LBSU Upends No. 21/20 DePaul, 1-0

September 20, 2015

CHICAGO, Ill. - The Long Beach State women's soccer team picked up a big road win at No. 21/20 DePaul as sophomore Ashley Gonzales scored the lone goal in a 1-0 victory Sunday afternoon at Wish Field.

This was the 49ers' second shutout win over a ranked team this year. They previously topped then No. 4 UCLA, 1-0, in the season opener on Aug. 21.

Gonzales, who also found the back of the net against the Bruins, converted on a penalty kick in the 59th minute for her third goal this season. All three of her tallies have been game-winners.

The Beach (5-2-3) finished with six shots, three of which were on target. Gonzales led the way with three attempts, while sophomore Victoria Bolden, and freshmen Fatmata Kamara and Jordan Sanders, each had one.

Long Beach State put together another strong defensive effort, earning its sixth shutout of the season and lowering its Big West-leading goals against average to 0.47. LBSU held DePaul to six shots and junior keeper Ashton McKeown had three saves in the win.

It was a defensive battle from the get-go as the two teams combined for six attempts in the first half. The Blue Demons had the first opportunity in the 28th minute, while Gonzales had a good look for the Beach at the 37:27 mark when her shot was saved by DePaul keeper Alejandria Godinez.

LBSU took control in the second period where it outshot DePaul, 5-to-1. The 49ers came out attacking with three attempts in the first 10 minutes. The pressure eventually paid off as the home team was whistled for a handball inside the box at the 58:49 mark. Gonzales then stepped up and converted the ensuing penalty kick to give the Beach a 1-0 edge.

That lead held over the final 31 minutes as DePaul (6-2-2) had only one shot that came in the 83rd minute.

Long Beach State snapped the Blue Demons' three-game unbeaten streak and handed them just their second loss of the year.

LBSU returns home to close out its non-conference schedule against its third ranked opponent this season as it is set to host No. 8/9 BYU at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26.

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