Long Beach State University Athletics
Beach Set to Open Big West Tournament vs. UC Riverside
11/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
No. 1 Long Beach State (11-5-3, 6-2-0 Big West) vs.
No. 4 UC Riverside (11-8-0, 5-3-0 Big West)
Date: Thursday, Nov. 5
Time: 5 p.m. (PST)
Location: Titan Stadium (10,000) - Fullerton, Calif.
Watch on ESPN3 | Live Stats | Twitter | Tickets
Game Notes: Long Beach State 
| UC Riverside
FIRST GOAL
The top-seeded Long Beach State women's soccer team begins the quest for its third Big West Tournament title in six years when it takes on No. 4 seed UC Riverside in a semifinal match on Thursday, Nov. 5. Kick-off is set for 5 p.m. at Titan Stadium in Fullerton.
The second semifinal will feature No. 2 seed UC Santa Barbara vs. No. 3 seed and host Cal State Fullerton at 7:30 p.m. The winners then meet in the championship game at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 8. The two semifinal matches will be broadcast live on ESPN3, while the final is set to be televised live on Fox Prime Ticket.
BEACH TIDBITS
• Long Beach State claimed a share of its fourth Big West regular-season title and clinched the tournament's No. 1 seed.
• The Big West had tri-champions for the first time as the Beach, UCSB and Cal State Fullerton all finished with 18 points.
• LBSU's 6-2-0 conference record is the program's best since 2011 when it went on to win the Big West Tournament.
• Six 49ers earned All-Big West honors, which is tied for the third-most in school history.
• The Black & Gold had 11 shutouts and only 13 goals allowed in 19 regular-season games.
• The team's 0.65 goals against average is tops in the Big West and 29th in the country.
• Long Beach State came in at No. 43 in this week's NCAA Women's Soccer RPI.
• The Beach has matched a program record with seven overtime contests (2-2-3).
• Ten different 49ers have scored this season, with seven recording multiple goals.
• Sixteen of LBSU's 25 goals have been scored by underclassmen.
• Sophomore forward Ashley Gonzales is tops on the squad with eight goals and six game-winners.
• Senior center back Melanie Fox has also been an offensive threat as she ranks second on the team with 10 points.
• Fox registered the program's first hat trick since 2012 in a 6-0 win over Portland State (Sept. 6).
SIX 49ERS EARN ALL-BIG WEST HONORS
Six 49ers were named to the 2015 All-Big West Team the conference office announced on Tuesday. Junior midfielder Mimi Rangel, sophomore forward Ashley Gonzales and senior defender Val Margerum were first-team selections, while senior defender Melanie Fox and junior goalkeeper Ashton McKeown received second-team recognition. Midfielder Rocio Rodriguez was also chosen to the Big West All-Freshman Team.
BIG WEST TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Long Beach State is making its seventh Big West Tournament appearance in 12th-year head coach Mauricio Ingrassia's tenure. The Beach is 5-3-3 in conference tournament games and has advanced to the finals four times. LBSU claimed back-to-back titles in 2010 and 2011, while also earning at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament in 2008 and 2012. This will be the second postseason meeting between Long Beach and Riverside as the two teams played to a scoreless draw in 2005. UCR ended up advancing to the championship game on penalty kicks, 4-2.
IN THE RANKINGS
The 49ers were receiving votes in the NSCAA National Poll for the seventh time this season. They have been featured in nine of this year's 11 regular-season polls as they were also ranked 23rd for two weeks in September. In addition, the Beach was third in this week's NSCAA West Region rankings.
SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
UC Riverside (11-8-0, 5-3-0 Big West) finished fourth in the conference standings, earning its second Big West Tournament berth in three years. Senior forward Tyler Cunningham leads the Highlander attack with seven goals, while junior midfielder Blanca Barrio also has five goals and a team-best seven assists. Senior Elizabeth Silas has played every minute in between the pipes where she has registered 63 saves, six shutouts and a 0.93 goals against average.
SERIES RECORD
Long Beach State leads in its all-time series with UC Riverside, 7-5-4, but is looking to snap a three-game skid against the Highlanders. UCR won the regular-season meeting, 2-1, at George Allen Field on Oct. 16.
SUPER SOPHOMORE
Sophomore forward Ashley Gonzales has a knack for stepping up in big situations as the first-team All-Big West selection leads the Beach with eight goals and six game-winners. Most recently, Gonzales registered her third career brace as she found the back of the net in the 29th minute, and then again with 38 seconds left in regulation to lift LBSU to a 3-2 victory over Hawai'i on Oct. 25. She also netted the game-winner in the 76th minute at UC Santa Barbara and scored the golden goal vs. Cal State Fullerton. In non-conference play, Gonzales delivered the game-winning goal vs. No. 4 UCLA (67'), Iowa State (81'), and at No. 21 DePaul (59'). The Ontario, Calif., native now has 17 career goals, which puts her in a tie for eighth in program history.
MIGHTY MOUSE
Junior midfielder Mimi Rangel has been a force to be reckoned with since she first stepped onto the pitch at George Allen Field as a freshman in 2013. The Chino, Calif., native is the only 49er in program history to earn first-team All-Big West honors in each of her first three years at the Beach. She has started all but one game during her time at LBSU, amassing 10 goals, 15 assists, 35 points and 109 shot attempts. This year, Rangel is third on the team with nine points (2 goals, 5 assists).
SENIOR LEADER
Senior Melanie Fox has started every game at center back where she has led Long Beach State to 11 shutouts and the 29th-best goals against average in the nation (0.65). The Valencia, Calif., native has also been an offensive spark this year with four goals and two assists. Fox gained individual recognition on Sept. 7, when she nabbed her second career Big West Defensive Player of the Week award after helping the Beach post back-to-back clean sheets at San Diego and vs. Portland State. She added three second-half goals against the Vikings to secure the program's first hat trick since 2012. Fox was also named to the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week for her effort, and she was honored again by TDS on Oct. 13. She was recently named to the All-Big West Second Team.
HOMEGROWN TALENT
LBSU has three players who are Long Beach natives, and all three have made significant contributions this year. Junior Celeste Dominguez (Poly HS) has started 18 of 19 games as a defensive center midfielder, and was named the Big West Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 14. Freshman keeper Imani McDonald (Poly HS) stepped into a starting role late in the season and is 3-0-0 in between the pipes. She has totaled 17 saves, two shutouts (one shared) and a 0.89 goals against average. Freshman Sarah Maher (Wilson HS) also started every Big West game on the back line, helping the Beach to five clean sheets in conference play.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
The Big West Tournament championship game is set for Sunday, Nov. 8, and will be televised live on Fox Prime Ticket. Kick-off will be at 1 p.m. at Titan Stadium.
