The Long Beach State women’s soccer team thrashed Hawaii 5-0 on Friday at George Allen Field and kept its postseason hopes alive with only one match remaining.
Forwards Nadia Link and Elizabeth Lyons each notched a goal and an assist, and Eileen Maes, Kristyn Benavidez and Jessika Oseguera scored a goal apiece to complete the blowout win. The 49ers (12-6-0, 5-3-0 Big West Conference) ended Hawaii’s (8-9-2, 3-5-0 Big West) hopes of making the Big West tournament and made its own season finale against Cal State Northridge on Sunday a do-or-die match as they look to extend their season.
In the other critical Big West matchup, CSUN and UC Irvine played to a scoreless tie after double-overtime. Although the two Big West foes are still ahead in the Big West standings, a win against CSUN on Senior Day would be enough to send the ‘Niners to the postseason for three straight years.
“We wanted to come in and play to our potential,” head coach Mauricio Ingrassia said. “We just have to keep taking it one game at a time.”
The Beach played with the sense of urgency they desperately needed from the outset and opened the scoring just seven minutes into the match. It was Link’s eighth goal of the season that put the ‘Niners ahead, as she struck home Lyons’ pass inside the penalty box to earn the early advantage.
LBSU’s early lead was extended by Maes in the 17th minute, when Hawaii defenders failed to clear a corner kick. The junior midfielder moved quickly to knock a rebounded ball into the net and grab her team-high ninth goal of the season.
With just five minutes to remaining until halftime, the ‘Niners again took advantage of a corner kick. The situation was nearly identical to that of the second goal, as another goalmouth scramble led to another 49er goal. Benavidez earned the scoring honors this time around and gave the Niners an insurmountable three-goal lead at the break.
Despite dominating the first 45 minutes, the ‘Niners never seemed complacent in the second half.
In the 59th minute, junior midfielder Kassidy Hause released Link on the right wing with an exquisite pass from the middle. Link then floated a cross into the penalty box for Oseguera to complete a brilliantly-constructed combination play with a powerful header.
To put an exclamation point on the dominating performance, the ‘Niners added yet another score in the 66th minute. Lyons made a timely run off a ball behind Hawaii’s defense and received Oseguera’s through-ball in a breakaway to set up her second goal of the season. She applied a calm right-footed finish to give the ‘Niners their most dominant win of the season.
Although the ‘Niners had often put in solid defensive performances this season, the five-goal drubbing of Hawaii was an offensive outburst that had been long overdue. The win was only the fourth match in which the team won by a margin of two or more goals this season.
“When you get that second goal, you smell blood and go for more,” Ingrassia said. “We were able to go up 2-0 early, and our energy picked up.”
The ‘Niners will play their regular season finale against CSUN at George Allen Field at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Should the ‘Niners fail to beat the Matadors, the team’s seniors will end their LBSU careers without a berth in the postseason for the first time since they were freshmen.
“We’ll be ready to play [against CSUN],” Ingrassia said. “It’s Senior Day. We’re looking forward to the opportunity to make the postseason and compete for our seniors.”