After controlling Auburn for nearly the entire game, the LBSU women’s soccer team fell 1-0 in the second overtime period of Sunday’s game at George Allen Field.
The 49ers (1-1-0), coming off of a surprising win over No. 4 UCLA on Friday, out-shot the Tigers (2-0-0) 19-12 and controlled possession over long stretches of the game. Despite the loss, head coach Mauricio Ingrassia said he loved his team’s performance and was satisfied with the way they went toe-to-toe with the higher ranked Auburn.
“I’m just as proud of them for their effort today than I was on Friday [after the win against UCLA],” Ingrassia said.
The only goal of the game came in the 102nd minute of play after an Auburn player made a run on the right side and crossed a ball that was deflected up and into LBSU goalkeeper Ashton McKeown’s hands. McKeown somehow lost the ball and Tigers’ midfielder Brook Ramsier was in the right place at the right time to tap in the game winner.
“I honestly couldn’t tell you exactly what happened,” McKeown said. “When I’m in a play I kind of just blank, I kind of black out. I just know that’s something I’m not going to do again.”
That mistake cost LBSU the game, but it didn’t take away from the fact that the 49ers were far superior than Auburn for most of the game.
The Tigers pressured the 49ers high in the first 30 minutes of the game, forcing the defenders into making mistakes in the buildup. Senior Val Margerum called the back line a little “frantic” to start the game, but they were able to settle down and shut out Auburn for 101 minutes.
The 49ers took control of the game around the 30-minute mark and didn’t let go for a very long time. LBSU had several chances to put the ball in the net, but Tigers’ goalie Sarah Le Beau was there every time the 49ers were on target.
LBSU’s best chance to score came in the 73rd minute when the 49ers’ most menacing player of the game, midfielder Mimi Rangel, curled a shot from outside the box that forced Le Beau to make a superb save. Rangel had 4 shots on goal in the game.
In overtime, the first threat to score came in the 95th minute when forward Casie Rasmier broke away and missed the goal by several feet in a one-on-one showdown with McKeown. However, it didn’t matter in the end, because seven minutes later her sister would score the match winner on an error by McKeown.
The 49ers had all the confidence to beat the Tigers after senior forward Vania Robles scored the winning goal in a 1-0 victory against the No. 4 Bruins on Friday. The goal came in the 67th minute after sophomore striker Ashley Gonzalez made an incredible run on the left side and hit a low cross through a defender’s legs to Robles.
The win marked the first time the 49ers were able to beat UCLA since 1983. On Sunday, LBSU failed to build its historic night into a historic weekend with the tough loss to Auburn.
Freshman fullback Sarah Maher made her first official appearance for the 49ers and impressed at the left back and center back positions. Ingrassia praised her flexibility and ability to provide offense.
“She did very well,” Ingrassia said. “She gave us that attacking option, she went in at center back and was looking good and then she went back outside and did well.”
LBSU’s next game is at home against Iowa State on Friday at 7:30 p.m.