The562’s coverage of Long Beach State athletics for the 2023-24 season is sponsored by Marilyn Bohl.
It was all good about a week ago.
The Long Beach State women’s soccer team was on pace to set a single season record for goals scored while climbing up the Big West Conference standings.
That was followed by three scoreless games, including a 0-0 draw with visiting Cal Poly on Thursday night at George Allen Field.
“We had chances to win this game early in the first half, we were just not good in the final third and it cost us,” LBSU coach Mauricio Ingrassia said. “When you don’t use your teammates or shoot with bad angles then you’re going to end up 0-0. We made the game more difficult than it needed to be, but credit Cal Poly, they work hard and they’re a good team.”
LBSU (6-5-3, 1-2-2) outshot Cal Poly 15-11 with seven shots on goal. Sophomore Cherrie Cox led the Beach with four shots and two on target.
“Our response (after two losses on the road last week) was the main thing tonight, and we put those chances up and they just didn’t go our way,” Cox said. “We will take that momentum into the next game. We definitely had opportunities that we didn’t put away, but they’ll come eventually.”
The Beach dominated the first quarter of the game while Cox, Elysia Laramie and Makayla Demelo created early opportunities. Cal Poly (4-5-3, 2-1-1) didn’t earn its first shot until the 18th minute when LBSU goalkeeper Zora Standifer came off her line for the stop. She also leapt to make a great save in the 36th minute of her way to five saves. It’s her second clean sheet of the season.
“(Cal Poly) played our same style, so I think that matching that we did very well,” LBSU defender Maddy Perez said. “Defending together, attacking together, marking the attack and counter measuring… They’re a good team and we seem to play well against better teams.”
Annika Smith got Cal Poly on the front foot at the end of the first half, and to start the second half, but could only get one of her three shots on target.
At the other end, LBSU had a string of chances that just missed as they went more direct to attack the channels against a Cal Poly defense that pressed well.
The best chance of the night for LBSU came in the 75th minute when Julia Moore found Cox on the right side. Cox played a perfect ball across the Cal Poly 18-yard box that found the feet of Amanda Perez. However, her first touch shot at goal sailed over the crossbar. Cox was also taken down in the box in the 88th minute, but no penalty kick was awarded.
LBSU is unbeaten in its last five home games, and has only lost one game against Cal Poly in their last six Big West meetings.
Ingrassia and Perez both said the Beach is not hitting the panic button of getting flustered by the lack of goals in the last three games.
“It’s definitely a little frustrating and it does kind of put more pressure (on the back line) but I love my team, I have faith that we’re going to get it (back) we’ve done it before and we’ve done it against bigger and better teams,” Perez said.
LBSU visits Cal State Northridge on Sunday at 2 p.m.
