The 15th-ranked Long Beach State women’s soccer team backed up its highest national ranking in school history with an easy 2-0 win over Saint Francis Friday night at George Allen Field.
The 49ers (2-0-0) won with goals from midfielder Jessica Oseguera and defender Natalie Zeeni, each of whom scored the first points of their LBSU careers.
“It’s really exciting,” said Oseguera, a transfer from Middle Tennessee State. “I grew up here – this is my hometown…now I can do it here in front of my family, so it’s exciting. It’s a good feeling.”
Oseguera got the ‘Niners out in front in the 34th minute, when she took a cross from forward Nadia Link and headed it into the back of the net. The assist was the first of the year for Link, who was named to the 2012 Hermann Trophy watch list earlier last week.
“[Midfielder ] Taylor [Nelson] gave me a good pass to the corner and I cut it back and saw Jess in the middle and she found it,” she said. Link, who tied a school record with 16 goals in 2011, hasn’t found the back of the net in either of LBSU’s first two games this season. “The goals will come I guess personally, but we’ve got goal-scorers right now and we just have to keep building an identity.”
Link and company entered the 2012 season with high expectations following last year’s run to the elite eight in the NCAA tournament. That doesn’t mean that this year’s squad will look anything like last year’s though.
“We’ve got different key players here and it’s about finding a rhythm that works for us,” Link said of the team identity. “I think it’s going to be a different style but still looking in the same direction.”
“It’s only the second game and we’ll build the identity as we spend more and more time together,” Head coach Mauricio Ingrassia said. “There’s going to be a different hero every week.”
The 49ers have had four different scorers for each of the four goals scored so far this season. In the season opener against Arizona, defender Alex Balcer scored from a free kick near midfield before forward Ashley Roese won the match in overtime. This time it was Oseguera with the opening goal and defender Natalie Zeeni with the insurance goal later in the game.
“Those were her first minutes for us,” Ingrassia said of Zeeni. “She made a great play.”
Assisted by midfielder Eileen Maes, Zeeni scored from about eight yards out on a ball to the far post in the 79th minute. It was a long overdue dagger for the 49ers, who were in control of the game the entire time but didn’t have the goals to back it up.
“We did a decent job of possessing the ball, eliminating their chances,” Ingrassia said. “I thought we could have created a little bit more, but I have to give them credit, they were very organized and their back four was very organized.”
LBSU took 25 shots while Saint Francis (1-2-0) only took five. 49er goalkeeper Marrina Meyers recorded the first shutout of her college career with ease, as she only had to make three saves all game.
Meyers will face a much tougher challenge on Sunday, however, when she and the rest of the 49ers face No. 24 Baylor at George Allen Field.
“It’s going to be a big test,” Ingrassia said of Sunday’s match. “They’re going to be a very athletic side and they’re going to be very direct.”
After two games under the new lights at George Allen Field, the 49ers will play their first day game of the season before heading off to Utah for a match with BYU later in the week.