The562’s coverage of Long Beach State athletics is sponsored by Marilyn Bohl.
Long Beach State women’s soccer has been trudging through an injury-plagued and heartbreaking season. The 3-2 loss to visiting UC Davis on Thursday night at George Allen Field was this year in a nutshell.
The shorthanded Beach led 2-1 in the 75th minute after goals from Kailey Supa and Julia Moore. However, UC Davis scored in the 78th and 80th minutes to steal all of the Big West points.
LBSU (5-7-2, 2-3-1) falls into a tie for fourth in the conference standings while UC Davis (9-4-0, 2-2-0) climbs into fifth.
The Beach was without captain midfielder Makayla Demelo (yellow card accumulation) and leading scorer Kassandra Ceja (injury) who was ruled out just minutes before the game.
“My team has been fighting all year long,” LBSU coach Mauricio Ingrassia said. “I’m very proud of them, they’re in the middle of a tough season. We’ve had so many (players) out.”
LBSU played well enough to win but didn’t finish with careful possession like they did for most of the game. The Beach went from taking all three points from the game to leaving empty handed in about five minutes.
“The game is emotional, the energy shifts (after goals) and we talk about controlling those moments, but we’re very young on the field and sometimes you have to learn some painful lessons,” Ingrassia said.
The Beach found opportunities to score early through Liz Worden and Summer Laskey on the flanks.
UC Davis forward Genavieve Fontes changed the game just after the 15 minute mark by cutting into the 18-yard box for sharp crosses. She spun on one in the 16th minute and LBSU goalkeeper Aurora Schuck dove for the save. When Fontes tried the same move from the left side two minutes later, she steered it around Schuck for her eighth goal of the year. That ranks in the NCAA Division 1 top ten for goals this season.
The following 20 minutes were a battle of attrition between hard working sides, but LBSU redshirt freshman Kailey Supa equalized in the 39th minute with a wonder strike from off the corner of the 18-yard box.
Play remained stagnant in the second half until LBSU junior Julia Moore dribbled into the box with 15 minutes left on the clock after a slalom run she started at midfield. Moore was patient when she got into range and slotted home the go-ahead goal.
Schuck went to ground again a couple minutes later, but was on the unlucky side of a cross/shot equalizer off the foot of Sam Tristan and tapped home by Jayde Holley in the 78th minute.
With 10 minutes left on the clock, UC Davis substitute Abella Hunter dribbled through the heart of the LBSU defense and drilled home the game-winner.
UC Davis outshot LBSU 10-7 and had four corners to two for the Beach. Both teams were called offside three times.
“We’ve (trailed) in 12 of our 15 games and we keep fighting and we will keep fighting,” Ingrassia said. “Now we’ve got a must win on Sunday that we’ll show up for.”
LBSU hosts Cal State Bakersfield on Sunday at 5 p.m.
