CHICO, Calif. — The San Francisco State men's soccer team saw its playoff hopes extinguished by a second-half penalty kick in a 2-1 loss to No. 5 Chico State on Friday at University Stadium.
- Angel Herrera netted his second goal of the season.
- The Gators move to 3-9-3 overall and to 1-6-2 in CCAA action. The Gators are eight points out of playoff contention but with only two matches remaining for a possible six points, SF State has been eliminated from possible CCAA Tournament berth. Despite being ranked No. 5 in the nation, Chico State (11-1-4/4-1-4 CCAA) is fourth in the CCAA with 16 points.
- Chico State outshot the Gators 17-11 with a slight 7-6 shot on goal advantage.
- The Wildcats also held a 9-5 corner kick advantage.
SF State battled in the first half but a foul on a corner kick proved costly in the 36th minute. The foul set up a free kick and the Wildcats converted when Adrian Fontanelli assisted Carson Zarate for an early 1-0 Chico State lead.
In the 42nd minute, the Gators answered. A pass down the right side found senior Julio Gonzales Ponce, who cut towards the goal. In doing so, he drew the defense, then dished Angel Herrera, who was just inside the top of the box. Herrera drilled the equalizer into the near post just past an off-balance goalkeeper and the Gators went into the half tied 1-1.
The Wildcats took the lead for good in the 67th minute when a Gators foul in the box led to a Wildcats PK opportunity. Preston Moll stepped to the PK spot and gave Chico State the lead. Gonzales Ponce had a couple of shots miss high and
Bryan Gomez had a look in the 89th minute but his show to the low left of the net was saved. Gonzales Ponce launched a last-ditch effort with 10 seconds remaining but his shot went high left.
Fernando Escobedo Guzman (2-6-1) made three saves and allowed both goals. Emmanuel Padilla made fours saves en route to the win and allowed the Gators goal.
SF State heads to Stanislaus State for a 2 p.m. match on Sunday, October 29. Live stats will be available at sfstategators.com and fans can stream the matches live on the CCAA Network. Live updates will also be provided on X at @sfstate_msoc.
