The Long Beach State women’s soccer team won its only home game in September, 3-1, over Pepperdine Friday afternoon at George Allen Field.
The Beach cruised to victory with goals from forward Nicole Sweetman, midfielder Lindsay Bullock and her younger sister, forward Shannon Bullock. This was the 49ers’ first home game since playing UCLA Aug. 30 after wrapping up a four-game road trip.
The 49ers came out on the attack from the beginning of the game by attaining a corner kick in the first minute of play. Fifteen minutes later, they would go up 1-0.
LBSU scored its first goal in an unusual play. Defender Chantel Hubbard took a throw-in and used her signature somersault maneuver to swing the ball into the goal area, finding Sweetman for the header.
This was Sweetman’s first goal for the 49ers after joining the team ahead of their four-game road trip.
“My adrenaline was going,” Sweetman said. “It felt great to have all my teammates around me.”
The UCLA transfer joined the 49ers in early September and played her first game at George Allen Field . She said the transition into the team has been going well.
“It was a little hard at first, but getting to know the girls and being out there developing chemistry, it’s all really coming together,” she said.
The 49ers conceded a goal in the 28th minute after Callie Payetta equalized for the Waves. Her header came on a set play when she connected with a lob pass that crossed the field from 30 feet out.
However, The Beach maintained pressure, possession and attack throughout the first half, pushing the Waves deep in defense. The ‘Niners outshot the Waves, 11-3, and edged them in corner kicks, 4-0.
Lindsay Bullock put LBSU in the lead in the 40th minute. Fellow midfielder Shawna Gordon converted a corner kick that led to a scramble in the area with Pepperdine defenders trying to clear the ball out. Instead, the ball made its way to the older Bullock, who blasted a shot to the upper right corner of the goal.
Then, in the 45th minute, the 49er sisters connected.
Freshman Shannon Bullock increased the lead to 3-1 with a chip over the goalie with an assist from her older sister.
“It was amazing. It was exciting to score my first goal,” Shannon Bullock said. “There’s that connection where we know when I’m going to run and she knows where to give [the ball] to me.”
In the second half, Pepperdine matched the 49ers’ intensity and outshot them, 8-2. The Waves’ Michelle Spacciapolli and Laura Cole created dangerous situations, but The Beach’s defense was too much for them.
Head coach Mauricio Ingrassia said his team delivered a concrete performance and was relieved to play at home for the first time this month.
“I feel like we get good karma on our field,” he said. “The bounces we don’t get on the road, we get here. The crowds are awesome. We’re thankful for our fans.”
He said the road trip helped his team’s chemistry and competitiveness grow.
“I felt like we came out and put a stamp on the game very early and aggressively,” Ingrassia said. “We had some mental lapses the first time Pepperdine was getting down field. We shouldn’t be getting scored on with set pieces. But those are thing that you learn as a young team. It was good today to learn, while still winning.”
Junior midfield Karina Camacho did not play due to a knee injury she suffered in the team’s 2-0 win at Harvard. Defender Hubbard was subbed out and did not finish the game due to illness.
The 49ers will start their second road trip of the season this Sunday when they visit San Diego State. They will finish the road trip Sept. 25 at Loyola Marymount.