It was the tale of two days. Friday saw limited chances and no goals, and yesterday saw a season-high in shots-on-goal to go along with a 2-1 win. The 49ers jumped out to an early lead and emerged with its first Big West Conference victory of the season, defeating UC Davis (5-4-1, 0-1-0) at George Allen Field.
LBSU (5-6-0, 1-1-0) dominated possession for most of the match, compiling a team season-high 20 shots, with nearly half of them coming on goal. The Beach also had 10 corner kicks to UCD’s three.
Sophomore Shawna Gordon scored twice on four shots, while junior Lindsay Bullock had a career-high eight attempts, with five on target. Sophomore Emily Kingsborough played all 90 minutes in front of the net, notching four saves.
The Beach struck first in the 12th minute when junior Chantel Hubbard’s flip throw-in bounced across the box and through a number of players before it found Gordon, who tapped the ball in to the near post. The 49ers threatened again just 7 minutes and 48 seconds later when Bullock fired a shot from the 18-yard line that ricocheted off the post to Gordon, whose rebound attempt missed just high.
LBSU eventually went up 2-0 at the 35:26 mark, when once again, Hubbard’s throw in found Gordon at the end of a long line of players. This time, Gordon got her head on the ball, putting it to the lower left netting for her team-best fourth goal of the season.
With just 4:40 to play in the first period, UC Davis cut the 49ers’ lead in half. Elise Winbrock chipped a nice pass over LBSU’s back line, finding Rochelle VanBusKirk, who beat Kingsborough in a one-on-one situation. The 49ers stayed strong on defense, however, as both teams went scoreless through the second half.
The Aggies totaled 10 shots and were paced by VanBusKirk, who had three attempts. Sarah Peters anchored the defensive end with seven saves.
Long Beach State continues a four-match homestand on Wednesday, Oct. 7, when it welcomes No. 25 San Diego to George Allen Field for a 3 p.m. non-conference showdown. The 49ers will be looking to avenge the 1-0 loss they suffered to the Toreros in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
Reports From LBSU