IRVINE, Calif. – Seniors Jamie Oberman and Chelsea Oliver had great performances Saturday, but No. 8 Long Beach State couldn’t handle top ranked teams USC and Cal in the second day of the Barbara Kalbus Invitational. Oberman led the team with five goals while Oliver collected 16 saves over the two games.
Long Beach State (6-8) lost to start the day against No. 1 USC (12-0), dropping a 15-7 game. The Trojans got on the board first before senior Martina Cardona tied the game quickly after. USC opened a 4-1 lead before Jamie Oberman netted her first of the day. A late goal by the Trojans closed the first quarter with the Beach trailing 5-2.
The second quarter of the game saw a lot of action but no goals till the last 10 seconds. Freshman Rita Gurri Capel netted a powerplay goal to shorten the lead before a buzzer beater by Emily Asmus kept a three-goal game at half.
The Trojans went on a 6-0 run to gain control of the game in the second half, leading 12-3 after 24 minutes. The Beach fought back in the last eight minutes with Cardona and Oberman adding their second goals of the game while Elisa Portillo and Zelma Koka added their firsts of the day. Despite winning the last quarter, USC took the win over the Beach, 15-7.
The Beach faced No. 4 California a few hours later and fell 14-11. The game started with seven minutes of opportunities and Cardona got LBSU first on the board with 30 seconds left. With back-to-back goals by Gurri Capel and Pateneude, Long Beach State took the 3-0 lead with six minutes left in the second quarter. The Bears (10-1) scored four unanswered goals to head into halftime up 4-3.
Cal opened the second half with a quick goal to extend the lead before Portillo added her first of the game making it 5-4. The Bears scored two straight goals, and Cardona netted her second to put the Beach within two. Oberman got her first of the game to shorten the lead, but Cal didn’t allow a Beach comeback and after three quarters LBSU trailed 9-6.
The last period saw a lot of action with both teams trading goals. The Beach fought back but the Bears never allowed the Beach to take the lead again. Brooklyn Plomp, Zelma Koka, Pateneude added one goal in the quarter while Oberman scored two to complete her hat trick. Oliver made 10 saves in the game to help the Beach on defense.
The Beach will play Sunday at 9 a.m. for seventh place in the tournament. Live stats can be followed on thefosh.net.
