Speed • Sahar
Haghdan leaps to head the ball against
Cal Poly. Jeffery Patch / Daily Forty-Niner
49er women’s soccer thunders by Mustangs
By Daniel Kim
Online Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer
Long Beach State began a four game homestand with a 4-2 victory over nationally
ranked Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Friday afternoon at George Allen Field.
In a high-scoring shootout, LBSU prevailed to upset Cal Poly Mustangs who were
previously ranked No. 20 in the nation and are currently three-time Big West
defending champions.
LBSU did not give the fans a chance to warm their seats, as the team took an
early 1-0 lead in the games third minute.
LBSU’s Dana Farquhar took a pass from Kim Silos and scored from five
yards out.
Cal Poly showed why they are the three-time defending champs, answering LBSU’s
goal with one of their own just moments later. Sharon Day received
a pass from Kelsey Carroll from the right side and kicked it into the net
to
tie the game 1-1.
After a throw-in at the 29th minute, the ball squirted out of the hands of
LBSU goalkeeper Liz Ramos and into the lap of Cal Poly’s Kelsey Carrol,
who kicked it into an empty net to give Cal Poly a 2-1 advantage.
The 49ers looked sluggish in the remainder of the half while Cal Poly finished
strong. The Mustangs kept Ramos busy with constant pressure around the
net and demonstrated why they are one of the nations top teams. Cal Poly
leads the conference in defense, allowing 0.62 goals per game. The
49ers finished the half with only one shot on goal.
LBSU started the second half with an intensity that was missing at the start
of the game.
The 49ers came out in the second half with a new game plan and dominated
the Mustangs of Cal Poly. In the 52nd minute, Kim Silos won the ball
from a Poly defender and kicked it by goalkeeper Liz Hill with her left foot
to
even the score at 2-2.
Silos’ goal was a huge momentum shifter for LBSU and it seemed to light
a fire under the team. In the 60th minute, Sara Baca made a perfect pass
to Sahar Haghdan, who kicked it into the net and gave the 49ers a 3-2 lead.
In the 76th minute, freshman Dana Farquhar added another goal, her second of
the day, for good measure.
“
We have been pushing so hard,” Farquhar said. “This game
was huge. We wanted to prove ourselves against a nationally ranked team,
I’m so excited.”
“
Cal Poly is a good team, they are ranked, but we had enough confidence to know
that we could come through with the win,” Baca said. “We’ve
earned our respect. I think teams come here and are worried of playing us now,” said
Baca.
Head Coach Mauricio Ingrassia was pleased with the victory. “To
beat Cal Poly, who has been the class of the conference for the last five years,
I think is a great step for our young program,” Ingrassia said.
“
It was a complete momentum shift in the second half. We were flat emotionally
in the first half,” Ingrassia said. “We adjusted, we stepped up
our defensive intensity. Our mentality had to be different. That
is what turned the tide. We played with a lot of heart, a lot of pride.”
Under the tutelage of Coach Ingrassia and Asst. Coach Soto, the LBSU women’s
soccer team has taken huge strides this season. The victory over No.
20-ranked Cal Poly marks only the second time in school history that LBSU’s
women’s soccer team has beaten a nationally ranked opponent.
With the win over Cal Poly, Long Beach State remains unbeaten at George Allen
Field, improving their home record to 6-0-0. The 49ers improved to
9-3-1 overall and 2-1-0 in conference play.
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