By After dropping its first two games of the season, the Long Beach State women’s soccer team has put together a three-game win streak after two home wins this weekend against Cincinnati and Loyola Marymount.
Forward Elizabeth Lyons propelled the 49ers (3-2-0) past Cincinnati (1-5-0) Friday night in the 4-1 victory at George Allen Field, as she contributed to all four goals, compiling three assists and a goal of her own.
The ‘Niners were held scoreless again in the first half on Sunday, leaving them without a first-half goal all season. But in the end, LBSU managed to stretch its winning streak to three games by beating Loyola Marymount 1-0 to complete the homestand sweep.
“Keeping our width was important, and being more assertive on the ball,” head coach Mauricio Ingrassia said after Friday’s game. “Those were two of the things we talked about doing more. Once we did that, we scored that first goal.”
After going scoreless in the first half against Cincinnati on Friday, the ‘Niners emerged from halftime to pile on four goals in the 4-1 victory, initiated by senior midfielder Eileen Maes’ goal in the 53rd minute off a cross to the middle by Lyons.
Over the next 30 minutes, Lyons supplied both sophomore midfielder Hannah Sanders and freshman defender Hannah Reed with assists after netting The Beach’s win-securing goal in the 62nd minute.
“I just really wanted to win today,” Lyons said following Friday’s victory. “Before we started our game, the team came together and [Ingrassia] said ‘we are not losing at home anymore. We lost once already and after this, no more. This is our house, and we have to protect it.’”
The difference between the scoreless first half and the second-half offensive eruption, Ingrassia said, was Lyons shifting from inside to out wide in the second period and waiting for the ball to come to her before attacking.
“It helped me giving assists to my teammates, and it helped me get a goal,” Lyons said. “I just need to keep doing that and hopefully it’ll bring more goals and more assists for the season.”
While they had difficulty generating opportunities again throughout the first half Sunday, the ‘Niners found their offense after halftime, as Sanders needed only 39 seconds to score on LMU for the game’s first goal.
The Lions outshot LBSU 15-11 but had their only real look at tying the game when LMU forward Shannon Kent approached an empty net but missed a goal by inches with a wide-right shot attempt.
The first half was tilted in LMU’s favor in the beginning, as the Lions attempted four consecutive shots before the 49ers took control of tempo by responding with three straight shots.
Despite the 49ers scoring four goals in Friday’s game, Ingrassia said the team was ineffective in several areas of the game. By Sunday’s shutout, he said he thought the team improved considerably except for one lingering issue.
“It was back and forth,” Ingrassia said of LBSU’s control of the ball. “We should keep the ball way more than we’re doing, and that’s hopefully the goal as we move forward, that we’re able to string passes and passes and passes together.”
The ‘Niners will leave for a two-game road trip to play Georgia and Auburn starting on Friday. Friday’s game against Georgia will start at 7 p.m. local time before Sunday’s 3 p.m. game at Auburn.
