By james art UC Irvine Women’s Soccer (5-6-6, 3-2-4) and Long Beach State (6-8-3, 3-4-2) finished their rivalry game in a 0-0 tie at Anteater Stadium on Sunday, 27 October.
The penultimate game of the regular season had playoff implications, with Irvine sitting just two points ahead of Long Beach in the Big West Conference standings. The Anteaters, coming off a 2-2 tie against UC Davis, looked to extend their lead with a win against rival LBSU.
This part of the rivalry between the black and blue was a story of defenses. The Eaters dominated the first half, applying heavy pressure in Long Beach territory, resulting in a significant share of possession and scoring opportunities.
The first real scoring opportunity of the game came when Long Beach redshirt freshman forward Kaylee Supa received a cross in the box, firing a shot that went over the bar.
UCI’s first opportunity came on a free kick that found senior forward Laila El Beheri after a collision between Long Beach redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Aurora Schuck and UCI senior forward Desiree Mendoza. Although El Beheri opened the net, the goal was disallowed after Mendoza was fouled during a collision with Shook.
The best Anteater opportunity of the half came in the 17th minute when senior defender Michaela Perez fired a free kick near the halfway line. Shook managed to get a fingertip on the ball, deflecting it off the post. Irvine senior forward Caitlin Pakulba swooped in to get a rebound off a volley, but the shot went right into Shook’s chest.
While Irvine controlled the first 30 minutes of the half, Long Beach found some success in the final 15 minutes. After a steal in Anteater territory, Long Beach senior forward Summer Lasky attempted a pass to the wall with freshman linebacker Makenna Irvine, but the Anteaters’ defense made a good tackle.
The second half was much the same with UCI maintaining control of the ball and pace of play. Mendoza had two shots early in the half; one off target and the other saved by Shuk.
In the 66th minute, Pakulba attempted a solo effort after finding himself one-on-one on the side of the near post. After making a cut to the centre, the Beach defense caught up and forced a difficult sliding shot from distance that Shook saved with ease.
Two minutes later, Supa had an opportunity to score after a through ball put her just ten yards in front of the post. Instead, her shot went wide, deflecting into the side of the net.
In the 73rd minute, Irvine created a chance with a header for El Beheri. However, the ball was placed too high and El Beheri couldn’t generate enough power to get it past Shouk. It was a recurring theme for the Eaters, with plenty of opportunities falling into Schuck’s hands or out of bounds due to his lack of power.
The last scoring opportunity of the game came in the 88th minute, but it soared over the bar after Pakulba missed the target after a solo one-on-one put her in front of goal. The match ended in a 0-0 draw.
UCI won the possession battle, controlling the ball an impressive 75% of the game. Their control led to four more shot attempts than Long Beach, finishing the game with a 13-9 shot advantage. El Beheri led the Anteaters with five total shots – two of which were on goal. Irvine graduate goalkeeper Ashley Naylor recorded two saves in 90 minutes of play.
UC Irvine now looks ahead to its final regular season game at UC Riverside (2-12-4, 0-5-4) on Oct. 31 in Riverside, California.
Jordan Humm is the sports intern for the fall quarter of 2024. He can be reached at [email protected].
Edited by Benjamin Flores and Jahim Conley