CHICO, Calif.---Stan State men's soccer scored twice in a span of just over two minutes late in the second half to erase a 1-0 deficit and take a 2-1 lead, but Chico State converted a penalty kick just 26 seconds later as the Warriors and Wildcats played to a 2-2 draw Thursday evening at University Soccer Stadium.
Gerardo Flores tied the match on a penalty kick in the 84th minute before
Alfredo Figueroa gave Stan State the lead in the 86th minute off an assist from
Michael Daley.
Dylan Isasi finished with seven saves, including a penalty-kick stop in the 68th minute, as the Warriors outshot Chico State 18-14, including 14-3 in the second half.
Stan State moved to 3-6-7 overall and 1-4-5 in CCAA play with eight conference points, while Chico State moved to 3-10-4 overall and 0-7-4 in conference action. The draw eliminated the Warriors from contention for one of the seven CCAA Tournament berths, as Stan State needed a victory to keep its postseason hopes alive.
FIRST HALF
Chico State struck early when Cooper Stephens scored his third goal of the season just 3:07 into the match. Braedyn Brown dribbled down the right side and sent a cross to Stephens at the left post for the finish, giving the Wildcats a 1-0 advantage.
The Wildcats continued applying pressure, but Isasi kept the Warriors within striking distance. The Stan State goalkeeper made consecutive saves on attempts by Simon Vaca-Lorenzi in the 10th minute before stopping two more shots by Vaca-Lorenzi in the 23rd and 25th minutes.
Stan State generated its first scoring opportunity in the seventh minute when
Jose Ponce had a shot blocked.
Alexis Cervantes followed with a blocked attempt in the ninth minute before
Kenneth Solares had another shot blocked in the 14th.
Eric Reis sent an attempt wide in the 33rd minute as the Warriors searched for the equalizer. Isasi made another save in the 40th minute, stopping an attempt by Xavier Elder to keep the deficit at one goal.
Chico State held an 11-4 advantage in shots during the opening half, including 6-0 in shots on goal. Isasi recorded five saves as the Warriors entered halftime trailing 1-0.
SECOND HALF
Stan State came out aggressively after halftime, controlling possession and generating several early scoring opportunities. Daley sent an attempt wide in the 47th minute before
Federico Barbieri forced Chico State goalkeeper Nickolas Molina into a save in the 50th.
Ponce followed with a shot wide in the 51st minute before
Christian Brenes had an attempt blocked. Flores nearly tied the match in the 52nd minute, but the Wildcats' defense recorded a team save to preserve the lead.
Colin Davis had another shot stopped by the Chico State defense in the 62nd minute before Solares had an attempt blocked in the 66th.
The Wildcats had an opportunity to extend their lead in the 68th minute when Vaca-Lorenzi stepped to the penalty spot. Isasi came up with a crucial save, denying the attempt to keep Stan State within one goal.
The Warriors continued pressing forward, with
Hugo Canedo having a shot blocked in the 72nd minute. Solares nearly tied the match in the 74th minute when his attempt struck the right post. Davis followed with another shot on goal in the 75th minute, but the Chico State defense recorded another team save.
Stan State finally broke through in the 84th minute when Flores converted a penalty kick at the 83:33 mark for his second goal of the season, tying the match at 1-1.
The Warriors continued attacking and took their first lead of the evening just over two minutes later. Following a shot by Solares that was stopped by the Chico State defense, Figueroa scored his second goal of the season at the 85:39 mark off an assist from Daley, giving Stan State a 2-1 advantage.
The lead lasted just 26 seconds as Chico State was awarded a penalty kick at the 86:05 mark. Carter Haynes converted the opportunity for his first goal of the season, tying the match at 2-2.
Figueroa had another attempt blocked in the 87th minute, and the Warriors earned a corner kick in the final seconds, but neither team could find the game-winner.
Stan State dominated the second half statistically, out-shooting Chico State 14-3 and holding a 7-3 advantage in shots on goal. The Warriors also earned eight second-half corner kicks compared to three for the Wildcats.
WARRIOR NOTABLES
- Stan State moved to 3-6-7 overall and 1-4-5 in CCAA play with eight conference points, while Chico State moved to 3-10-4 overall and 0-7-4 in conference action.
- The Warriors outshot Chico State 18-14, including 14-3 in the second half, and held a 9-4 advantage in corner kicks.
- Flores scored his second goal of the season and 11th of his Stan State career on a penalty kick in the 84th minute, moving him into a tie for 10th on the Warriors' all-time goals list with Josh Santillan, Patrick Carey, Alexis Cervantes and Rigoberto Gonzalez. He now has 29 career points on 11 goals and seven assists, one point shy of tying for sixth on the program's career points list.
- Figueroa scored his second goal of the season in the 86th minute to give the Warriors a brief 2-1 advantage.
- Daley recorded his first assist of the season on Figueroa's goal.
- Isasi finished with seven saves, including a penalty-kick stop in the 68th minute, while playing all 90 minutes in goal.
- The Warriors scored twice in a span of 2:06 late in the second half to erase a 1-0 deficit and take the lead.
- Stan State is unbeaten in its last two meetings with Chico State, going 1-0-1 following last season's 2-0 victory at Warrior Stadium.
- The Warriors earned their eighth conference point but were eliminated from CCAA Tournament contention following Thursday's draw.
CCAA STANDINGS
Following Thursday's 2-2 draw at Chico State, Stan State sits in 11th place in the CCAA standings with eight points at 1-4-5 in conference play. The Warriors have been eliminated from contention for one of the seven CCAA Tournament berths with two regular-season matches remaining. Stan State is 3-6-7 overall and will look to finish the season strong with Saturday's Senior Night match against Cal Poly Humboldt and next Thursday's regular-season finale at Fresno Pacific.
Cal State LA leads the conference with 25 points at 8-0-1, followed by Cal State San Bernardino and Cal State Monterey Bay with 21 points apiece. Cal State San Marcos is fourth with 18 points, while Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Dominguez Hills and UC Merced each have 15. Menlo occupies eighth place with 14 points, followed by Cal State East Bay and Fresno Pacific with nine apiece. Stan State has eight points, Chico State four and Cal Poly Humboldt
three. UC Merced was leading Menlo 1-0 in the first half Thursday evening, a result not yet reflected in the standings.
The top seven teams advance to the 2026 CCAA Men's Soccer Tournament, with the No. 1 seed receiving a first-round bye. First-round matches will be played Sunday, Nov. 1, at the higher-seeded teams' home sites. The semifinals are scheduled for Friday, Nov. 6, and the championship match Sunday, Nov. 8, at Kellogg Stadium in Pomona.
UP NEXT
Stan State returns to Warrior Stadium Saturday, Oct. 24, to host Cal Poly Humboldt at 7 p.m. for Senior Night. The Lumberjacks are coming off a 4-2 road loss to Cal State Monterey Bay Thursday evening. The Warriors will recognize eight seniors —
Cameron Belandres,
Federico Barbieri,
Christian Brenes,
Emmanuel Duran,
Gerardo Flores,
Sergio Garcia,
David Lozano and
George Riberal — during a pregame ceremony.
Saturday's match will be streamed live on FloCollege and broadcast on Blue Chip Broadcasting, with Kyle Morrison calling the action. Live statistics will also be available.
Stan State concludes the regular season Thursday, Oct. 29, at Fresno Pacific at 2 p.m. at Ramirez Field in Fresno.
