The Long Beach State women’s soccer team played two double-overtime draws over the weekend: the first was at Cal State Fullerton Thursday night, and the second was against UC Irvine Sunday night at George Allen Field.
The 49ers (5-5-5, 1-1-1) conceded a goal in the 24th minute to UCI (4-6-3, 0-1-1 Big West) on a shot from forward Laura McGrail that curled inside the top right post over the outstretched hand of 49ers’ goalkeeper Ashton McKeown.
Head coach Mauricio Ingrassia said his team played tired for most of the first half of the game, and he attributed that to a tough travel schedule.
“Look at the schedule,” Ingrassia said. “Irvine’s played one game in about two weeks. We’ve played four in about nine days. That’s what that first half was.”
The 49ers were able to equalize in the 67th minute after they were awarded a free kick just outside the box. Freshman midfielder Jessica Vincent’s curling shot fooled Irvine’s goalkeeper Jenn Randazzo, freezing her on her feet.
Playing their second consecutive double overtime game, Ingrassia praised his team’s second half effort.
“Second half was all guts and mentality and heart,” Ingrassia said. “I’m really proud of the group. The energy that they brought in the second half, there was so much adversity before the whistle even started. Unfortunately it is what it is, the schedule wasn’t kind to us.”
Nothing seemed to go right for the 49ers in their Thursday night game at CSUF (3-7-4, 1-0-2), Ingrassia said. He said even though his team didn’t play well, they still had a chance to win it, which made the 0-0 draw more frustrating.
“At Fullerton, we had a hard time getting adjusted to the pitch, to the crowd, to the ball,” Ingrassia said. “We had a hard time passing and receiving at Fullerton. It was good that we stayed organized, but we did have a chance to steal it at the end.”
The Beach woman’s soccer team celebrates after freshman Jessica Vincent scores the first goal in Sunday’s game against UC Irvine.
The 49ers have only given up one goal in three matches since conceding three against Cal Poly. Sophomore goalkeeper Ashton McKeown said the game was a turning point for her and the team.
“That game was a whole team thing,” McKeown said. “Honestly, after that game I realized how much leadership I have to have on the field, how much presence I have to have if I expect my teammates to help me out. We have to work together, so [the coaches] said the main thing I have to work on is leadership.”
McKeown said improvement comes from talking louder and being in constant communication with the players in front of her. She said that even though she can be critical, there’s also lot of encouragement involved.
The 49ers will continue Big West play when they travel to Hawaii this week for a 10 p.m. game on Thursday night. They will have a quick turnaround when they play at UC Davis for a 1 p.m. game on Sunday.