Sacramento State women\u2019s soccer faced Long Beach State at George Allen Field, in a high-stakes matchup that saw both teams seek their first Big West Conference win.<\/p>\n
Long Beach found themselves down 2-0 with 10 minutes remaining, but the Beach looked to force a late comeback.<\/p>\n
A minute after the Hornets scored their second goal, the momentum quickly shifted as Long Beach hurried down the field and found its first goal in the 80th minute.<\/p>\n
Junior Beach defender Nicole Velasco received the ball on the right wing, and sent a long cross to the back post toward junior Beach defender Natalie Arnold.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In front of the Hornets\u2019 goal, Arnold tapped the ball into the back of the net with her right foot, cutting Sac State\u2019s lead to 2-1. The goal energized the crowd as the Beach pushed for an equalizer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the 83rd minute, the Beach again found themselves in the Hornets\u2019s final third searching for an equalizer.<\/p>\n
Freshman Beach defender Sydney Beaumont sent a cross into the box that junior goalkeeper Hayley Hartsburg punched away. The ball bounced outside the box to Velasco, who struck it back toward the goal before it was deflected off sophomore Beach midfielder Ameera White.<\/p>\n
Velasco\u2019s shot deflected off White\u2019s foot and into the air, sailing over Hartsburg and into the net. The Hornet\u2019s two-goal lead disappeared as the match was tied 2-2.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing able to close out games is something we see in front of us and is something that we talked about,\u201d head coach Tim Strader said. \u201cWe want to be a 91 minute team, not just a 90 minute team.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Hornets found themselves in trouble again, with this draw, Sac State marked the second consecutive game in which they conceded the lead in the final minutes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn order to finish these games we got to stay locked in the whole 90 minutes and never be content with any score line,\u201d senior midfielder Ellie Farber said. \u201cIt\u2019s a team mindset that we no doubt can achieve with time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sac State was outshot by Long Beach State 22-12, putting just four on target compared with the Beach\u2019s 10. This marked the fourth time this season the Hornets have been outshot, with three of those games coming in September.\u00a0<\/p>\n
RELATED: Hornets left high and dry: Highlanders\u2019 late equalizer delivers heartbreak to the Hornets<\/a><\/p>\n Both teams generated early momentum while settling into the match. Long Beach then took control of the half, creating several opportunities in the Hornets\u2019 final third, and sending crosses into the box that just fell short of connecting. The Beach had its best opportunity to take the lead in the 31st minute.<\/p>\n Senior Beach forward Radisson Banks received the ball down the right wing, and used a fake pass to create space inside the Hornet\u2019s box. As Banks prepared to shoot, sophomore midfielder Leah Gimenez tripped her, resulting in a penalty kick for Long Beach State.<\/p>\n The Big West Conference leading scorer<\/a>, senior Beach forward Cherrie Cox stepped up to take the penalty with a chance to tie her LBSU 13 goal scoring season record. After the whistle, Cox fired a right-footed shot toward the bottom-right corner. Hartsburg read it correctly, and made a diving left-handed save to keep the match scoreless.<\/p>\n The Hornets surrounded Hartsburg in celebration of the save . Sac State was able to escape the half tied 0-0, despite creating few scoring opportunities.<\/p>\n \u201cWe knew it was going to be a hard match and that we were going to have to be gritty,\u201d sophomore midfielder Jules Colchico said. \u201cI think we did exactly that and came out with a lot of energy.\u201d<\/p>\n During the second half, Sac State capitalized on its limited chances, putting three of its four shots on target for the half. The Hornets took advantage in the 54th minute, putting the Beach\u2019s backs against the wall.<\/p>\n Colchico found space on the left wing, and fired a long-range shot from outside the box that bounced twice before reaching the LBSU goalkeeper. The ball deflected off of the goalkeeper directly toward junior forward Mia Jackson. She tapped it into the bottom-left corner of the net, to give the Hornets a 1-0 lead.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had been talking about \u2018finishing the rep\u2019 this week,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cIn the moment I knew that I needed to make that front post run no matter what happened. The goalie wasn\u2019t able to get a clear catch on the ball, and I was there to finish it.\u201d<\/p>\n Sac State remained composed in the face of the Long Beach aggression, as the defense held strong before the Hornets struck again.<\/p>\n The Hornets earned a corner kick in the 79th minute. Jackson sent a cross into the box that found junior defender Jaety Mandaquit. She came flying in and headed the ball into the middle of the net, giving Sac State a 2-0 lead.<\/p>\n \u201cWe always practice our set pieces and it\u2019s a goal of ours to score and capitalize on them every game,\u201d Jackson said.<\/p>\n Jackson finished the night with a goal and an assist. It was her third goal of the season, and her first since scoring twice in the season opener <\/a>against The University of the Pacific on Thursday, Aug. 13.<\/p>\n The Hornets fell short yet again during the last minutes of the match, drawing the game 2-2.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously surrendering a two goal lead is tough,\u201d Strader said. \u201cWe knew if we gave them our best performance that we could compete tonight and I\u2019m just proud of how our group responded.\u201d<\/p>\n Sac State\u2019s two goals brought its season total to 18, surpassing last season\u2019s total goal count of 16<\/a>.<\/p>\n