10-9-1
Long Beach State
8-6-6
Cal Poly's Season Ends on Penalty Kicks at Tournament Semifinals
11/6/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — The Cal Poly women's soccer team saw its season come to a close on Thursday night, as the Mustangs were eliminated from the Big West Conference Tournament on penalty kicks, 5-4, after a scoreless draw with Long Beach State in the semifinals at Alex G. Spanos Stadium.
The 49ers (8-6-6) will face Cal State Fullerton (9-7-4) for a right to go to the NCAA Tournament in the championship game at 1 p.m. Sunday on Fox Sports Prime Ticket.
Perhaps the Mustangs' best first-half chance came in the 27th minute, when junior Elise Krieghoff, the school's all-time leading scorer and one of 43 MAC Hermann Trophy candidates nationwide, hit the crossbar from the top-right perimeter of the 18-yard box.
Six minutes into the first overtime, Cal Poly (10-9-1) nearly found a golden goal, as senior Sara Lancaster (making her 68th career start, tied for the seventh-most in school history) placed a shot on target, but Ashton McKeown ran up to secure the save.
For a moment, it also appeared as if the Mustangs may have won in the 103rd minute, as sophomore Megan Abutin initially seemed to put away a header into the left side of the net, drawing a reaction from many of the 603 in attendance, but she was called offside, so play continued seven minutes longer.
Cal Poly had also tested LBSU with attempts on frame on six minutes (also by Lancaster), 23' (Abutin), 55' (junior Allie Bégin) and 95' (freshman Katarina Drake).
Altogether, the Mustangs had an 18-8 advantage in shots for the evening.
Alyssa Giannetti (a junior appearing in her 58th career start, now second all-time for the program) made saves in the 18th, 92nd and 98th minutes for Cal Poly, as freshman Emily Hansen, redshirt sophomore Nicole Wheeler, junior Robin Mertens, freshman Gianna Rosati and sophomore Kendra Bonsall each played every minute on the way to the shutout.
For the shootout, Cal Poly turned to junior specialist Heather Rouhier in goal, and after Rosati converted the first opportunity, the backup keeper blocked the 49ers' first try, putting the Mustangs in the driver's seat.
But LBSU re-asserted itself, and Vania Robles sealed the outcome by successfully finishing the seventh round.
Cal Poly, which came in second in the league's regular-season table (and is now 18-5-2 over the past three seasons combined), tied as the conference's top-scoring team (with 32 goals) for the second year in a row.
Thursday's result was the Mustangs' fifth clean sheet of 2014.
In addition to the aforementioned Lancaster, the program also graduates midfielder Christina Eichinger, goalkeeper Megan Heddinger and defender Tracy Hong.
Cal Poly will be back on the pitch in April and May for its spring schedule, likely to be announced by late February.
