The setting was perfect at Cox Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 10 for the California Athletic Association (CCAA) women's soccer season opener. Gator fans’ cheers and groans echoed all afternoon throughout the clear blue sky and over the freshly cut green field. In a matchup that proved to be intense from beginning until the final whistle blew, the SF State women’s soccer team defeated the Wildcats of Chico State 2-1.

Early indications showed that SF State's game plan may have been to aggresively attack the opponent. The Gators may have come out too aggressively in the first half, however. “We looked over-anxious in the first half,” said Jack Hyde, head coach of SF State women’s soccer team.

Chico State's Amy Swanson delivered the initial blow, when her penalty kick sailed past Gator goalie Erin Clark. The point may have lit a fire under the Gators. After the goal, SF State's offense seemed to awaken. With precision passing, the Lady Gators saw four big opportunities to tie the game, but they just couldn't make it work. “We were too excited, and we were passing the ball too fast,” said midfielder Nicole Lovett. Lovett was key in working the ball around to her teammates during these scoring opportunities.

At halftime, the Gators discussed and addressed their first half scoring issues-- namely poor communication and nervousness. The advice from Hyde: “Calm down, you are too anxious, too nervous. Settle down.”

In the second half, the Gators appeared to have finally settled down. They were able to bring together their ball strings and demonstrated even more crisp passes. Even with the Wildcats’ strong defensive presence, a swift pass from Gator forward, Aja Simms, enabled Kristin Marbach to score the Gators’ first goal of the game. Lovett also scored what proved to be the winning goal within the final 12 minutes of the game. "I knew this was my chance, and I was very confident,” Lovett said. “I knew my team needed this, so I needed to capitalize.”

As the clock ticked down towards zero, the team found it nearly impossible to remain seated on the bench. SF State showed signs of a team that believed their victory was all but in the bag. However,with ten seconds remaining, Chico State got one last opportunity to ruin a Gator celebration with a free kick very close to the Gator's goal. In this final moment of tension, some fine goalkeeping by Erin Clark reassured that the Gators could celebrate their triumph over a tough opponent.

Throughout the course of the game, Clark roadblocked four shots, only allowing Chico State that one penalty kick goal. “You can’t be scared in this kind of game. You just give it 110 percent and hope the game goes in your favor,” said Clark.

SF State is currently 4-1 in the CCAA Division II, ranking 12th in NSCAA/Adidas National Rankings. The Gator women next face the Aggies of UC Davis (1-2) Saturday, Sept. 13.

See match statistics.