49ers Set to Host USC Friday, Wyoming on Sunday
Beach Looking to Tie Record Winning Streak on Friday vs. Women of Troy
September 25, 2007 PDF Version of the Release 49ERS HOST TWO THIS WEEKEND
Long Beach State (6-3-0), winners of four in a row, will host No. 14-ranked USC (6-1-1) on Friday at 4 p.m., before hosting Wyoming (4-4-0) on Sunday at 11 a.m. The 49ers are coming off a tournament championship at the University of Oklahoma Sooner Classic this past weekend, in which they outdistanced Middle Tennessee and North Texas 10-to-1 behind Big West Player of the Week, Sooner Classic Offensive MVP and Soccer America Team Member of the Week, Kim Silos. This will serve as the final non-conference weekend prior to the nine-match conference schedule beginning on October 5. One more win and LBSU ties the school-record for longest win streak in school-history. The 49ers have won 17 of their last 20 at home.
Friday
No. 14 USC 4 p.m.
Sunday
Wyoming 11 a.m.
WHAT'S KICKING NEXT
The conference schedule begins with three straight road matches, leading off with contests at Pacific on October 5 and at UC Davis on October 7. LBSU is picked to win the conference, while UOP and UCD were slated to finish near the bottom. UOP leads the Big West in goals against average. LBSU is 5-4 in opening Big West contests, having won the last two.
A LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS
This will be just the second career meeting between the two LA County programs, with USC winning 2-0 in Los Angeles in 2005 during Mauricio Ingrassia's second season... USC moved up to its highest ranking of the season this week, No. 14 in Soccer Buzz, following a 2-0 win over Oakland and Michigan... goalkeeper Kristin Olsen leads the Pac-10 in goals against average (0.63) and shutouts (5)... Junior forward Amy Rodriguez is the all-time leader in points (41), goals (15) and assists (11)... Ali Khosroshahin, the former CS Fullerton coach, is in his first season at the helm, after going 11-5-5 and into the NCAAs second round last season... Wyoming, at 4-4-0 prior to playing at UC Riverside on Friday, had won three of their last four, including 6-2 and 3-1 contests over Jacksonville and Akron, respectively, prior to losing to Colorado 2-0 on Tuesday... Tamika Wilson leads the club with 13 points and six goals, while Amanda Lathrop had 10 points and four goals... Wyoming is even with its opponents in goals, giving up and scoring 14 goals a piece.
SILOS EARNS CONFERENCE, NATIONAL HONORS
Junior forward Kim Silos (Ontario) was named to Soccer America's National Team of the Week, after being named the Big West Conference's co-Player of the Week following two goals and three assists and Offensive MVP honors. Silos scored both her goals on Sunday afternoon, while two of her three assists came on Kristen Kiefer goals against Middle Tennessee.
AT THE HELM
The 49ers quick emergence as a regional and national threat has come at the hands and feet of Head Coach Mauricio Ingrassia. Ingrassia, who has gone 38-22-7 over three-plus seasons, has brought in three top-40 recruiting classes, including the 15th-best class in the nation in 2005. That class, now juniors, is the core of this year's team. Ingrassia previously won five state titles at nearby Long Beach City College, the most of any California coach. He finished his LBCC career winning the last 55 in a row.
IN THE TOP-25
Prior to Mauricio Ingrassia's arrival, the 49ers were never in the regional polls, let alone the national polls. This year's team for the second straight year was ranked in the top-30 to start the year, ranking a pre-season high of No. 25 in Soccer Buzz' annual poll. The 49ers were as high as No. 21 last season. The team's No. 8 regional ranking was one spot away from the program's best mark, set last year. This is the third week LBSU is out of the polls, as USC will serve as the fourth top-25 opponent this season.
SCORING IN BUNCHES
Prior to this year, LBSU had scored five or more goals four times in its history. This season alone, following the team's two five-goal matches at the Sooner Classic, LBSU has tallied three, five-goal matches. The 49ers lead the Big West in scoring, aveaging 2.44 goals per game.
FIVE NAMED ALL-TOURNAMENT
Five 49ers were named All-Sooner Classic this past weekend, led by Silos's MVP honors and all-tournament honors to fellow forward Kristen Kiefer (two goals, two assists), midfielders Hayley Bolt (two goals and an assists) and Mariko Strickland (one goal) and defender Sara Baca. It was the team's fourth tournament title in four years, as LBSU is 11-2-1 in tournaments under Mauricio Ingrassia.
YET AGAIN SHUTTING DOWN THE OPPONENTS
After setting shutout records in each of the last two seasons, LBSU has posted four shutouts this season and are second in the Big West in goals against average, having given up just six goals in just over 827 minutes for a 0.65 average. The Beach is outpacing opponents 22-to-6 to start the year.
YOUNGER THAN YOU'D THINK
The 49ers are younger than you would think, for a team that came into the season with 11 juniors on its roster. Of the team's 11 starters this season, Grace and Caroline Shevlin and Tara Corcoran start in the backfield, while Lindsay Bullock is one of the starting midfielders and Kristen Kiefer is one of the starting forwards. Another freshman, redshirt Nikki Myers, comes off the bench is amongst the team's scoring leaders.
OUT THERE EVERY TIME
Two 49ers from the original recruiting class, which was the 15th-best of all-time, have continued to start every match for the 49ers. Sara Baca has started every came as either a midfielder or defender, while Kim Silos has gone the other way, starting every game as a midfielder or forward. The duo have started all 49 matches they have been a part of. Fellow juniors forward Dana Farquhar and goalkeeper Liz Ramos, have played in all 49 games.
RECORD BREAKING COUPLE OF YEARS
The 49ers have had the two best seasons in school history, going 12-5-3 in 2005 and 14-5-1 in 2006. Both times they broke the school record for victories and shutouts, as the team has produced 26 scoreless contests over two-plus seasons. They just missed the NCAA Tournament in 2006 after winning the Big West's regular season title.
PICKED TO WIN IT AGAIN
The defending Big West regular season champions are picked to repeat and win the conference championship, according to the conference coaches. The 49ers, who were 5-1-1 in conference play, received five of the nine first place votes and 77 points overall. Cal Poly, which upset the 49ers in the first round of the Big West Tournament in Long Beach, and UC Santa Barbara, also a Big West Tournament team, were picked to finish second with 63 points (two first place votes).
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