A second-half surge led the No. 24 Long Beach State women’s soccer team to a 2-1 victory over Utah State on Friday afternoon at George Allen Field.
In the 76th minute, LBSU senior midfielder Karina Camacho gave a beautiful lead pass to sophomore forward Jenny Soza, who scored with a finesse tap to put the ball out of reach and over the head of Utah State goalkeeper Molli Merrill.
“Jenny has always been fit, but she’s starting to get more confident,” 49ers head coach Mauricio Ingrassia said. “When [Jenny] starts getting confident, look out.”
The 49ers (4-1-0) struggled in the first half, allowing the Aggies (2-1-1) to score in the first 4 minutes, 6 seconds of the game, but returned from the half in attack mode. LBSU out-shot Utah State, 9-2, in the second half.
“We gave up a goal in the first four minutes which was very disheartening,” said Ingrassia, who was happy with his team’s response to the adversity. “We challenged them as a coaching staff and let them know that’s not acceptable.”
The LBSU victory is the fourth straight after losing the season opener to BYU. Two of the four wins have come against teams ranked in the top 25.
An Aggies handball led to sophomore forward Nadia Link knocking in the first 49ers goal in the 61st minute with just one touch to the far post. Junior midfielder Shawna Gordon was credited with the assist.
“Having Nadia be so active really helps the others,” Ingrassia said.
It was Link’s team-leading fifth goal of the season.
Merrill, the current Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week, was coming off two straight shutouts, but the ‘Niners proved to be too much for her.
The 49ers’ defense came out strong in the second half, only allowing two shots in the period. LBSU junior goalkeeper Emily Kingsborough had three saves in the match, all of which occurred in the first half.
Senior midfielder Lindsay Bullock’s four shot attempts led the ‘Niners offense, including two on target.
Both teams played physical as they combined for 17 fouls. Though none seemed to be serious, The Beach suffered several minor injuries during the match including Link, who hurt her ankle.
“Nadia [Link] is fine, the ball hit her foot and tweaked it a little bit,” Ingrassia said.
Link was pulled from the game for a breather, but returned to action just a few minutes later.
LBSU looks to extend its streak Sunday afternoon at George Allen Field against Sacramento State. Kick-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Disclaimer: The Daily 49er is not responsible for Postings made on www.daily49er.wpengine.com. Persons commenting are solely responsible for Postings made on this website. Persons commenting agree to the Terms of Use of the website. If Postings do not abide by the Rules of Conduct or Posting Regulations as listed in the Postings Policy, the Daily 49er has all rights to delete Postings as it deems necessary. The Daily 49er strongly advises individuals to not abuse their First Amendment rights, and to avoid language suggestive of hate speech. This site also encourages users to make Postings relevant to the article or other Postings.