Beach Battles Kentucky to 1-1 Draw

August 20, 2016

LONG BEACH - The Long Beach State women's soccer team battled SEC member Kentucky to a 1-1 double overtime draw in its season opener Friday evening at George Allen Field.

Junior Ashley Gonzales got the Beach on the board in the 37th minute, marking her 18th career goal. She is now tied for seventh in program history in goals scored and is 10th in points (39) and shots (100). Senior Mimi Rangel was also credited with her 16th career assist, which puts her in sole possession of seventh place on the 49er all-time charts.

LBSU won the battle in shots (10-3) and corner kicks (5-3). Gonzales, freshman Kaitlin Fregulia and junior Tori Bolden all finished with three attempts each. Senior Ashton McKeown played the entire 110 minutes in between the pipes and totaled six saves.

Long Beach State was in the driver's seat early on with two shots and three corner kicks in the first 12 minutes. Bolden sent one wide at the 1:44 mark, while Fregulia's header was saved by the Wildcats' keeper. UK then picked up some momentum and scored on its third shot of the night. In the 30th minute, a pass was deflected by a 49er defender, but it went right to Katy Keen who connected on a one-touch shot.

Less than eight minutes later, the Beach bounced right back with Rangel delivering a lead pass to Gonzales, who beat her defender before sending a sliding, left-footed shot past the oncoming keeper and to the far post.

LBSU outshot Kentucky, 7-3, in the second half and two overtime periods, but was unable to find the finishing touch. Bolden had a good look in the 52nd minute with an attempt that sailed wide, while Gonzales had the 49ers' best chance to end it in the 98th minute as she made a great move at the top of the 18-yard box but her shot went just over the crossbar.

Keen led the Wildcats with one goal on two attempts, while Marissa Bosco finished with an assist.

Long Beach State will be back in action on Sunday, Aug. 21, when it welcomes Fairfield to George Allen Field for a 5 p.m. showdown.