By George Allen Field was packed with almost all the stands filled as The Beach looked to get back to its winning ways against Cal Poly on Thursday, but drew in 0-0 tie against the Mustangs.
If you just looked at the box score, it would show that Long Beach State dominated as they had more shots and received fewer fouls than the Mustangs.
“We had chances to win,” head coach Mauricio Ingrassia said. “We had the one right there […] and we had a couple of half chances in the first half that we could’ve made the play and it didn’t happen.”
One of those chances was in the second minute of the first half where a goal was called off due to an offside penalty.
Even with the low-scoring game, the crowd kept the energy going, with Long Beach State fans yelling “Go Beach” or “Let’s go Cherrie” when standout sophomore forward Cherrie Cox had the ball.
10/5/2023 - Long Beach, Calif: Cherrie Cox, sophomore forward, drives the ball up to Cal Poly territory as she tries to get LBSU on the board on Oct. 5's game against the Mustangs at George Allen Field. Cox led the team with four shots and two shots on goal. Photo credit: Samuel Chacko
Ingrassia said that the team was forced to be direct against Cal Poly because the Mustangs pressed The Beach aggressively.
“It’s definitely a little frustrating [when goals aren’t going in], it does put us in a little bit more pressure,” junior defensive midfielder Maddy Perez said.
“I love my team,” Perez said. “I have faith in my team, we’ve done it against bigger and better teams and I know we’re going to come up and we’re going to get it.”
The Mustangs played good defense with seven total saves to The Beach’s five as both teams weren’t able to get their offense going.
10/5/2023 - Long Beach, Calif: Cherrie Cox, sophomore forward, rushes to the ball in the second half of the match and tries to get the ball crossed or scored to give The Beach their first lead of the game. Photo credit: Samuel Chacko
In the 89 minute, the Mustangs had a corner kick to try to get on the board, but The Beach continued their relentless defense and shut the Mustangs down, ending the game in a draw.
Even though Long Beach State had more shots than Cal Poly, they couldn’t seem to find the back of the net.
For positives, Goalie Zora Standifer had multiple save shots including one high-arching save around that second half.
While it might not show on the stat sheet, Standifer’s multiple saves kept LBSU in the game and kept them within arm’s distance of winning.
“We got to get the three points [win] next game at CSUN,” Ingrassia said. “If we get the three points, it’s a salvageable weekend.”
Long Beach State will go up against CSUN in an away game on Oct. 8 at 2 p.m.
