By A difficult nonconference season is over for the Long Beach State women’s soccer team, and after performing well enough to start receiving votes in the national poll, the 49ers are set to open Big West Conference play this weekend.
The ‘Niners (6-4-0) will play their conference opener at Cal Poly (4-6-0) on Friday before heading to UC Santa Barbara (6-4-1) on Sunday. The games will initiate a month-long battle among conference teams for the automatic Big West tournament bid.
“We have a tough opening weekend coming up,” Ingrassia said. “You can only play each [conference team] once, and the away games you have really make a difference.”
Cal Poly beat the 49ers 4-3 at George Allen Field in double overtime last year. This year the Mustangs started hot with a four-game winning streak, but they have since dropped their last six games, being outscored 21-1 in the process.
UC Santa Barbara’s season so far has been highlighted by a five-game win streak last month during which it didn’t allow a goal. The Beach beat the Gauchos 2-1 last season at home by scoring two second-half goals within two minutes.
The ‘Niners lost four of their nine games against Big West opponents last season but still earned an at-large selection in the NCAA tournament, where they fell to Santa Clara 2-1 in the opening round.
Since the ‘Niners had two huge wins last season against then-ranked Michigan and Baylor, LBSU’s rating percentage index (RPI) remained strong enough by the end of the season to carry them into the tournament.
While The Beach has repeated with another pair of strong nonconference wins this season, notably against Texas Tech and BYU, 2013 is very different from 2012.
The 49ers headed into conference play 7th in RPI last season. This year they sit at 36th. Ingrassia said earning a selection last year was the most unlikely of circumstances, so this year the team is focused more on winning conference.
“In a bad situation, it was a great accomplishment,” Ingrassia said, “in terms of scheduling correctly and going out and beating some teams that were some of the best in the country.”
One obstacle that could interfere with Ingrassia’s title chase this season could be the absence of high-scoring midfielder Eileen Maes, who is out with a knee injury she sustained Sept. 21. Ingrassia said could be out for up to five weeks with five weeks left of the season.
“We’re hoping to play long enough to get her back on the field,” Ingrassia said.
The two prominent players that have helped the team win its six games are freshman Mimi Rangel and goalkeeper Kaci McCain.
Rangel scored winning goals against both Texas Tech and BYU this season and leads the team with nine points, which include three goals and three assists. McCain has played every minute of each win while allowing only four goals in her last seven games.
LBSU has beaten UCSB three years in a row and hasn’t lost a conference opener since losing to Pacific in 2009.
The ‘Niners and Cal Poly will take the field Friday for a 5 p.m. start at Alex G. Spanos Stadium. LBSU will then head to UCSB for a 1 p.m. game on Sunday.
