On a night filled with emotion where The Beach bid farewell to seven graduates on senior night, Long Beach State fell short 14-13 in a back-and-forth contest that went beyond regulation to decide the winner.
The overtime loss locks in The Beach as the No. 2 seed for the upcoming Big West Tournament in Davis with their opponent yet to be determined.
Down 2-1 in the final minute of the first quarter, senior utility player Lara Luka scored one of her three goals on the night to tie the game at two at the end of the first frame.
The trend of tying the game in the dwindling minutes of the quarter appeared again in the second quarter following one of junior attacker Martina Cardona’s team-high four goals.
The Beach failed to capitalize on some sizable advantages in the box score. Long Beach State had its fair share of looks at the goal, attempting 14 more shots on goal than the Anteaters.
Defensively, LBSU caused havoc for the UCI offense, winning the steals battle by a margin of 14-6, with sophomore attacker Elisa Portillo tallying a season-high four of her own.
Two of UCI’s three third-quarter goals came from power plays, which included a six-on-five advantage on the offensive end and LBSU getting baited into penalties that proved costly in a tightly contested affair.
Those two power-play goals lead to an 8-7 Anteater lead at the end of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter would be an unforgettable experience for the fans as these Big West rivals continued to exchange goals on both ends, setting up a memorable close to the game.
With the two teams even at nine apiece, UCI freshman attacker Lauren Hett scored what looked to be the dagger as she gave the Anteaters a 10-9 lead with 13 seconds remaining.
LBSU would have one last response in them in the final second of regulation with Cardona striking again with her fourth goal of the night to send the game into overtime at the buzzer. The goal sent fans of The Beach into a frenzy on the bleachers in celebration of what they had just witnessed.
The Anteaters would ultimately prevail in the overtime periods to escape with the victory. Luka scored in the final minute to bring the deficit back to one, but The Beach was unable to net the equalizer.
Long Beach State looks to make noise at the Big West Tournament after finishing the year with an overall record of 20-8 and a 5-2 conference record while UCI has a record of 17-10 and a 5-2 against conference play.