After playing 110 minutes in a double overtime game, Long Beach State freshman goalkeeper Zora Standifer earned her first career shutout during a tie game against UC Riverside on Thursday, Sept. 30.
“I was nervous because it was my first start and it was away,” Standifer said. “But my nerves went away right when the whistle blew because I knew I didn’t want to let my team down so I just focused on winning.”
Playing on the road at UC Riverside Soccer Field, CSULB’s women soccer team took home one point in highly competitive match where both teams had opportunities to change the game.
CSULB head coach Mauricio Ingrassia didn’t hesitate to point Standifer’s performance whose three saves kept the team leveled.
“We fought and that’s our formula, to take care of our home field and get something away,” Ingrassia said. “We have a brand new freshman goalkeeper who got her first shutout today and would like to have had three points but we’ll take the one.”
CSULB freshman forward Alyssa Reyes led the game with three shots on goal while five other players on the field had one each.
Postgame, UC Riverside head coach Nat Gonzalez said that CSULB had his team on their heels for the first 20 minutes of the second half when junior forward Lena Silano created the closest opportunity from a freekick that thumped into UC Riverside goalkeeper Caela Kaio’s left-side post and back across to the right side of the field.
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With this tie, CSULB remains undefeated in conference play and will go into its next match atop the Big West with seven points.
CSULB will get another chance at its first road conference win on Sunday, Oct. 3 against Cal State Fullerton.
“Every team in this conference, they’re all top teams,” Ingrassia said. “It’s just a matter of how we prepare, how we recover. And we’ll be ready for Sunday.”