Big West play kicks off this weekend and the Long Beach State women’s soccer team is primed to make a run for the conference title, starting with a matchup against rival Cal State Fullerton.
Head coach Mauricio Ingrassia said he knows what his team’s style of play is and has no questions about the 49ers’ capability to win the whole thing.
“I usually like to say that at around eight to 10 games you find the identity of a team.” Ingrassia said. “I feel like we’ve done a pretty good job with that. We’re fine tuning things now and still trying to improve week by week.”
Ingrassia took a moment to look ahead at the Big West opponents.
CSU Fullerton (8 – 1 – 1)
Goals scored: 27
Goals against: 13
Player to watch: Senior striker Rebecca Wilson leads all Big West players with 10 goals in 2015. Wilson also leads the conference in points (23), shots (42) and game-winning goals (5).
Ingrassia: “They’re an experienced group, a team that’s been there and knows what this is about. They’ll be very tough. Every game is big, but this one maybe has a little extra because it’s a rematch of the Big West Final last year.”
Cal Poly (4 – 2 – 5)
Goals scored: 15
Goals against: 9
Player to watch for: Goalkeeper Alyssa Giannetti is averaging a whopping 5.91 saves per game and an excellent 0.75 goals against average. The senior also leads the conference with an average of 98 minutes and 38 seconds between goals.
Ingrassia: “Cal Poly is a very powerful team physically. They are physical and they are also very experienced. They’ve got a lot of seniors, seniors that are very impactful, [this season] is kind of like their last ‘hoorah’ in terms of getting it done.
CSUN (7 – 5 – 0)
Goals scored: 24
Goals against: 18
Player to watch: Sophomore striker Cynthia Sanchez powered the Matadors with eight goals, four of them game winners. Sanchez’s scoring tally is the second highest in the conference.
Ingrassia: “CSUN is a very fiery team. They’ve got a good goal scorer, [and] they also had a very good preseason. They’ll be tough.”
UC Santa Barbara (7 – 3 – 1)
Goals scored: 17
Goals against: 10
Player to watch for: The multitalented, freshman midfielder Mallory Hromatko leads the Gauchos with five goals, four assists and three game winners. Her 14 total points rank fourth in the conference.
Ingrassia: “Santa Barbara is a young team, but they’ve got good players and good pieces. They had a good preseason.”
UC Davis (7 – 3 – 1)
Goals scored: 14
Goals against: 6
Player to watch for: Junior striker Rachel Smith has the second most shots in the Big West with 39 and is tied for fourth with five goals netted in. Smith also has the third most shots on goal in the conference.
Ingrassia: “Davis is a team that is on the rise. They had a great turn around this year; they already have seven wins in the preseason. So, they’re going to be a force.”
UC Riverside (6 – 5 – 0)
Goals scored: 16
Goals against: 10
Player to watch for: Junior Blanca Barrio runs the midfield for the Highlanders. She has four assists, tied for third best in the conference, and two goals to lead UCR.
Ingrassia: “UCR have been our nemesis the last couple of years. [They] are also athletic and hard to play against. We’re going to have to be on our game to beat everyone in the conference.”
UC Irvine (4 – 6 – 1)
Goals scored: 7
Goals against: 17
Player to watch for: The bright spot for the Anteaters has been sophomore striker Kiana Palacios. She has one goal and 20 shots and three assists to lead Irvine with five points.
Ingrassia: “UCI is our rival as of late. They can beat anybody.”
Hawaii (3 – 6 – 1)
Goals scored: 12
Goals against: 16
Player to watch for: After missing the 2014 season through injury, striker Tiana Fujimoto is back with the Rainbow Warriors. The senior has one goal and one assist after netting 10 goals in 2013.
Ingrassia: “I haven’t seen much of Hawaii, but they returned their leading scorer [Fujimoto] from 2013. So, I’m expecting a tough match from them.”