Long Beach State forward Kristen Kiefer said the team had been working a lot on set pieces during practice.
It paid off.
The 49ers women’s soccer team defeated Gonzaga, 4-0, in its season-opener on Friday, with all four goals coming off corner kicks.
“I went into the set pieces thinking ‘I’m going to score’ and I did,” Kiefer said.
The sophomore netted two of the goals, the first of which came on a header created off a corner kick. Sophomore defender Bo Rael and senior midfielder Hayley Bolt were awarded with the assists.
Bolt also had a goal of her own on a header off a corner kick by midfielder Mariko Strickland in the 77th minute.
LBSU head coach Mauricio Ingrassia said he was pleased with his team’s opportunistic approach to set pieces.
“We want the goals in any way they come,” he said. “If they come off set pieces, that’s good.”
Confident in his two-goalie rotation, 49er Ingrassia opted to start Breanna Truelove in place of Liz Ramos for the opener. Truelove only needed to make one save the entire match.
The 49er defense was efficient in its own right. LBSU held the Bulldog attack to two shots for the match, while firing off 22 of its own.
On a team ripe with senior leadership, the young guns got into the act as well. Freshman defender Nicole Hubbard scored the first goal of her career in the 55th minute on a far-side header thanks to a corner delivered by midfielder Kim Silos.
One senior commend the play of the up-and-comers.
“I want to help by bringing my experience out on to the field, because a lot of [the freshmen] are nervous,” defender Sara Baca said. “This was a great win.”
Baca added that the new crop of freshmen displayed a lot of potential.
“It’s great to play with them,” she said. “They make my job easier. Long Beach State is going to have a great year ahead of us.”
LBSU sophomore Nikki Myers left the match late in the second half due to a left knee injury. She is listed as day-to-day.
LBSU (1-0-0) returns to action when it takes a trip to Honolulu for games against the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine Wednesday and the Denver Pioneers Saturday. The team’s next home match will be Friday, Sept. 5 at 4:30 p.m. when Harvard comes to town.