Carson, CA -- Two days after posting a tough 2-1 win to pick up their seventh win in their last eight contests, 24th-ranked Cal State Dominguez Hills suffered a 3-2 loss to an even hotter Chico State squad on Sunday afternoon in Toro Stadium as the Wildcats posted their second consecutive win over a nationally-ranked team after taking a 1-0 win at 16th-ranked UC San Diego last Friday.
Things looked promising for the Toros as senior forward Corrie Hirokawa got the Toros on the board quickly for the second game in a row, collecting a pass from Renee Haynes near the box and beating Wildcat goalie Kari Gonzales to the low far post at the 10:45 mark.
The Toros were looking for goal number two at the 14:53 mark after a long cross from Hirokawa that was intended for Kelly Matosian, but an aggressive Gonzalez left her box to make a sliding goal-saving clear.
Chico State found its equalizer when Melissa Lindsay got the ball 10 yards out and found the back of the net at the 24:34 mark.
The Wildcats' consistent offensive pressure resulted in their second goal of the afternoon after a corner kick from Katherine Bagwell went just over the fingertips of CSUDH keeper Alyssa Congdon and found the foot of Courtney Quan for a one-timer at 34:13 to give CSUC a 2-1 lead entering the half.
After the break, the Wildcats used a series of precision passes that culminated in Ashley Gunther finding Katherine Bagwell, who beat Congdon on a low far post shot for her first goal of the game, and a 3-1 edge.
Minutes after the Wildcat goalie made a tough save off a Toro header, Amy Livergood found the ball at her feet after Gonzalez came off her line but lost control of the ball, and slammed her shot far post at 76:18 to breathe life into the Toros.
It would be too little, too late however as the Wildcats would keep hold of the top spot in the CCAA North Division, and a possible top seed in the conference tournament.
The Toros out-shot CSUC 15-13 and held an 8-4 corner kick advantage, but allowed multiple goals for only the second time this season in the loss as both keepers were credited with three saves apiece.
The Toros, now 12-3-3, 7-3-2 CCAA, continue CCAA hosting duties next week as Cal Poly Pomona pays Carson a visit for a 4:30 pm match-up on Friday, two days before CSUDH honors its seniors in their final regular season home game on Sunday afternoon.
