THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE
LBSU at USC, at Pacific and at CS Northridge | LONG BEACH STATE 49ERS
RECORD: 7-1-1, 0-0-0 Big West
Quick Kicks: The 49ers continue to roll having not lost since the season opener and outscoring opponents 15-to-3... LBSU's next five opponents all have winning records, and two are nationally ranked to enter the week as the 49ers are in the middle of playing four games in eight days... as Big West play begins, seven of the eight teams have .500 or better records.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
in Los Angeles, Tuesday, 3 p.m.
RECORD: 4-3-1, 0-0-0 Pac-10
Quick Kicks: USC is picked to finish second in the Pac-10 behind UCLA and were ranked as high as No. 21 last week... USC has wins over Indiana, UC Irvine, Colorado and losses to Florida State, No. 4 Penn State and Southern Methodist... USC features the No. 1-rated recruiting class in the country, with freshman Amy Rodriguez leading the way with 19 points and Rosa Anna Tantillo pushing through with 15 points, including seven assists.... goalie Veronica Simonton has a 1.23 goals against average... Rodriguez and defender Meagan Holmes both have national team experience.
SERIES VS. LBSU: never met
| | PACIFIC
in Stockton, Friday, 7 p.m.
RECORD: 6-3-1, 0-0-0 Big West
Quick Kicks: The Tigers have gone 0-2-1 against top-25 opponents and are coming off a split in San Diego this past weekend, losing to SDSU 1-0 and defeating USD 1-0... sophomore forward Mandi Van Dorn leads the club with nine points, while Jaime Souza has nine starts and an 0.99 goals against average... Keith Coleman is in 12th season... UOP was picked to finish sixth in the Big West.
SERIES VS. LBSU: Pacifc leads the all-time series 4-2-1, as LBSU has never won in Stockton (0-3-0), losing the last two Stockton meetings by one goal.
CS NORTHRIDGE
In Northridge, Sunday, 2:30 p.m.
RECORD: 8-1-0, 0-0-0 Big West
Quick Kicks: Host UC Irvine on Friday... the Matadors, picked to finish fifth in th Big West, have won seven straight and enter BWC play with the conference's top record... Kristy Krohn and Brianna Monka each have 13 points, with Krohn leading in scoring (6 goals) and Monka leading in assists (5)... CSUN has out scored opponents 27-to-7 on the year... April Cline has an 0.64 goals against average.
SERIES VS. LBSU: CSUN leads the all-time series 4-3-1, with four of the decisions being decided by a single goal. |
PDF File of the Release
KEY STRETCH OF GAMES AHEAD
The 49ers (7-1-1), riding an eight-match unbeaten streak to enter the week, will hit a key stretch of the season when they face off against five straight opponents with .500 or better records who have a combined winning percentage of .670. Two of those opponents are nationally ranked, beginning at No. 21-ranked USC (4-3-1) on Tuesday at 3 p.m., and continuing at Pacific (6-3-1) on Friday at 7 p.m. LBSU closes out the week at CS Northridge (8-1-0) on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Friday's game will be live on the internet at www.pacifictigers.com. When this week comes to an end, the 49ers will have played four games over eight games, beginning with the team's double overtime win over San Diego State on Sunday. The 49ers return home October 7.
SILOS STRIKES GOLD TWICE LAST WEEK
Freshman Kim Silos (Ontario), not once, but twice scored game-winners in overtime last week, giving the 49ers two key regional victories at Fresno State on September 21 and against San Diego State on September 25. The scores netted the midfielder Big West Player of the Week honors for the first time in her career. Dana Farquhar (Redlands) found Silos in the 98th minute in Fresno, before Hayley Bolt made it a perfect week, passing to her freshman teammate and watching her her defender to score in the 105th minute on Sunday. Silos has three game-winners on the season and a team-best five goals.
BIG WEST OPENERS
The 49ers have been on an up swing, as of late, in regards to opening up Big West play, winning three of the last four conference openers. All-time, LBSU is 3-4-0 in conference openers.
THAT DIDN'T TAKE LONG
With the season nearly half complete, the 49ers have already surpassed last year's win total (6) for victories thanks to a school-record five-match winning streak and even better, current franchise-best eight-match unbeaten streak (7-0-1).
DEFENSE STIFLES OPPONENTS
No matter the defensive makeup, the 49er defense has produced six shutouts this season, one away from the school-record set last season. Not much is getting through the LBSU backline as the last eight opponents have tallied single digit shots heading into the week.
RAMOS AMONGST ELITE KEEPERS
North Carolina, Portland and now Long Beach State soccer all have something in common. Each have goalies ranked amongst the national top-15 in goals against average as last week, 49er freshman goalie Liz Ramos (Bakersfield) was ranked 12th nationally. Thanks to nearly 475 consecutive scoreless minutes, the Defensive MVP of the 49er Classic, Ramos enters the week with an 0.24 goals against average (national statistics are released Tuesday). Her 5.5 shutouts has already tied a single-season record.
BOLT THERE WHEN IT COUNTS
Opponents are starting to realize freshman midfielder Hayley Bolt (Lakewood/Los Alamitos HS) is going to find a way to make it count when the game is on the line. Bolt has either scored or assisted on the game-winning or game-tying goal in six of the last eight contests. Bolt enters the week as the team leader in points with 13, thanks to four goals and a team-best five assists.
YOUNG GUNS OF LONG BEACH
The 49ers, who have started upwards of eight freshmen this season, have seen four of those freshmen start all nine games in midfielders Hayley Bolt (Lakewood), Sara Baca (Ventura) and Kim Silos (Ontario) and forward Sahar Haghdan (Palmdale).
SECRET WEAPON
Forward Elizabeth Romo (Whittier) has already surpassed her season total from 2004 in goals with four this season and continues to be an effective weapon off the bench. Romo, who had the school's second-ever hat trick back on August 30, has started two of nine games this season, doing most of her damage off the bench.
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, as last week's pool had eight top-30 teams, including No. 2 Portland, No. 6 Santa Clara, No. 4 UCLA and No. 12 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.
STRONG SCHEDULE FOR 2005
The 49ers significantly upgraded its schedule for the 2005 season, as the docket currently features four nationally ranked teams (UCLA, USC, Cal Poly, CS Fullerton) and 10 teams picked to finish in the top four of their respective conferences. LBSU has already beaten one NCAA Tournament team (Weber State) and tied another (UNLV). |
