THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE
LBSU hosts 49er Classic, Thursday-Monday | LONG BEACH STATE 49ERS
RECORD: 2-1-0, 0-0-0 Big West
Quick Kicks: Began its four-game homestand last week with two straight wins, as the team has allowed just one goal over its last five periods... expect to see upwards of eight freshmen in the starting lineup this week with the nation's 15th-best recruiting class in full swing.
| | WEBER STATE
Thursday vs. LBSU, 5 p.m.
Saturday vs. Hawaii, 11 a.m.
RECORD: 1-2-0, 0-0-0 Big Sky
Quick Kicks: The Wildcats are picked to finish second in the Big Sky, as they received two first place votes behind front-runner Portland State... WSU has lost two straight, to Arizona State (5-2) and Brigham Young (5-1), after opening up the season with a win over Utah Valley State (1-0)... Tim Crompton, the 2004 Big Sky Coach of the Year, is in his second year... he will be the third-straight second-year coach to coach against the 49ers.
SERIES VS. LBSU: The series is tied 1-1-0, with the last meeting, a 1-0, 49er win, coming in 2003.
HAWAII Saturday, vs. Weber State, 11 a.m. Monday vs. LBSU, 5 p.m. RECORD: 2-2-0, 0-0-0 WAC Quick Kicks: Natasha Kai, the WAC Player of the Year returns for another season, already leading the team with three goals... the Wahine have beaten George Mason and Eastern Michigan and lost to Pepperdine and BYU (in OT) to start the year... Pinsoom Tinzing, who started the program in 1994, is in his 12th season... Hawaii is picked to win the WAC. SERIES VS. LBSU: Hawaii leads 2-0-1, with the last meeting coming a year ago when the 49ers lost 1-0 in Honolulu on a Kai goal. |
PDF File of the Release
49ER CLASSIC THIS WEEK
The 49ers (2-1-0), fresh off wins over San Jose State (4-0) and Idaho State (1-0), will host its third annual 49er Classic this weekend, featuring Weber State and Hawaii (2-2-0). The Beach will host the Wildcats on Thursday at 5 p.m., before WSU plays Hawaii at 11 a.m. on Saturday, and the 49ers conclude the tournament with a game with the Wahine on Monday at 5 p.m. LBSU won last year's tournament.
GETTING YOUNGER
The 49ers started 10 underclassmen in its last game against Idaho State, with all-conference defender Natalie Messina (Santa Rosa), a junior, serving as the "veteran." Overall, nine freshmen have played this season for a team that features just one senior and three juniors who have seen action so far.
GROWING UP ON DEFENSE
The majority of the 49er starting backline are sophomores, in Amanda Perry (Fresno), Kelli Goes (Manteca) and Hilary Goldberg (Woodbridge), who each benefitted from a great deal of playing time as freshmen. The trio was part of a backline last year that set a school-record for shutouts, with seven, and who already has two this season. Over the last two games, the backline has allowed just three shots on goal and eight total shots. The backline has also been the most stable position in the Ingrassia era, with Perry, Goes, Goldberg, Natalie Messina and departed senior Shanna Wender logging most of the minutes in each of the previous two seasons.
HAT TRICK FOR ROMO
Elizabeth Romo (Whittier) scored just the second hat trick in school-history, with three goals against SJSU. Romo's six points already surpassed last year's total (5). With a much improved offense, it is likely that Romo's totals in 2005, will be much better than third-best on the team, as it was last year.
HAGHDAN GETS ON THE BOARD
Freshman Sahar Haghdan (Palmdale), the team's smallest player, wedged herself in between a pack of players and benefited from a rebounded shot by Nicole Cross and scored the game-winner in the 79th minute last Friday against Idaho State. Haghdan is one of four freshmen to tally a point this season.
BOLT FROM THE START
Freshman Hayley Bolt (Lakewood/Los Alamitos HS) had a strong pre-season and continued that into the season, as she had a goal and an assist in the team's win over San Jose State last week. During the pre-season she had three goals, including the game-winner in each of the team's final two exhibitions.
RAMOS COMES UP BIG
Freshman goalie Liz Ramos (Bakersfield) may have made just two saves against Idaho State, but her second one was a game-saver, as seconds after Sahar Haghdan (Palmdale) scored, she stopped a point-blank shot to preserve a 1-0 lead. Ramos has played 180 minutes to start her career, going 2-0-0 with an 0.50 goals against average.
BLECHEL OUT FOR SEASON
The 49ers got even younger as 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 and now 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. The Beach features two four-game home stands, one in September starting on August 30 and another one in October. |
