The Long Beach State women’s soccer team extended its winning streak to three games on Friday as it edged the 21st-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils, 1-0, at George Allen Field to conclude non-conference play.
Junior midfielder Shawna Gordon paced the 49ers with the game-winning goal in the 33rd minute.
“We came out really hard and this was probably the first game that we put in a full 90 minutes,” Gordon said.
ASU goalkeeper Alyssa Gilmore collided with LBSU midfielder Lindsay Bullock inside the box to punch out a shot that dropped in front of Gordon. With the goal unguarded, Gordon then delivered a rocket that sailed into the net from 30 yards out.
The Beach (7-3-1) applied pressure to ASU’s (6-2-1) backline for nearly the entire match with 12 shots, six of which came on goal. Meanwhile, the Sun Devils kept the game tight with 11 shots, five of which were on target.
“I thought we came out and took the game right from the beginning,” head coach Mauricio Ingrassia said. “Coming out of halftime, we kept our foot on the gas and were fortunate to get the result.”
The ‘Niners nearly missed an opportunity to break the scoreless game open in the 26th minute when Gordon sent a lead pass to forward Nadia Link, whose right foot tap flew wide of the right post.
Three minutes later, Sun Devils forward Alyssa Freeman fell short of a goal as ‘Niners goalkeeper Emily Kingsborough came up with a diving stop.
Despite an even shot ratio, the 49ers maintained ball control throughout most of the second half.
But with two minutes left in regulation, the ‘Niners nearly suffered a meltdown as ASU midfielder Holland Crook fired two shots, one of which came on target before Kingsborough stuffed it.
The LBSU junior posted five saves en route to her third shutout of the season. Gilmore tallied fives saves for ASU.
Both teams played a physical match, resulting a combined 19 fouls.
The Beach now holds a record of 3-2 against ranked opponents this season.
“I think we’ve learned a lot about ourselves,” Ingrassia said. “We’ve had ups and we’ve had downs, but I think the team has definitely improved in these 11 games.”
LBSU will begin Big West Conference action on Friday against the Cal Poly Mustangs (4-5-0) at George Allen Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
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