Attempt after attempt, the Long Beach State women’s soccer team just couldn’t find the net. At the 64-minute mark everything fell into place and Dana Fujikuni was able to float in a perfectly timed shot. The goal gave the 49ers a safety cushion as their offense continued to attack..
The crowd of 832 erupted in cheers, and the players celebrated their third straight win of the season.
“Usually I am the player that lays off, but I saw that the keeper was a little bit out so I took it,” Fujikuni said.
Long Beach State (3-1) donned its gritty black uniforms as it defeated San Diego State 1-0 Sunday night at George Allen Field.
A noticeable change was made in the 49ers starting lineup, but the switch did not affect the chemistry within the team. Senior goalkeeper Imani McDonald was replaced by freshman goalkeeper Ashley Seymour due to an ankle injury from Friday’s game against Northeastern. McDonald cheered on her team from the sidelines as she sported a large brace on the injured foot.
“We had full trust in Ashley [Seymour], the chemistry was still there,” Fujikuni said.
The few opportunities the Aztecs got were stopped by Seymour, who stayed confident throughout the 90 minutes.
“I knew this game was going to be important,” Seymour said. “I went in with the mentality that this was my game.”
Seymour felt confident subbing in for McDonald, someone she looks up to and idolizes on the field. She was able to battle the pressure of starting her first game, and came out with the first shutout win of her career.
Once again the 49er offense put pressure early on with 12 shots on goal taken in the first half compared to the Aztecs, who only had two. The match ended with Long Beach attempting 21 shots while SDSU had six. The ball remained on San Diego’s side of the field for the majority of the time, but even so, the 49ers could not find the net. Shots taken by Katie Pingel and senior forward Ashley Gonzales were deflected by the SDSU Junior goalkeeper Gabby English in the first 10 minutes.
In the second half, a header by sophomore forward Nadiyah Siqueiros caused the tension to grow higher as she missed the goal by a hair and hit the crossbar. A foul on San Diego right outside of the goalbox gave the 49ers a free kick. The kick was taken by Kaylee Ramirez, who placed it perfectly for her teammates, but they could not get a good touch on the ball.
Although the game was full of many unsuccessful attempts, one goal was enough to earn the win.
Head coach Mauricio Ingrassia is still unsure of the status of Imani McDonald, creating an uncertain lineup for Thursday’s game.
“Imani is going to get an X-ray tomorrow, but she is already progressing and she’s day to day,” Ingrassia said.
Long Beach State travels to Austin at 5 p.m. Thursday to take on Texas.