The Long Beach City College women’s soccer team opened up its 2008 season with a 2-1 non-conference win over visiting Glendale College on Friday at LBCC.  The Vikings overcame playing shorthanded midway through the first half after freshman Courtney Campbell received a pair of yellow cards within a two-minute span which resulted in a red card ejection in the 23rd minute.

But LBCC got on the board first. In the 35th minute, freshman midfielder Janna Mora took a pass down the right side from freshman forward Glenda Rodriguez and slipped her shot past Glendale goalkeeper Monica Rosales to give the Vikings the 1-0 lead.  Sophomore forward Brooke Ehinger nearly put Long Beach up 2-0 in the second half, but her shot hit the crossbar and lead to a quick Glendale breakaway.

Glendale’s Jennifer Gil was on the receiving end of the charge and picked up the equalizing goal in the 66th minute.  Long Beach bounced back to take the lead for good in the 75th minute when sophomore midfielder Mayra Carranza launched a shot from 35 yards out that sailed over the hands of Rosales and in the net to bring the final score of 2-1.

LBCC (1-0) returns to action next week (Sept. 4-5) when it competes at the two-day Ventura College tournament. The Vikings return home on September 7 to host Cosumnes River at 11 a.m.

—From reports by LBCC’s Chris Ruiz