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sports:
women's soccer
Freshmen lead
Beach to first win of season
By Mike Haubrich
On-line Forty-Niner
The streak may
have lasted only three games, but for The Beach, it must have
seemed like an eternity.
The Long Beach
State women's soccer team beat Nevada, 2-0, in a non-conference
game Sunday in Reno to record it first victory of the season.
"It's a great
relief," Peter Reynaud, the 49ers first-year head coach,
said, "but we should have had a win already."
LBSU (1-2-1) took
a 1-0 lead in the first half when freshman midfielder Diana
Sanguinetti converted a penalty kick in the 24th minute.
The 49ers clung
to the slim lead until Kelly Kaufman, another freshman midfielder,
scored in the 76th minute to put the game out of reach.
"[Kaufmann's
goal] really put the nail in the coffin," Reynaud said.
"She had a great individual effort on the goal, which
is great because we feel she can score goals for us."
A third freshman,
Alexandra Rowinski, assisted on Kaufman's goal.
"Alex Rowinski
had the assist and a goal called back," Reynaud said.
"She's getting better and better."
The freshman connection,
which includes leading scorer Kristin Travis, is a necessity
rather than a luxury for the Beach, which has lost senior
Marisa Barragan (knee scope surgery), junior Kelli Barrett
(lacerated toe) and sophomore Marcia Rewoldt (knee injury)
already this season.
Add to that senior
Kim Stempkowski, who left the Nevada game with a concussion,
and the 49er are playing the early-season schedule at less
than 100 percent.
"We've had
an unusual amount of injuries," Reynaud said. "It's
forced up to start an all-freshman front line, and that's
tough to do in college."
Rewoldt, Barrett
and Stempkowski are expected back this season, but Barragan
may have to redshirt, according to Reynaud.
Travis finished
the Nevada game with three shots on goal, but failed to score
after registering goals in each of the first three games of
her LBSU career.
Still, Travis wasn't
disappointed.
"It's really
exciting," Travis said of the victory. "We wanted
this game so bad and didn't give up."
The Beach looks
for its first home victory of the season Wednesday against
San Jose State. Game time is 3 p.m. at George Allen Field.
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