Rafael Salinas
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In the second Big West Conference semifinal game of the evening, the Cal Poly women’s soccer team drew 0-0 with Long Beach State before being eliminated on penalties 5-4. With the chance to win the game, sophomore forward Megan Abutin sent her penalty kick over the crossbar, allowing Long Beach State to tie the score. A third missed penalty by the Mustangs gave the 49ers a chance to clinch a victory with a penalty kick conversion, which was successful.
The Mustangs elected to switch keepers and deviate from junior goalkeeper Alyssa Giannetti in favor of junior Heather Rouhier.
“Over the course of the season, it became apparent that Heather was much better than the rest of our other goalkeepers in this situation,” head coach Alex Crozier said following the game.
Rouhier certainly put the Mustangs in position to win. She provided a save and the 49ers missed two penalties, but the Mustangs didn’t finish their opportunities, and the 49ers capitalized.
Freshman defender Emily Hansen rolled her penalty toward the left post, but 49ers sophomore goalkeeper Ashton McKeown dove to give a touch and deflected the ball off the crossbar. It rolled back toward goal, but any hope for it to roll in was eliminated by McKeown.
The ensuing kick by Long Beach State junior Vania Robles put the game away.
The story of the game was not the lack of penalty kicks made, but the lack of finishing by Cal Poly. In the 20th minute, junior forward Elise Krieghoff nearly connected with Abutin on a cross from the right side, but her touch fell into the arms of the 49ers goalkeeper. The pair of forwards nearly scored on an identical play later in the first half.
“I thought we played well; we stuck to the game plan and got forward,” Crozier said.
Kriegoff came closest to scoring when she sent an improbable shot searing from the top right-hand corner of the 25-yard box careening off the top cross bar.
The first half ended with little action coming toward Giannetti.
“We just didn’t finish it,” Abutin said following the shootout.
The second half found the teams largely in a stalemate with few chances coming sparingly on various long balls played over the top, but the overtime period saw Cal Poly squander the best and most enticing of chances.
In the first overtime period, freshman midfielder Katarina Drake forced a 49ers turnover in their own half and found herself in a two-on-one situation alongside senior midfielder Sara Lancaster. Drake rolled an excellent pass into Lancaster’s path, but her effort rolled straight at McKeown.
“From an offensive standpoint I thought we played well,” Crozier said. “It was back and forth but we got the better of the opportunities.”
In the second overtime, Krieghoff found herself in a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but she rushed the shot, electing to not take the extra touch and set herself up in a better position. Her left-footed strike sailed over the crossbar.
“In penalties it’s a crapshoot,” Crozier commented.
The final will come down to No. 1 seed Cal State Fullerton and No. 3 Long Beach State.
Crozier felt this experience would prove invaluable next season when the Mustangs are expected to field largely the same team.
“The team out there is the team next year and we are excited about a very good recruiting class coming in,” Crozier said.
The Mustangs only have three seniors departing and are returning the entire starting lineup, including Giannetti, who was second in the Big West in saves this season. Krieghoff and Abutin, the dynamic duo up top, will also be back in Cal Poly uniform next year.
A previous version of this article stated the Cal Poly women’s soccer team was eliminated on penalties 6-5. It has been corrected to 5-4.