49ers Head Down the Street for MPSF's
The Beach are Seeded Fifth and Play Pacific on Friday
April 28, 2004 FULL STATS 49ERS ARE THE FIFTH SEED AT MPSFs
No. 4-ranked Long Beach State (19-7, 6-5 MPSF) are the fifth seed in this year's Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships at Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Center starting on Friday, April 30 and running through Sunday, May 2. LBSU has won seven of nine. The Beach will open up play with 12th-seeded Pacific (4-27, 0-11 MPSF), and should they will, will face-off against fourth-seeded San Diego State (25-7, 8-3 MPSF) later in the day at 7:30 p.m. LBSU defeated Pacific 16-6 in their only meeting this year, and have won two of three against San Diego State. If the 49ers gets by SDSU, they likely will take on top-seed USC (barring an upset) at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. All session tickets are $27 for adults and $17 for seniors and students. A government issued ID is required to enter the military base. A complete schedule is available at www.longbeachstate.com. THE BEACH AT THE MPSFs
The 49ers have also made a splash at the annual conference championship, as the team's emergence on the national stage came in 2002, when they upset then-fourth seeded California, 8-7. Since that point, LBSU has almost exclusively been ranked No. 4 in the country over the past two-plus seasons. In each of the past two seasons, LBSU has reached the MPSF Semifinals, losing to Stanford in 2002 and 2003. The 49ers have then played for third place in each of the past two seasons. AZEVEDO AT THE HELM
Ricardo Azevedo is in his fifth year as head coach of both the men's and women's programs, compiling a 73-66 record in five years with the men and a 96-65 record in four-plus years with the women. On the women's side, LBSU has set school-records for wins in three of his four seasons, including last year's remarkable 24-8 record. He was named the co-MPSF Coach of the Year in 2002. He is also an assistant with the Men's National Team, which features his son, Tony, one of the world's top players. GARCIA RED-HOT
All-time leading scorer Angelica Garcia (Catano, Puerto Rico) is red hot heading into this week's MPSF Championships, scoring in each of the last 16 contests to give her a team-best 50 goals this season and a record 199 in her four-year career. Garcia is shooting a team-best .521 with 31 steals. Garcia, a three-time All-American, was named MPSF Player of the Week for the third time in her career earlier this season. AZEVEDO PROVIDES ALL-AROUND EXCITEMENT
Sophomore Cassie Azevedo (Long Beach) has tallied 10 goals over her last four contests to give her 45 goals this season and 84 in her career. An MPSF Player of the Week selection, earlier this year, Azevedo leads the club with 51 steals and 38 assists. The sophomore is also shooting 40% from the pool. Azevedo has led the team in scoring in each of the past three contests. NET GETS TIGHTER IN THE PLAYOFFS
Junior goalie Bri Hawkins (San Diego) is completing another successful season in the net, allowing just under five goals a game, while pushing out 184 saves this season. Hawkins, already the all-time leader in saves in a career with 599, carries a 57-22 record all-time into the tournament. Hawkins has excelled at the annual event, earning second team All-MPSF Tournament honors in each of the past two seasons. SHARK IN THE WATER
Junior All-American Roberta Stewart (Auckland, NZ), may just have 25 goals this season, but is still arguably one of the top players in the country after back-to-back first team All-America seasons in her first two years in the states. Stewart, who was the team's leading scorer in each of the two previous seasons, has scored 25 goals this season, after missing two weeks of the season with the flu. Despite that, Stewart is second on the team with 24 assists and fourth in steals (22). Stewart has led the team in assists in each of the past two, including a career-best six against UC Santa Cruz two weekends ago. Stewart has 138 goals in her three seasons. TIME FOR WAWR
Junior 2-Meter Drue Wawrzynski (Garden Grove) has found the back of the net 40 times this year, third-best on the squad. Her shooting percentage of 51% in second on the team, while she has accomplished 33 earned ejections. LBSU has converted on 49% of their 6-on-5 power play opportunities this season, thanks in large part to Wawrzynski. Wawrzynski has 111 goals in her career. COMING ON AT THE RIGHT TIME
Junior Robyn Gordin (Cerritos) has come on at the right time, scoring 10 of her 21 goals this season over the past eight games. Gordin is also fourth on the team with 22 steals and is shooting 39% from the pool. DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST
Sophomore Tara Campbell (Quebec) is second on the team with 38 steals this season, tallying a steal in 22 of 26 games this season. Campbell also has 20 career goals, including eight this season. BRADEN SETS UP THE BEACH
Sophomore Alison Braden (Calgary) has been key off the bench this season, appearing in 26 games on the season. Braden has scored 16 times and is third on the team with 21 assists and is sixth on the team with 20 steals. The Southpaw also gives opponents a different look from the pool.
SPORTS FESTIVAL COMING TO LONG BEACH
The City of Long Beach will host a number of aquatic events in downtown Long Beach this summer, including the Toyota Aquatics Grand Prix and Olympic Swim Trials during June and July, 2004 in the Long Beach Swim Stadium; the FINA Men's and Women's Water Polo World League Super Finals, Swimming's Olympic Trials and an exhibition featuring the worlds top Synchronized Swimming teams. Please visit www.LongBeach2004.com or call 562-495-8352 for more information. | 
