SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento State scored three times in the opening half and added a fourth midway through the second half on Friday afternoon, setting a new season high for goals scored in a 4-1 Big Sky Conference victory over Idaho State at Hornet Soccer Field.
The win snapped a four-match winless skid for the Hornets, who improved to 3-6-3 overall and picked up their first league victory of the season in moving to 1-2 in the Big Sky. Sacramento State also remained unbeaten at home this year, improving to 3-0-2 on the season and 6-1-3 in its last 10 Big Sky home openers dating back to 2015.
The Bengals fell to 2-5-4 overall and 1-1 in conference play with the defeat.
Friday's four-goal outburst surpassed the previous season high of three goals in a win over Houston Christian in mid-August and were the most since the Hornets posted a 4-2 win over Eastern Washington on Oct. 10, 2021. The three first-half strikes on Friday also marked the first time that Sacramento State had scored three times in a single half since it put up three second-half scores against Nevada on Sept. 5, 2021.
Freshman Candace Ching got the scoring started just over nine minutes into the match with her first career goal as Lexi Schroeder sent a cross from the left side to Ching inside the middle of the 18. Ching got position on her defender and got enough of a foot on the ball to trickle it over the line at the right post for the 1-0 lead.
Ten minutes later, Cassandra Herrman and Sydney Sharts hooked up to double the advantage in the 20th minute as Sacramento State won a corner on the left side. Herrman's ball was placed perfectly inside the six as Sharts rose above the Idaho State defense and headed home her first collegiate goal to make it 2-0. For Herrman, it was her second assist of the year and her first since a 1-1 draw at Cal State Bakersfield on Sept. 15.
The Bengals ran into some trouble of its own doing in the 29th minute as Herrman's corner — again from the left side — squirted through the hands of the Idaho State goalkeeper and deflected off a defender at the goal line for an own goal and a 3-0 lead.
It stayed that way through the half and into the early minutes of the second when Idaho State was able to pull one of the scores back after the Hornets were whistled for a foul in the box. Paige Harris stepped to the penalty spot and put her third goal of the season into the right side of the net to make it 3-1, but it wouldn't take long for Sacramento State to respond once again.
Just five minutes later, junior Madelyn Dougherty sent Abigail Lopez on an onside run down the right side with a ball over the top of the Bengals' defense. Lopez cut in and took advantage of an Idaho State defender who slipped and punched home her third goal of the year to the left post for the final 4-1 advantage.
The goal was the 14th career score for Lopez, who moved into a tie for eighth on the school's all-time list with Elece McBride (2008-12).
Sacramento State finished with a 14-10 shot advantage, putting six of their attempts on frame for the match and having nine different players finish with at least one shot.
In addition, three Hornets made their collegiate debuts in the victory as Ava Kiang, Ella Wilcox, and goalkeeper Sierra Sonko all saw action.
A run of four straight at home continues on Sunday (Oct. 6) as Sacramento State hosts Weber State at 1 p.m. The Wildcats are coming off a 1-1 draw at Portland State on Friday.
