Soccer, Sports, Women's Sports

49ers travel over 1,700 miles and win

The Long Beach State women’s soccer team captured back-to-back conference wins over the weekend to improve to third place in the Big West Conference.

The 49ers (7-5-5, 3-1-2) won two consecutive games for the first time since beating Georgia and Denver in their first two home games of the season in late August.

“The Big West is a difficult league, with teams that know almost everything about one another,” head coach Mauricio Ingrassia said. “We only play each other once, which makes each game huge.”

The 49ers shut out Hawaii’s team, which Ingrassia called “explosive” and “desperate for points.” Sophomore forward Mimi Rangel gave The Beach its lead in the first half when she scored her third goal of the season in the 28th minute.

Junior forward Vania Robles gave the 49ers a bigger cushion when she scored her fourth goal of the season in the second half to finish the game at 2-0. Robles is now second on the team in number of goals.

When asked about how his offense played, Ingrassia lamented some of the missed opportunities the team had earlier in the season.

“The reality is we could have had several more wins this season if it weren’t for our immaturity at times in front of the net,” he said. “We spoke about that with our forwards, and they responded. [They] had a great weekend and are moving the ball better and finding our best form.”

The 49ers flew back to California after their game in Hawaii to face UC Davis in Sacramento. Ingrassia called the Aggies an organized team that, like Hawaii, was desperate for points.

Freshman forward Ashley Gonzales continued her impressive rookie season, scoring her team-leading seventh goal on a penalty kick in the 23rd minute.

The 49ers will have a break coming up after they play Cal State Northridge on Thursday night. Ingrassia said he isn’t concerned about his team potentially losing focus, and that the break will allow some of his injured players to heal.

“We haven’t had Hannah [Sanders] or Mimi [Akaogi] since the UC Irvine game, and Celeste [Dominguez] since Santa Clara,” Ingrassia said. “We need them back.”

Ingrassia said he’s comfortable with where his team is right now.

“We are in a good moment in our season, but still focusing one game at a time,” he said.

The Beach will face Cal State Northridge at George Allen Field on Thursday at 7 p.m.

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