Long Beach State’s women’s soccer team dusted off a three-game losing streak and picked up its first Big West Conference win at George Allen Field on Sunday afternoon.
Midfielder Shawna Gordon connected twice with defender Chantel Hubbard’s signature somersault throw-ins to give the 49ers a 2-1 victory over UC Davis.
Head coach Mauricio Ingrassia was relieved to finally snap the losing streak and was proud of how the team maintained composure throughout the game, especially having to go with one player down.
“The kids grew up a little bit today, we had a lot of players step up,” Ingrassia said. “We played awful on Thursday, and today we created a lot more chances and had more movement today.”
LBSU (5-6, 1-1 Big West) came out attacking against UCD (5-4-1, 0-1 Big West) and maintained possession throughout the first half. Within the first 10 minutes, Hubbard already displayed two of her signature throw-ins, with one being headed by Lindsay Bullock to the goalie.
However, the Aggies did not pick up on the set piece play, and in the 11th minute they paid for it. Hubbard’s throw-in from the right side of the field bounced around the goalkeeper area, and Gordon was there to throw herself forward to tap the ball near the lower-left post.
The 49ers almost added another goal in the 20th minute with a shot from Bullock. The junior midfielder picked up a cleared ball outside of the Aggies’ area and took a curling shot that made contact with the upper-right post. Gordon was there to pick off the rebound from the post, but the second shot went wide.
LBSU continued to keep UCD on its side of the field. The 49ers outshot the Aggies 20-10 and won more corners, 10-3. The only statistic the Aggies won was in fouls, 12-5.
However, the first threat that the Aggies created was in the 28th minute when Elise Winbrock recovered a clear pass outside the 49ers’ area, and headed a pass to VanBuskirk who took a wide shot.
In the 35th minute, The Beach picked up its second goal with another Hubbard throw-in. It almost seemed like a replay of the first goal, only that Gordon headed in the pass after it bounced over players in the area.
“We practiced [the throw-in] a lot,” Hubbard said. This was the 3rd goal of the season coming off a Hubbard throw-in.
The Aggies tied the game in the 40th minute. Winbrock recovered the pass in the midfield and delivered a pass between two defenders to Rochelle VanBuskirk, who shot the ball over 49er goalkeeper Emily Kingsborough. This was her 11th goal in 10 games for UC Davis.
The UCD goal changed the look of the game in the second half. The Aggies pressured the 49ers’ attack, and created more chances as well.
In the 75th minute, Nicole Sweetman was shown a red card for throwing an elbow to a UC Davis player. The sophomore forward will not be able to play in the next game, according to the NCAA rulebook.
The 49ers will host San Diego this Wednesday at George Allen Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.