-0 at home; Won 1-0 on the road.
