BOX SCORE

ROHNERT PARK, Calif- Ashley Martin led a dominating offensive attack on Saturday and gave Sonoma State an early 1-0 lead, but despite holding a lopsided shot advantage (23-10), the Seawolves, who surrendered the equalizer less than two minutes later, couldn't hang on late in the first overtime period. With just 35 seconds left on the clock, Central Washington netted the golden goal in a crowded goal box to defeat SSU, 2-1.

The loss is the second straight loss for Sonoma State, falling to 0-2 this season. Central Washington, which survived a scoreless tie at Cal State Stanislaus on Thursday night, remains unbeaten at 1-0-1.

"It was a tough loss, but only more so because our team played so well," head coach Emiria Salzmann said. "We are growing and improving so much, so we'll keep these losses in perspective until our team gets comfortable with all the new changes this season."

It was only a matter of time before the Seawolves were going to punch in their first goal of the match. Elena Catania, Megan Cunningham, Martin and Kate McFarland peppered Wildcat goalkeeper Kori Butterfield with six shots in the opening 12 minutes. The score finally came at the 27:43 mark when Martin, after obtaining a nice relay by Sara Studer and Cunningham, fired a shot from 20 yards out to beat Butterfield and put SSU up 1-0.

Just as the celebration quelled, Central Washington's Carson McKole took a pass from teammate Hadli Farrand at midfield and sprinted past the Sonoma State backline. Fighting off a Seawolf defender the whole way, McKole went one-on-one with Alexis Sciacqua and kicked the ball off the left goal post and into the net just one minute, 56 seconds later to knot the score at 1-1.

The chances for SSU came and went -- it outshot the visiting Wildcats 11-2 in the first half, including an attempt by Taylor Edmonds at the 40:59 mark that hit the goal post, which would have put the Seawolves up one at halftime.

Central Washington held its ground, despite again being outshot by a large margin the second half -- a 10-5 advantage for Sonoma State. However, not only was both goalkeepers instrumental in pushing the match into overtime, but it was the play of two goal posts and a crossbar that also helped to prevent scores by both teams on several occasions in the final 45 minutes of regulation.

In the first overtime, Martin received a ball at the front of the keeper's box and headed it towards the net, but the Wildcats' Butterfield again saved the day for CWU, making her fourth save of the match. With less than a minute remaining in the first overtime period, Central Washington's Brittany Franks delivered a corner kick to a scrum waiting in the box. A header by Taylor Stanley was knocked away by a Sonoma State defender, but Miranda Heslep took control and poked the ball through the crowd of bodies, giving the Wildcats the sudden 2-1 victory at 99:25.

It overshadowed the offensive domination shown by Sonoma State, which attempted 23 shots to Central Washington's ten. Five came from the foot of Martin, three of which were on goal, while Catania added four attempts.

Sonoma State will now enter California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play, beginning with a 7:00 p.m. match on Friday at rival Chico State. The Seawolves, who were picked to finish third in the North Division based on a preseason vote by the conference coaches, will host their first CCAA home match on Sunday, taking on Humboldt State.