Passing of the Guard for The Beach
by Matt Zimmerman, Long Beach Press-Telegram
October 31, 2004 Today at around 4 p.m, Allison Wiegand will walk off George Allen Field for the last time as a member of the Long Beach State women's soccer team.
A year ago, sophomore Natalie Messina was desperately trying just to get back on the field to continue her career.
Together, they have formed the backbone of the 2004 49ers, who host UC Riverside at 2 p.m. in the final home game of the season.
"They're part of a captain crew that definitely has led this team through adversity," 49ers coach Mauricio Ingrassia said. "There's a lot to be said for their attitude and their work ethic. They leave everything on the field."
Wiegand leads the 49ers (6-9-2, 1-6-1) in scoring this season with 12 points on a team-leading four goals and four assists, which is second on the team to senior forward Kristin Travis' five. Her career totals of 18 goals, 10 assists and 46 points are first all-time since the LBSU program was resurrected and began Big West Conference play in 1998.
During her career, Wiegand has managed to move to the top of the scoring chart despite
logging significant quality minutes in the back and midfield. As a freshman forward, she was second-team All-Big West, earned first-team All-Big West accolades as a sophomore defender and was a first-teamer once again last season at midfield.
"I've been playing this sport since I was 5 years old," Wiegand said. "Having to give up this sport and having to give up these girls I've played with is going to be the hardest thing to do. Everybody has to go at some point, and it's my turn to go."
For Messina, just getting healthy enough to play this season took plenty of effort. In last year's second game, Messina suffered a dislocated left fibula against Stanford and ended up utilizing a medical redshirt season.
Messina, an aggressive defender, was named a captain for this season with Wiegand and the other two senior starters, Travis and defender Shanna Wender. And she has shown no ill effects from the injury in either performance or attitude, as she was named MVP of September's 49er Classic, and Big West Player of the Week in October after the 49ers won the Bluejay Classic at Creighton. She exited last week's 3-1 win against UC Irvine with blood gushing from a head wound after butting heads with an Anteater attacker in the waning minutes.
"There's always that thought, 'She's going to put one in," so you've got to do what you've got to do," Messina said. "I didn't really know any other way. You either play until you're puking or you're bleeding. Or you get off the field."
Because Ingrassia was hired at the beginning of the summer, the captains' role was very important in keeping the team together during tough setbacks such as last-minute 2-1 losses to Utah State and Cal State Northridge.
"Alli has been around, along with Travis and Wender," Ingrassia said. "She's the go-to player for the program. Natalie, I wanted an underclassman that everybody respected in order to carry on the continuous leadership for the next couple years."
Both players understand that this initial season under Ingrassia was a step in the continued process of building the LBSU program, began under now-retired coach Peter Reynaud, who recruited both Wiegand and Messina to Long Beach. Despite the disappointing conference season, the 49ers won the 49er Classic, tied the 2000 team for the best nonconference start (3-0-1) and tied a school season mark for shutouts (6).
"Things didn't go our way this year, but the rebuilding year's gotta start somewhere, and it just happened to be when I was a senior, unfortunately," Wiegand said. "(But) I don't know if I would use the word 'rebuild," because I don't think we needed to rebuild what Peter built, but we needed to continue building what he'd started, and how he turned the program around."
Before today's game, Wiegand, Travis and Wender will be honored for their four years of service to LBSU. And their efforts in helping build what is to come.
"I'm anxious, I would like (next year) to be now,"Messina said. "But I'm devastated because Shanna is my other half, and I've been playing with those girls for three years now. It's like losing a bit of who you are, losing who you play with. |
