3:50pm | It might have been entitled the “Seven Year Itch”–Mauricio Ingrassia’s compelling 2011 novella about women’s soccer at Long Beach State– but this story is clearly the top item on today’s presentation of Notes on My Napkin.
“It was seven and a half years of work (in getting the program’s first NCAA win),” head coach Ingrassia would reflect. “This year we felt that we had the experience and we talked about that. We felt that we had players that were in this once and a couple of players that were in it twice, like Shawna and Nicole, and a coaching staff that has been in it for a third time.”
And ironically before the ink was barely dry on the upset of WCC champ Pepperdine, the Beach booters and their persistent coach have an excellent opportunity to get their second post season win when they travel to UCLA to play east coast visiting Miami out of the ACC Friday night at 5 p.m. The Bruins will play San Diego who eliminated Irvine at Irvine in the first round.
Nadia Link netted her team-leading 16th goal to tie the 27-year old single-season school record which was established by Annette Fernandez (1984). Link credited her coach with an assist. “I saw the pass coming from Garza and all I heard was Mauricio say `take it down the line’, and I remember thinking that it was a long way.” The other star for the black and golf clearly was senior goalie Kaitlyn Gustaves who racked up a career-high 12 saves including four bullets to the body. Gustaves hasn’t allowed a goal in three consecutive games and earned her 10th shutout of the year and The Waves got just their second loss of the season and saw their 21-game home unbeaten streak snapped.
Miami played their first round at home and almost pulled out the victory in the 82nd minute with a scramble in the Alabama box that took two deflections before trickling out of bounds. The Tide and the Canes entered extra time knotted at two goals apiece before UM’s Ashley Flinn won via the Golden Goal.
Buses from the LBSU campus are filling up fast and the lively band of merry men and women in the soccer support group will be there in numbers with horns, flags and 49er fever.
NOW THE REST OF THE STORY—The week in review also has a lot of hoop flavor, the men thrilled a packed Pyramid (4,348 )when senior guards Casper Ware and Larry Anderson combined for 24 second-half points to help Long Beach State overcome a two-point halftime deficit and rolled on to a 69-61 win over Idaho. The game was the payback for a LB Bracket Buster trip two years ago.
The friendly ghost, Mr. Ware, scored 15 of his game-high 20 points after and team mate T.J. Robinson finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds–his 39th career double-double. His shooting (4-9) reminded you of last year but burly Eugene Phelps scored 10 points and grabbed six boards. Newcomers Mike Caffey (six points) and transfer James Ennis (six points) gave ball handling and guarding relief for Ware and showed their coach some good qualities, especially Caffey who “really had some good poise.” The Beach now starts it’s out of conference death march at Pittsburgh Wednesday in a game set for TV on ESPN U at 6 p.m. PDT.
Jody Wynn was a smiling coach on Friday night in her team’s rout of woeful Utah Valley 75-43 and not so happy on that long red eye flight back from Syracuse Sunday night after The Long Beach State women’s basketball team lost 81-42 at the hands of a tall and talented Big East foe Syracuse. The 49ers (1-1) shot just 23.2 percent from the field and went 1-for-23, had 31 turnovers and only Sophomore Ella Clark scored in double figures. It was part of her first career double-double–13 points and 10 rebounds. She also added six blocks another great effort on top of the seven she swatted in the season opener on Friday.
Long Beach State is back in action next weekend when it heads to Northern California for a pair of non-conference games. The 49ers will take on Sacramento State at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday before they play at Santa Clara on Monday night.
The only home contest this week comes from volleyball who made the Pacific to Davis tour, won twice and officially locked up the Big West title and automatic NCAA bid, the 25th year in a row matching Penn State, Stanford and Nebraska. The Beach plays Irvine Saturday night and then tune up for the NCAAs with three non conference opponents, LMU, Central Michigan and New Mexico. Win out and hopefully get a nice seed somewhere outside of Palo Alto. There is little or no chance to host in the Pyramid since a men’s basketball game with BYU-Hawaii is already booked on December 2nd.
Last add HOF notes, the 1989 team banquet for Tara Cross-Battle was memorable too especially when her husband (and father to her two kids, Spencer Battle,) dropped to a knee and proposed. Three current or recent athletes also got special awards: Senior basketball star Casper Ware was presented the Bill Bovee Determination award; Liz Javier (2010, softball) received the Lynn Hoyem Leadership honor and Brandon Nevens (2010, basketball) was given the Todd Hart Courage award.