Oct. 10, 2008
The sting on the cheeks of the Chico State women's soccer team wasn't just from the cold, biting wind, after a 3-1 loss to the Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros Thursday.
The underdog Wildcats jumped on top of first place Dominguez Hills early on, with a 5th minute goal by senior Melissa Lindsay.
Chico continued to dominate the tempo and the momentum of the game, withstanding physical play that caused sophomore Mallory Maughan to get kicked in the face in the 35th minute.
The Wildcats also kept the Toros from getting off a shot on goal until the 29th minute.
Early on in the second half, though, Dominguez Hills turned things around - drawing a penalty kick goal from Melanie DeSalvo after Yvonne Vasquez was knocked down in the box.
In the 85th minute, the Toros went ahead for good when freshman Jessica Murphy jostled the ball through a group in the penalty box and put it past Chico goalkeeper Natalie Bensky.
After several close calls and near goals for the Wildcats in the closing minutes, Murphy struck again on a counterattack that exploited Chico's desperation - sending a lob shot over the head of Bensky to add insult to injury.
The loss puts Chico at a mark of 2-4-2 in California Collegiate Athletic Association play: behind San Francisco State and Sonoma State in the North Division.
The 'Cats take on the UC San Diego Tritons 11:30 a.m, Sunday at University Stadium.
Thomas Lawrence can be reached at tlawrence@theorion.com
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