SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis senior Lindsey Piatanesi signed with Chico State in the fall and will attend and play for the Wildcats this fall.
"I am super excited because I could not imagine stopping playing soccer," said Piatanesi. "It is my favorite thing in the whole world. I love the coach and am excited to play with people who I know or are currently playing their now as well as some of my current teammates."
She will play for longtime Wildcat head coach Kim Sutton, who became the winningest coach in school history this fall. Sutton has led the Wildcats to six California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) North Division crowns, 10 trips to the CCAA Championship Tournament (winning the program's first-ever CCAA conference title in 2007) and seven NCAA Championship Tournament appearances in the past 15 seasons.
Piatanesi plans to study criminal justice at Chico State.
"The size of the school was really appealing to me, the amount of kids going there and how close it is to home," said Piatanesi, who will join teammate Emily Billena on the Chico State roster next fall. "It is nice to be able to come home but far enough away that I am not tempted every single weekend. I really like the coach and the comradery of the team is special. You can see they all get along."
Piatanesi played two seasons for the Troubadours. She scored 19 career goals and tallied eight assists. She capped off her successful junior season with the golden goal in the 2019 NorCal final. She finished with a team-best 14 goals.
"Piat is a goal scorer," said Head Coach Maryclaire Robinson '86. "She is so dangerous in the attacking third. The goal she scored in the Nor Cal Final was a LEFT-footed blast that no goalkeeper could have stopped. She took it without hesitation & buried the chance.
Piatanesi said the goal is her favorite memory from her career.
"Being able to contribute to the team's win was my favorite memory," said Piatanesi of her golden goal. "We deserved it more than any other team and it was super exciting. It was definitely a team effort. It was awesome to be the person that scored the winning goal."
Piatnaesi's goal earned her recognition in Sports Illustrated.
"To see my parents reaction was cool," recalled Piatanesi. "It is so different compared to our generation because we do not read magazines like they do. It was awesome because it is a world-wide thing to be recognized."
She finished off her senior season with two playoff goals to finish with five on the season, helping the team to the Sac-Joaquin Section title and the team advancing to the CIF Northern California semifinals.
"Lindsey ended this season scoring two GREAT goals - one in the Section Final that helped us find our feet in the second half, a game we would go on to win 3-2," said Robinson. "Her final goal of the season was an absolute frozen rope, taken from the top of the box after turning her defender. This goal sealed the win in the Nor Cal Quarterfinal vs. Oak Ridge."
The Wildcats compete in the NCAA Division II California Collegiate Athletic Association. Piatanesi is one of five Troubadours who have committed to play collegiate soccer including Marli Berry (Howard), Billena (Chico State), Micayla Ratukalou (Delta College) and Ari Spence (CS San Marcos).
She will participate in the school's signing day event later this spring.
