Chico State Upsets CSUDH in NCAA II Men's Soccer Far West Regional Championship, 2-1
Wildcats score two goals in final six minutes to advance to quarterfinals
November 16, 2003

Complete Box Score

CARSON, Calif.- Chico State's Chris Wondolowski scored with just :24 seconds left in regulation to lift the Wildcats to a 2-1 upset over top-seeded Cal State Dominguez Hills in the NCAA II Far West Regional Championship game Sunday afternoon at Toro Field.

CSUDH, ranked No. 5 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll, completes its season with a 17-3-2 record, while Chico State, ranked No. 10 in the NSCAA poll, improves to 19-4-1 and advances to the quarterfinals to face Midwest Region Champion Midwestern State (TX) next weekend at a site yet to be determined. Chico State's victory marks the first time that they have won back-to-back NCAA playoff games since 1976.

"It was every bit of the match we thought it would be," said Chico State Head Coach Mike O'Malley. "I liked the resolve of our players. Once (CSUDH) scored, they came back hard. We had to adjust by pushing one of our fullbacks forward, Jesse Grigg, and it made all the difference in the world...it was an ugly, ugly game-winning goal, but the soccer Gods were on our side today."

Both teams battled to a scoreless tie in a very evenly-played match through the first 45 minutes. Cal State Dominguez Hills broke out on top, 1-0, at the 73:39-minute mark when Eddie Gonzales-Pinto (Torrance/N. Torrance HS) tallied his sixth goal of the season as his shot from 25-yards out deflected off of Chico State player Spencer Stanton and dribbled into the far net past Wildcat goalie Dominic Jakubek.

Chico State equalized 11 minutes later when Dustin Tong tallied his first goal of the season, taking a rebound off a shot near the top of the box and blasting his shot to the near post past Toro goalie Javier Barragan (Long Beach/LB Jordan HS).

A minute later, CSUDH was forced to play shorthanded when Jesse Graham (San Diego/Point Loma HS) was ejected after receiving his second yellow card of the match. Wondolowski seized the opportunity just over four minutes later for the game-winner. Grigg won the ball in the air near the top of the box and flicked a pass to Wondolowski who connected for the deciding goal.

"It was a great team effort...one of the great finishes in Chico State history," said Wondolowski. "CSUDH is a great team. We knew that it was going to be a battle, but we knew we could stick with them. We gave them a great game and we were able to come out on top."

Shots and corner kicks were even with the Wildcats and Toros taking 12 and six respectively. Barragan made five saves in goal while Chico's Jakubek made four.

This marks the second-consecutive year that Cal State Dominguez Hills made an early exit in the NCAA playoffs, after being upset by Sonoma State in the 2002 NCAA II Far West Regional Championship.

Chico State (19-4-1)         0 2 - 2 
CS Dominguez Hills (17-3-2)  0 1 - 1

GOALS -
CSUDH: Eddie Gonzales-Pinto (UA), 73:39;
CSUC: Dustin Tong (UA), 84:06; Chris Wondolowski (Grigg/Grange), 89:36.

SAVES - CSUDH: Javier Barragan- 5; CSUC: Dominic Jakubek - 4.

SHOTS - CSUDH 12, CSUC: 12.

FOULS - CSUDH 9, CSUC: 12.

CORNERS - CSUDH 6, CSUC: 6.

Attendance: 367