Box Score CHICO – Both Humboldt State and Chico State had scoring opportunities in the California Collegiate Athletic Association match Sunday afternoon, but the Wildcats succeeded in putting one away to hand the Lumberjacks a 1-0 defeat.

The loss puts the Jacks at 1-6-2 overall, 0-6-2 in the CCAA, while Chico State—who currently rests in second in the North Division—improves to 5-3-2 overall, 5-2-1 in conference. Humboldt State returns to College Creek Field for Parents' Weekend where it will face Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday at 12:30 p.m. and Cal State Los Angeles on Sunday at 11:30 a.m.

Freshman Amber Woolcock had to step in for Jennie Paugh (out with a knee injury) for her first collegiate start in net for the Lumberjacks. Woolcock made three saves to keep her team in the game, including the first shot of the contest in the third minute.

"Amber played very well for us," said head coach C.J. Johnson. "She made good decisions, came off her line and used her feet well, which helped bring up the confidence of the players."

The teams played a scoreless first half with Chico State outshooting the Jacks 7-3, but Kasey Wall broke the seal in the 56th minute with the game-winning goal. Wall caught the Lumberjack defense in the middle of a transition and slipped through past defenders, sending the ball behind Woolcock to the far side of the goal.

The Jacks did not lose heart and created scoring chances for themselves—outshooting the Wildcats 9-6 in the second half—but Chico State turned up its defensive meter to preserve the shutout.

"It was a well-played game by both teams," said Johnson. "In the last 10 minutes, we had a number of good opportunities but Chico packed it in defensively. We still struggled finding the back of the net, but I feel like we're starting to generate more chances."

In the 80th minute, the Jacks had a chance to find the equalizer multiple times, firing off four shots within a span of 22 seconds. Three of those shots were blocked before the final one—shot by Karen Pontoni—was saved by goalkeeper Briana Furner.

Even though the Jacks couldn't find the equalizer, Johnson was pleased with his team's play.

"We didn't kill ourselves and make a lot of mistakes," said Johnson. "Tamra James played well and had some good chances and Aliya McCarthy possessed the ball well for us. It was just hard to find the back of the net."