LONG BEACH, Calif. – A roller coaster of a contest with CSUN had plenty of wild turns, including comebacks, red cards, and first career goals, but it was the Matadors that had the last laugh as a Lia Peterson winner in the 84th minute sealed a 4-3 win.
Long Beach State (6-2-5, 0-1-2 Big West) took just their second loss of the season despite outshooting the Matadors 24-12 and putting 10 shots on target. Hayden Mauldin made seven saves for CSUN (3-5-4, 1-1-1 Big West) who grabbed their first conference win.
Junior Kailey Supa forced a quick save with a header off of an early corner, and had two shots within the first six minutes for early pressure, but it was CSUN that struck first, getting a goal on the counter from Jordyn Canister to take an early lead. Aurora Schuck stopped another counter opportunity with a big save in the 12th minute, but Long Beach State continued to press forward, ultimately taking nine shots in the first half but remaining behind 1-0 on the scoreboard.
The Beach continued that pressure in the second half before finding the breakthrough. Olivia Yu had an early shot saved by Mauldin, and minutes later, a bad clearance by the Matadors was pounced on by Radisson Banks, and the senior smashed a rocket into the corner to tie the game at 1-1 just three minutes into the second half.
CSUN found a quick answer, as the Matador forwards returned the favor to each other as this time it was Canister with a cross into Azar who slipped home a shot to put the Matadors back in front in the 53rd.
The breakneck pace continued. Kana Uchida earned a dangerous free kick in the Long Beach State offensive third, and the free kick from Ameera White was flicked on by Natalie Arnold before being put home by Olivia Yu as the freshman forward scored her first career goal to tie the game at 2-2 in the 56th minute.
Capitalizing on that momentum, the Beach had another first goal as senior defender Kylie Perez launched a long-range effort that was misplayed by Mauldin and gave the Beach their first lead of the contest in the 62nd minute.
Settling in, Long Beach State looked to be on their way to a key victory, but a VAR challenge by CSUN resulted in a penalty kick in the 77th minute, one that was converted by Jana Akins to tie the game and swing the momentum once more. In the 84th, a smooth give-and-go with Azar and Lia Peterson led to a low shot that slipped past a diving Amaya Sanles to hand the Matadors the game-winning goal.
Pressing forward, Long Beach State forced CSUN Sydney Lipkin into two yellow cards in less than three minutes to gain a man advantage, but didn’t have enough time to capitalize on the way to a 4-3 defeat.
The homestand continues on Saturday when Long Beach State hosts Sacramento State. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. from George Allen Field, with live broadcast coverage provided by ESPN+.
