The Long Beach State women’s soccer team will continue Big West Conference play when it goes on its longest road trip of the season to Hawaii and UC Davis this week.
Sophomore goalkeeper Ashton McKeown was named the Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Week, after she got stitches on her face because of a collision in practice with teammate Ashley Gonzales.
“In practice, we were doing one-on-one drills,” McKeown said, “and Ashley Gonzales’ knee hit my face, and it split open. That was on Wednesday, so I got stitches Wednesday and had the Fullerton game Thursday.”
She said all she felt was adrenaline before the blood started going down her face. She said didn’t even feel it when it happened and that she was fine as long as her coaches let her play.
The coaches made her wear a mask for the CSUF game, but she removed it because it affected her peripheral vision. McKeown said she wasn’t worried about further injury.
“When I’m in the game,” McKeown said, “I really don’t think about that kind of stuff. I’ve trained myself not to be soft, because when you go in soft or you hesitate, I think that’s when you get hurt more.”
The 49ers (5-5-5, 1-1-2) are coming off back-to-back double overtime draws against Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine.
LBSU was trailing 1-0 against UCI at halftime in a game that head coach Mauricio Ingrassia said his team played with tired legs. Sophomore goalkeeper Ashton McKeown said the message from the coaches was clear at the break.
“Even the first half of this game, our energy levels were a little lower,” McKeown said. “So at halftime, a lot of the things [the coaches] were saying were focused on our energy.”
Since giving up three goals to Cal Poly in the conference opener, she has given up just one goal in the last three matches, and she said she thinks the defense in front of her has been the difference.
“They’re super solid,” McKeown said. “I feel really confident in my entire back line, no matter who’s in, because we sub the left back now and Mimi [Akaogi] is moving around the field a little bit more. I have just as much confidence in my [other] left backs that I do with Mimi at the left back [position].”
McKeown and the 49ers are already in Hawaii for their game against the Rainbow Wahine (6-8, 1-3). The team left Monday to get adjusted to the three-hour time difference.
The 49ers will fly back to California after the Hawaii game to face UC Davis (4-8-3) in Sacramento. The Aggies haven’t won any of their last five home games, going 0-2-3. Their leading scorer is junior midfielder Haley Hughes with four goals.
The 49ers will play Hawaii Thursday at 10 p.m.