Oct. 3, 2003
LONG BEACH, Calif. -
Senior Abie Curry, with one simple tap of the
foot, shook up the Big West Conference race, giving the
Long Beach State 49ers (5-5-0, 1-0-0 Big West) a 1-0 overtime victory
over pre-season favorite, UC Santa Barbara (6-3-2, 1-1-0). The 49ers
have now won five of six, four by shutouts.
Six and a half minutes into overtime, Shaina O'Donnell
dribbled to the top of the penalty box, lost it off a defender, got it
back and passed it to Curry, who had beaten UCSB's Molly Martin, and she
tapped in the winning score, at 96:36.
LBSU, who was picked in the pre-season to finish in fifth place, outshot
the Gauchos 17 to 12. The 49er defense made a statement in the first
half, allowing just five first half shots, while the team's offense
picked it up in the second half, taking 10 shots.
It was the first shutout loss for the Big West's top offense since its
opener, 10 games ago.The loss also snaps UCSB's six-match unbeaten
streak (5-0-1).
The 49ers had three chances to end it in the second half. Curry's tap
shot went high with 38 seconds left in regulation while in the 86th
minute, the 49ers were unable to convert off a corner kick. The 49ers
had two shots inside the penalty box in the 78th minute, but were also
unable to convert.
Meghan Hartwyk, who tallied six saves for Long Beach State, kept
it scoreless in the 63rd minute, saving a shot by Martin, minutes after
Jennifer Borcich's shot in the 59th minute went wide.
The Gauchos travel to UC Irvine on Sunday for a 1:00 p.m. Big West match.
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