The moment was set.
Score and the game is over.
With a free kick just outside of the box, junior forward Jessica Vincent lined up and delivered a goal to the bottom left corner to give Long Beach State a 2-1 win over Cal State Northridge in the 103rd minute Sunday night at George Allen Field.
“It was the time to do it,” Vincent said. “I wanted it and it just worked in our favor. I kind of knew when it came off my foot that it was at least going to be hard for the keeper and when I saw the keeper not shift — I knew it was a goal.”
Vincent’s goal wouldn’t have been possible if junior forward Ashley Gonzales didn’t score on a header after senior midfielder Mimi Rangel delivered a perfect pass in the 67th minute to tie the game at one.
“The whole game was just: get a goal we need to win,” Gonzales said. “We’ve been on a little bit of a rough patch, but we’re trying to get back on track…I just knew no matter if the keeper was going to hit me or not, I just had to go for the ball.”
The Matadores (5-3-5, 0-1-1) took a 1-0 lead in the 42nd minute of the first half after senior midfielder Taylor Hobson scored on off a deflection.
At halftime, CSUN led the 49ers 1-0 and outshot LBSU 8-7.
In the second half, the 49ers had another chance to win the game when freshman forward Kaitlin Fregulia connected on a cross from a set piece, but was blocked by CSUN’s junior goalkeeper Jovani McCaskill.
McCaskill and the 49ers’ senior goalkeeper Ashton McKeown kept each other’s team in the game as they combined for a total of 12 saves.
Throughout the game, the 49ers (5-5-2, 1-0-1) and Matadores exchanged shots as the two battled for the win.
“[It was] just a great game,” LBSU head coach Mauricio Ingrassia said of the double overtime victory. “Just two teams leaving it all out on the field… Both teams had to play in 110 minute overtimes on Friday, so I think the legs were a little heavy.”
The win gives Long Beach State a lift as they continue through Big West play after having one of the toughest preseason schedules in the country.
“For us, having the schedule we’ve had — it’s mentally fatiguing, so we needed a win in a bad way,” Ingrassia said.