IRVINE — Long Beach State flooded the net with a storm of goals as the 49ers defeated the Fresno Pacific Sunbirds, 20-7, on Sunday at the UC Irvine Invitational.
In the first-ever meeting between the two schools, Nick Rascon had a game-high six goals and Taylor Clute added four more in the win. The Sunbirds were able to stay relatively close in the first half.
The Beach (2-0) opened the game with a 3-0 lead off a pair of goals from Rascon and Shane Luth, who skipped a shot to the far post. Fresno Pacific answered back with three goals in a span of 1:06 to cut the LBSU lead 4-3.
LBSU extended its lead to 9-3 at the start of the second quarter. The Sunbirds gained momentum at the end of the quarter after Evan Baird closed the gap to 10-5 with 52 seconds remaining.
Clute sucked the life out of Fresno Pacific with a lob shot that beat Sunbirds goalkeeper Riley Warner with just two seconds left in the half.
The third quarter was played evenly with neither team taking control of the game. The 49ers struck twice early, but were matched by a pair of Sunbirds goals in the last two minutes. Weary of halting any thoughts of a comeback, Petrovic scored on a buzzer-beater to end the Sunbirds’ run.
Leading 14-7 to start the final frame, the 49ers had surrendered almost as many goals as it had against Whittier on Saturday. LBSU held the Sunbirds scoreless in the final eight minutes while Rascon added three more goals in the fourth quarter.
“We had better defense in the fourth quarter because we communicated much better,” Rascon said. “Everyone was on the same page.”
Head coach Gavin Arroyo said that he was happy the offense showed up for the game, adding that he had concern for their defense.
Clute echoed his coach’s sentiment.
“We need to improve our positioning. It’s all about getting in our shot-blocking lanes,” Clute said in regards to the 49ers post defense. “We need to cover the cage.”
The Beach played back-to-back scrimmages against MPSF powerhouses UC Irvine and USC late in the afternoon. Neither game counted toward the teams’ records.
Against UCI, the 49ers looked poised and deadly in the opening period. LBSU jumped out to a 4-0 lead behind a pair of goals from Petrovic and Taylor, respectively. The Beach led 5-2 after Taylor completed his hat trick on the first possession of the second period.
LBSU would not find the back of the net again, however.
By the end of the second frame, the Anteaters had tied it up at 5. UCI scored midway through the final period to grab the lead. The 49ers had opportunities to tie the score, but a late goal by Irvine’s Tom Kruip with 1:04 left closed the door on the 49ers’ hopes to get back into the game.
The Beach had little time to recover as it sprung into its match with the Trojans just minutes after its game with the Anteaters.
The Trojans held the 49ers scoreless in the first and third periods. On offense, the 49ers struggled to find the middle to improve their scoring opportunities.
Their defense wasn’t much better. The ‘Niners looked overwhelmed by a USC attack that spread the ball around and frequently found themselves in good position to score from the middle in a half-court set.
These two teams are scheduled to meet again at 3 p.m. next Saturday at McDonald’s Swim Stadium.
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