THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE
LBSU hosts 49er Classic, Thursday-Monday | LONG BEACH STATE 49ERS
RECORD: 4-1-0, 0-0-0 Big West
Quick Kicks: Have allowed just two goals over its last four games, all wins, with three shutouts... upwards of eight starters are freshmen as LBSU is coming off MVP honors from freshmen Kim Silos (offensive) and goalie Liz Ramos (defensive) at the 49er Classic.
| | SAM HOUSTON STATE
Friday at UNLV, 4:30 p.m.
RECORD: 0-5-0, 0-0-0 Southland
Quick Kicks: The Bearkats have lost three matches this year by a single goal (3-2 to Texas Tech, 1-0 to Centenary and Houston), but have managed just three goals on the season... sophomore midfielder Mary MacGregor has two of those goals... sophomore defender Tofi Chavez was an all-conference pick last season... Marcia Oliveira started the program in 2003 and is in her third year... the Kats went 2-17-1 in 2004.
SERIES VS. LBSU: First Meeting
NEVADA-LAS VEGAS
Friday vs. Fresno State, at UNLV
Sunday at UNLV, 1:30 p.m.
RECORD: 3-1-2, 0-0-0 Mountain West
Quick Kicks: The Running Rebels are picked to finish fourth in the Mountain West, behind front-runner Utah... UNLV is unbeaten heading into the tournament, having gone 3-0-2 since losing to CS Northridge (2-0) to open the season... they have won over Utah State and Arizona State by identical 2-1 scores and tied Richmond (1-1) and Virginia Commonwealth (0-0) as part of the VCU Tournament last weekend... Katie Carney leads the team with three goals, while Ciera Nero has an 0.76 goals against average... Katherine Mertz is in her first season... the Rebels won the Mountain West last year and went to its first NCAA Tournament.
SERIES VS. LBSU: Vegas leads the all-time series 2-0-1, last tying one another in 2001 (2-2). |
PDF File of the Release
VIVA LAS VEGAS
The 49ers (4-1-0), winners of four straight, will head out on the road for a three-game road trip beginning at the Adidas UNLV Classic this Friday and Sunday. Sam Houston State (0-5-0) will be the first opponent on Friday at 4:30 p.m., while the Running Rebels (3-1-2) host The Beach on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. After winning the 49er Classic on Monday, LBSU has now won three of its last four mid-season tournaments. The Beach travel up to Fresno next Wednesday, September 21 to close out the road trip.
49ERS WIN CLASSIC
For the third straight year LBSU defended its 49er Classic, defeating Weber State (1-0) and Hawaii (4-2) behind Offensive MVP Kim Silos (Ontario) and Defensive MVP Liz Ramos (Bakersfield). Other members of the all-tournament team included: from LBSU: Hayley Bolt (Lakewood), Elizabeth Romo (Whittier), Sara Baca (Ventura), Sahar Haghdan (Palmdale), from second place Weber State: Roachelle Hoover and Ashley Word; and from third place Hawaii: Kelly McCloskey, Tehane Higa and Adria Campbell.
SILOS UNLOADS FOR MVP HONORS
Midfielder Kim Silos (Ontario) scored the team's second hat trick of the season and tallied a single-match record seven points en route to Offensive MVP honors at the 49er Classic. Silos, whose goal in the ninth minute gave LBSU a 1-0 lead, put the 49ers on her back after Hawaii had tied it at 2-2, scoring in the 74th and 83rd minutes to lead LBSU to a 4-2 win. Silos also had an assist in the Classic opener against Weber State and now has three goals and two assists on the season.
DEFENDING THE NET
Freshman Liz Ramos (Bakersfield) earned Defensive MVP honors at the 49er Classic, nearly posting two shutouts, as the only blemish on the 49er scorecard was when she left the game with LBSU up 2-0 against Hawaii and for a seven minute stretch the Rainbow Wahine came back and tied it. She returned to pitch the final 28 scoreless minutes, lowering her goals against average to 0.26 on the season. Ramos has not allowed a goal since the season opener's 61st minute (at No. 3-ranked UCLA), and is now 4-0-0 overall with 2.5 shutouts.
WATCH FOR THAT BOLT
Freshman midfielder Hayley Bolt (Lakewood/Los Alamitos HS), one of four top-100 recruits on the roster, enters the weekend with a team-best three assists and one game-winning goal over her first five Division-I games.
ROCK SOLID DEFENSE
The backline featuring sophomores Amanda Perry (Fresno), Hilary Goldberg (Woodbridge), Kelli Goes (Manteca) and junior Natalie Messina (Santa Rosa) have developed into a cohesive vacuum of sorts, allowing just 14 shots on goal over the last four games and 23 total attempts. The defense has also posted three shutouts and have allowed just three goals over the last nine periods of play. Last year, virtually that same defensive unit posted a record seven shutouts.
49ERS ROLLING WITH ROMO
Junior Elizabeth Romo (Whittier), who scored the team's first hat trick in three seasons on August 30, currently leads the 49ers with four goals, following a game-winner in the 71st minute against Weber State. Romo has already surpassed her goal total from last year, leaving the third-best point total (5) for 2004 in the dust.
THAT COUNTS FOR GETTING OLDER, RIGHT?
The 49ers, who have started upwards of eight freshmen, have seen some quality minutes out of a few other newcomers recently, notably junior college transfers and juniors Jenna Duncan (Long Beach/Lakewood HS/LBCC) and Krystle Vance (Downey). The duo played heavy minutes over the weekend at the 49er Classic, further bolstering the team's depth.
CONTINUING TO GET NOTICED
For the first time in school-history, the 49ers have "received votes" in the West Regional Soccerbuzz poll, doing so since the pre-season. The West Region, maybe one of the toughest regions in the country, currently features eight top-30 teams, including No. 2 Portland, No. 4 Santa Clara, No. 6 UCLA and No. 10 Pepperdine.
BLECHEL OUT FOR SEASON
The 49ers got even younger when the training room reported that senior midfielder MacKenzie Blechel (Forestville) will be lost for the season due to a right knee injury. Blechel has played in 54 games in her career. That leaves just one senior, goalie Meghan Hartwyk, on the roster.
15TH BEST RECRUITING CLASS
With 14 newcomers to start the year, the 49ers recruiting class was ranked 15th nationally, fourth in the West Region and first in the Big West, according to soccerbuzz.com. This is the first time LBSU has ever had a recruiting class ranked, and its also a first for the online publication to have a recruiting class ranked in the top-25, without first having a top-100 class.
TOP NOTCH RECRUITS
For the first time in school-history, not one, but four players are ranked amongst the top-100 recruits in the nation. Kim Silos (Ontario) and Sara Baca (Ventura) are top-50 recruits, while Sahar Haghdan (Palmdale) and Hayley Bolt (Lakewood) are top-100 recruits. All told of the nine letters of intent, four are former CIF Players of the Year, seven are CalSouth Olympic Development Players, and five are West Regional ODP players.
PRE-SEASON MOMENTUM
For the first time in school-history the 49ers received a first place vote in the pre-season coaches poll, and are picked to finish tied for third in the Big West, its highest pre-season prediction. Cal Poly is slated to win, followed by CS Fullerton and LBSU and UCSB. The Mustangs, Titans and 49ers all received recognition in soccerbuzz.com's pre-season regional rankings, also a first for LBSU. The team's 6-9-3 overall record and 1-6-2 Big West finish is well in the rearview mirror to start the year.
STRONG SCHEDULE FOR 2005
The 49ers significantly upgraded its schedule for the 2005 season, as the docket features two teams ranked in the top-25 (USC and UCLA) and 10 teams picked to finish in the top four of their respective conferences. LBSU has already beaten one NCAA Tournament team (Weber State) from a year ago. |
