Beach Win Season Finale 7-3
49ers Head to MPSF Championships Next Week SANTA BARBARA, CA-- The No. 4-ranked 49ers (23-6, 8-2 MPSF) closed out the regular season with two straight victories and 12 wins in its last 13, defeating host UC Santa Barbara (15-12, 3-6 MPSF) 7-3 in The Beach's regular season finale. Ashley Richardson led LBSU with three goals, while freshman Cassie Azevedo added two goals. The 49ers finished the conference schedule with a school-record 8-2 mark in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. The visitors proved themselves worthy of their lofty national ranking early
on, storming out to a 3-0 first quarter lead. Richardson commenced the scoring at the 4:25 mark with a long strike from the right side before sophomore teammate Robyn Gordin did the same from the opposite side of the pool less than a minute later. With 1:50 to play in the opening period, Azavedo rattled the back of the cage, necessitating a change in goal for UCSB. Freshman UCSB goalie Christy Medigovich playing for the first time in over a
month due to injury held the Beach at bay for the remainder of the quarter
but surrendered a six-on-five goal to Richardson early in the second.
Sophomore Erin Miller¹s strike with 5:01 to play before intermission got
Santa Barbara on the scoreboard, and the home team then had a chance to pull
within 4-2 but missed a two-meter penalty opportunity. Near the close of
the half Long Beach senior Roberta Stewart connected on her two-meter
attempt to give her squad a 5-1 lead at the break. Following a scoreless third period in which both Medigovich and 49er
sophomore keeper Bri Hawkins each made three saves, Gaucho freshman Erica
Clark converted on a rebound shot just 26 seconds into the final frame.
With 3:21 remaining, sophomore Katy Kunkel closed the gap to 5-3 as UCSB
took advantage of an ejection charged to Hawkins.
However LBSU dashed any Santa Barbara rally hopes at the 2:36 mark when
Richardson notched her third score of the game, and Azavedo then added an
insurance goal with under a minute to go.
| TEAMS | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -- | SCORE | RECORDS | | #4 LBSU | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -- | 7 | 23-6, 8-2 MPSF | | UCSB | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -- | 3 | 15-12, 3-6 MPSF | LBSU Goals: Richardson 3, Azavedo 2, Gordin, Stewart
UCSB Goals: Miller, Clark, Kunkel | Saves: Bri Hawkins (LBSU) 7, Ally Barr (LBSU) 0, Enriquez (UCSB) 1, Medigovich (UCSB) 8 |
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