The Cal State LA Golden Eagles defeated the Chico State Wildcats with a dominant 3–0 performance on Oct. 12 at University Stadium, extending their winning streak to two games, remaining unbeaten at home, and securing all six points from their conference weekend doubleheader.
The match began evenly in the opening minutes, with both teams sharing possession. Cal State LA looked solid defensively, but Chico State’s organization and discipline limited the Golden Eagles’ ability to move past midfield early on.
In the 25th minute, defender Leon Steffen went down with an apparent ankle injury and was forced to leave the match. Luc Soler came in as his replacement, switching positions with Evan Yoell (#28), who moved into the center back position alongside Angel Sevillano. Minutes later, Cal State LA produced its first dangerous chance, a header from Andreas Christou that went high.
Coach Erush made several substitutions that once again shifted the game’s momentum. Erick Alamo, Felix Arverdale, Marcos Lipertis, and “El Niño de Oro” Angel Sandres entered the match, immediately bringing new energy. Alamo had a chance in the 35th minute that went wide, but just two minutes later, Lipertis and Soler connected beautifully on a build-up that set up Alamo for a clean first-touch finish to open the scoring.
That goal gave Cal State LA a boost of confidence as they continued attacking with more precision. Still, Chico State nearly equalized in the 40th minute, but left back Geovanni Antuna made a crucial goal-line clearance to keep the clean sheet intact.
Right before halftime, the Golden Eagles struck again on a lethal counterattack. Arverdale combined with Sandres, who assisted Alamo for a spectacular right-footed strike to double the lead, 2–0. With that goal, Alamo recorded his third goal in two matches and fourth of the season, solidifying his role as the team’s top scorer.
In the second half, Cal State LA dominated possession and dictated the tempo. Sandres combined again with Alamo, but Chico State goalkeeper Weston Joyner came up with another key save. On the 58th minute, Wildcats assistant coach Ben Ralph was shown a yellow card for dissent.
The Golden Eagles continued to control the game, recovering the ball quickly whenever they lost it. Christou had another header in the 65th minute that went just over the bar, and Cal State LA kept testing Joyner’s goal.
Two more close chances followed. One where the freshmen Sandres and Johnny Gonzalez (#17) combined that force a save, and another from Alex Mendez (#10) tried to place in the bottom left corner that Joyner barely managed to stop.
Before the final whistle, “El Niño de Oro” Sandres showed his composure, scoring his first collegiate goal with a calm right-footed finish to seal the 3–0 win.
Midfielder and Player of the Match Erick Alamo reflected on what has helped him push forward this season and how he feels after a weekend full of goals. “It feels really good, it’s not that easy,” Alamo said. “I’ve sacrificed a lot to get to this position. A lot of hard work and dedication, and the dividends pay off. I am glad I could show it when everyone is here.”
Assistant coach and former 2021 National Champion Eduardo Castellanos talked and praised the team’s level and consistency. “It shows we’re really deep, we rotate, and the level doesn’t drop,” Castellanos said. “For the opposition, sometimes it’s the other way. They don’t want to sub as much. We bring the energy to rotate the team because we know that we’re really deep.”
Goalkeeper Breydan McClelland, who recorded his sixth clean sheet of the season, credited his teammates for their defensive effort and stated what has been working out for him throughout the season. “I’m coming off an injury, I’m staying confident,” McClelland said. “My backline is doing a great job. My midfielders are doing a great job. The team trusts me, the coach trusts me, I just play freely.”
McClelland also spoke about maintaining momentum heading into the next match. “Keep going, build off of it,” McClelland said. “Get another 6 points next weekend.”
The Cal State LA Golden Eagles will travel to Livermore to face the Cal State East Bay Pioneers on Oct. 17 at Las Positas Soccer Field at 4:30 p.m., as they look to continue their winning streak and remain unbeaten in conference play.
