By LOS ANGELES – With No. 4 seeded USC netting one goal after the next, Long Beach couldn’t catch a break in its final game of the 2018 season.
USC (16-2-2) shut out Long Beach State (12-6-3) 6-0 Friday in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The Trojans blasted shots non stop throughout the 90 minutes, finishing the game with 28 total. Long Beach struggled to keep the ball off of their side of the field and were only able to put up eight.
Despite the impending defeat, senior goalkeeper Imani McDonald maintained her composure and remained vocal until the final whistle. She ended the final game of her career with nine saves.
“Am I satisfied with my career here? Absolutely,” McDonald said with tears rolling down her face. “In a game like this I try my best to be up-tempo and keep [my teammates] in the game.”
The Trojans offensive attack began in minute 20 with a touch by freshman defender Ashley Soto off of a cross to the center, forcing McDonald to make a diving save. The ball deflected off her gloves and onto the foot of junior forward Natalie Jacobs, who fired it into the net and brought up the score to 1-0.
Sophomore midfielder Alea Hyatt added to the score in the first half by nailing a shot into the upper right corner.
In the second half, the Trojans cut even deeper and scored three more goals within a span of nine minutes beginning at the 53 minute mark. The low-shot goals were scored by sophomore midfielder Tara McKeown, senior forward Leah Pruitt, and sophomore midfielder Savannah DeMelo.
With 10 minutes left in the game, senior forward Hailey Hite hammered in the sixth and final goal with a powerful strike in the air off of a cross to the center of the goalbox.
“This game doesn’t define our season,” head coach Mauricio Ingrassia said. “We had an outstanding year and our seniors really changed the culture of our program.”
The team will bid farewell to seniors McDonald, Rocio Rodriguez, Dana Fujikuni, Ashley Gonzales, Sarah Maher, and Alyssa Alvarez.
