Beach Soccer Defeats CSUN, 1-0

October 23, 2014

LONG BEACH - It was a big night for the Long Beach State women's soccer team. The Beach sent its seniors off with a win, clinched a spot in the Big West Tournament and took over first place in the conference standings with a 1-0 victory over CSUN Thursday evening in front of a season-high 1,190 fans at George Allen Field.

LBSU (8-5-5, 4-1-2 Big West) extended its win streak to three matches and remained unbeaten in its last six. It was another outstanding defensive effort by Long Beach State as it blanked its third-straight opponent and registered its fifth clean sheet in the last six outings.

With the victory, the 49ers have guaranteed themselves a top-four finish which puts them in the Big West Tournament for the seventh time in the last 10 years. They are also in sole possession of first place as they sit two points ahead of Cal Poly and CSUN. Cal Poly does not play until Sunday, Oct. 26.

"History was on our side tonight," head coach Mauricio Ingrassia said. "Taylor Nelson and her senior class were freshmen when we made the deepest run in Big West history all the way to the Elite Eight. They were not going to let us lose tonight. CSUN is one of the best teams we have faced this year and we feel fortunate to have earned this hard fought win. We look forward to our last match at UC Riverside and the Big West Tournament in San Luis Obispo."

Long Beach State held the advantage in shots (9-8) and shots on goal (4-2). Freshman Ashley Gonzales led the way with a game-high four attempts. She also found the back of the net for her team-leading eighth goal of the season. Sophomore Mimi Rangel added two shots.

Seniors Taylor Nelson and Natalie Zeenni, along with junior Melanie Fox, anchored a phenomenal effort by the back line. They kept the CSUN offense out of sync and sophomore keeper Ashton McKeown was also there to back them up with two huge saves. It was McKeown's eighth shutout of the year, which puts her in a tie for fourth in school history.

After the visitors got the first shot off in the second minute of action, the Beach took the momentum and eventually dented the scoreboard at the 32:43 mark. Junior Hannah Sanders started the play by sending a cross into the box. After a crowd of Matador defenders failed to clear the ball, it wound up at the foot of Gonzales, who punched a shot past opposing keeper Jovani McCaskill.

The 49er defense continued to dominate in the second half as their 1-0 lead held through the final 45 minutes. McKeown came up big with a diving stop on a header shot in the 74th minute.

CSUN (7-9-1, 4-2-0 Big West) was paced by Taylor Hobson and Hannah Wisler, who had two shots each. McCaskill finished with three saves.

In addition to bringing in the third-largest crowd ever at George Allen Field, the Beach also set a program record for highest average attendance in a season at 750 per game.

Prior to the match, the 49ers honored their four seniors - Matisse Hemingway, Kaci McCain, Taylor Nelson and Natalie Zeenni.

Long Beach State will have a much deserved break this weekend before heading to UC Riverside for its regular-season finale on Sunday, Nov. 2.