Highlanders Cap 2006 Season With 3-0 Win Over Long Beach State

Sunday, October 29

Long Beach, CA

UC Riverside

Long Beach State

Photo by: Phil Ellsworth

Highlanders Cap 2006 Season With 3-0 Win Over Long Beach State

10/29/2006 4:02:00 PM | Women's Soccer

UC Riverside 3, Long Beach State 0 - Box Score

Long Beach, CA—UC Riverside ending Long Beach State's quest for an undefeated Big West Conference season, blitzing the regular season champions with a 3-0 victory in the regular season finale Sunday afternoon at Long Beach. The Highlanders reach double digits in victories for the fifth straight season, finishing 2006 at 10-7-1 overall, 2-4-1 in the Big West and handing the 49ers their first home loss of the year to drop them to 14-4-1, 5-1-1 Big West.

The teams entered the game with a scoring block against each other, with the last two meetings ending in goalless draws. Long Beach State had not scored on UCR in 427:49 minutes while the Highlanders had not found the 49er net in the last 417:06. The trend continued throughout the first half, as LBSU outshot UCR 6-2 but neither team was able to break the deadlock.

The Highlanders turned the game around with three goals in the span of 16 minutes in the second half. Freshman forward Heidi Garrett (Riverside, CA) opened the scoring in the 50th minute, taking a pass from senior midfielder Linda Allen (Wildomar, CA) and firing home from 12 yards out. It was Garrett's second goal in as many games and the fourth of her career while Allen supplied her third assist of the season and seventh of her career, fifth all-time at UCR.

At 62:53, freshman forward Ashley Parks (Etiwanda, CA) made it 2-0. Garrett started the offensive, dribbling up the right side and crossing to Parks, whose finish from 15 yards beat 49er goalkeeper Liz Ramos. The goal was the second of the year for Parks while Garrett picked up her team-leading fifth assist of the year.

Less than three minutes later, Allen capped her outstanding UCR career, dribbling through the middle of the defense for the Highlanders' third goal of the day. The goal gave Allen her 22nd career point, good enough for sixth on the Highlander career chart.

Senior goalkeeper Tawny Poggio (Santa Ana, CA) went the distance, making two saves for her 27th career shutout, second on the Big West career chart. She concludes her tenure as the conference's career saves record holder, ending with 388.

The win was the sixth on the road for the Highlanders, tying the program record held by the 2003 and 2004 squads. In addition to handing the 49ers their first home loss of the season, UCR also ended Long Beach State's quest for an undefeated Big West season.