Carroll’s Goal In Double Overtime Lifts Cal Poly to 2-1 Win Over Long Beach State
Mustangs Face Titans in Championship Game

November 3, 2006

LONG BEACH, CA -- Fourth-seeded Cal Poly edged No. 1 Long Beach State 2-1 in double overtime on a goal by senior Kelsey Carroll, advancing the Mustangs to the championship of the Big West Tournament for the fifth time in school history. The Mustangs face No. 3 Cal State Fullerton on Sunday with the winner earning the Big West automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m. at Long Beach State’s George Allen Field.

Carroll’s clinching goal was set up on a cross inside the box from junior Erica Zumbahlen. Zumbahlen drove down the right side past a Long Beach defender and connected with Carroll, who one-timed a shot into the upper left corner of the goal at 102:12. It was Carroll’s team-leading eighth goal of the year.

Zumbahlen scored the first goal of the match in the 15th minute as she collected the ball after a misplay by a 49er defender and drilled a shot from 20 yards out into the lower left corner of the net. Cal Poly went into halftime with the 1-0 lead and a 6-4 edge in shots, not allowing any of the 49er attempts to go on frame.

Long Beach came out aggressive in the second half and controlled much of the ball possession. The attacking style paid off as the 49ers scored the equalizer on a wild sequence inside the box in the 67th minute. Sophomore Kim Silos lifted a corner kick into a cluster of players, finding the head of sophomore Sahar Haghdan, who redirected the ball toward the goal. CP goalkeeper Alli Tramel attempted to punch the shot out but bobbled the ball and it crossed the line for Haghdan’s sixth tally of the year.

The Mustangs played in their Big West-leading eighth overtime match of the season, improving to 4-1-3 in those contests.

Cal Poly owns a 3-0 all-time record against Cal State Fullerton in the Big West Tournament, but the two teams have never met in the championship. The Mustangs and Titans dueled to a 0-0 draw in an Oct. 15 meeting this season.