Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State Plays Host To Big West Tournament
11/2/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Long Beach, Calif. -
Long Beach State Soccer Game Notes 
LONG BEACH STATE PLAYS HOST TO THE BIG WEST TOURNAMENT
Long Beach State will host the Big West Tournament at George Allen Field this Thursday and Sunday, as the team has made the four-team field for the third consecutive year. The Beach will open the tournament by facing CSUN in the first game of the semifinals at 5 p.m. on Thursday. UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton will play in the second semifinal game immediately following. The winners will then play on Sunday at 1 p.m. for the Big West's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
FOLLOW THE GAMES
Long Beach State's game with CSUN will have live radio coverage via KBEACH, and Sunday's championship match will be televised live on Fox Sports Prime Ticket. Additionally, all three games will have live scoring available at www.beachlivestats.com.
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
Six Long Beach State players were recognized as All-Big West by the conference this week, and three 49ers earned top honors. Ashley Gonzales was named the Offensive Player of the Year, Mimi Rangel was selected as the Midfielder of the Year for the second time, while Chloe Froment was picked as the Freshman of the Year, as a LBSU player earned the honor for the third time in the last four years. All three of those players earned first-team All-Big West honors as well, and for Rangel, she became just the third player in conference history to merit four first-team All-Big West selections. Ashton McKeown was named second-team All-Big West for the second year in a row, while Dana Fujikuni and Kaitlin Fregulia both took home Honorable Mention honors. Fregulia and Froment were also both named to the All-Freshman team.
DEFENSIVE STRUGGLE
The first game of the Big West Tournament features the two top defensive teams in the Big West, as CSUN allowed just two goals in Big West play -- both coming from the 49ers in a 2-1 win Oct. 2 at George Allen Field. Long Beach State gave up just four goals in conference, and the pair were the only two teams with a Goals Against Average in league play under 0.50.
SERIES RECORD
Long Beach State's October win extended the 49ers' edge in the all-time series to 12-9-1. The Beach as won three games in a row against the Matadors, dating back to a 1-0 loss in the 2013 season in Northridge. Long Beach State won the last tournament meeting between the teams, a 2-0 victory at George Allen Field in 2011.
LAST TIME OUT
Long Beach State punched its ticket for the Big West Tournament with a comprehensive effort against UC Santa Barbara. Senior goaltended Ashton McKeown made five saves in her seventh shutout of the season, and after Tori Bolden was brought down in the box, Ashley Gonzales converted the ensuing penalty in the 67th minute to provide the only scoring in a 1-0 win for the Beach.
STRONG START
The Beach began the year at 3-0-1, marking its best four-game start since 2008, when it had an identical record. During that stretch, Long Beach registered three shutouts and a 0.24 goals against average. It also outscored its opponents, 9-1.
ON THE ATTACK
Long Beach State is on pace to have one of its best seasons in terms of goal production. The Beach has tied last year's total of 26 entering the postseason. LBSU also has seven multi-goal matches in 2016, including a season-high five against DePaul on Sept. 11. Ten different 49ers have found the back of the net, and seven have done so multiple times. Junior Ashley Gonzales leads the balanced attack with nine goals and 21 points.
TOUGH SCHEDULE
Long Beach State continues its tradition of playing a tough non-conference schedule as four of its opponents advanced to the NCAA Tournament last year. LBSU has hosted defending national champion Penn State, USC (Second Round) and Loyola Marymount (Sweet 16), and traveled to BYU (Second Round) on Sept. 24. The Beach also faced UCLA, which saw its streak of 17 consecutive postseason appearances snapped in 2015. Seven of the 49ers' non-conference adversaries are coming off a winning season with six recording at least 12 victories. In addition, Long Beach State faced its fourth ranked opponent of the year when the 49ers played at No. 4 BYU. LBSU is 1-3-0 against ranked foes in 2016.
FOR THE RECORD
Junior Ashley Gonzales is tied for sixth in school history with 26 career goals and 58 points. 12 of her goals have been game-winners, which places third on the LBSU all-time charts in that category. Senior Mimi Rangel is also sixth in shot attempts (137), sixth in assists (19) and is ninth in points (47). In addition, senior Ashton McKeown ranks second in shutouts (25.0) and is second in saves as well (215).
