49ers win Bluejay Classic

By Claire Howie
Online Forty-Niner
Staff Writer

The Long Beach State women's soccer team clinched its second tournament title of the season by defeating Bluejay Classic host Creighton, 1-0, in Omaha on Sunday.

"We came here to do one thing and that was to win," LBSU Head Coach Mauricio Ingrassia said.

The "golden goal" was scored on a set play five minutes into the first overtime period. Forward Allison Wiegand set the ball in motion when she tapped the free kick forward and gave way to defender Natalie Messina, who fired the game winner into the net from 25 yards out.

The 49ers' solid defense was a key factor in the win.

"Tara Gotthardt was big [Sunday] and we defended pretty well," Ingrassia said. "I thought that the first half and most of the second half was pretty even. Creighton started pushing forward the last 20 minutes, but we were able to contain them."

The 49ers racked up the most honors in Omaha with four players making the All-Tournament team (Wiegand, Gotthardt, Messina, Kristin Travis).

Messina was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after spearheading the team's defensive effort, which resulted in two consecutive shutouts for the weekend.

Messina was named the tournament's top player for the second time this season. She earned MVP honors at the 49er Classic earlier this season. Messina also was named Big West Conference Player of the Week for her efforts.

Wiegand totaled four shots, two assists and one goal for the tournament. Goalkeeper Tara Gotthardt tied her career high with nine saves in the game against Creighton, and posted her third and fourth shutouts of the season.

Forward Kristin Travis matched a single-game record nine shots, including a goal and an assist against South Dakota State. Travis also fired off two of the 49ers' 10 shot attempts at the Creighton goal.

"The girls showed great character to be able to regroup after the last few games and really play with everything they had," Ingrassia said. "I am very proud of them. It was a great weekend and a fun ride home. We're enjoying this."

The 49ers improved to 5-3-1, boasting their best record heading into conference play since the program restarted in 1998.

Friday the 49ers will face host UC Santa Barbara, and Sunday the team will head to Cal Poly to take on the defending Big West Conference champions.