Women's Soccer Looks To Extend Unbeaten Streak In Two Games This Week

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State has won three straight games in Big West play, but faces two important games this week, traveling to UC Riverside on Thursday before returning to George Allen Field for the latest installment of the Black and Blue Rivalry.

• Sunday's rivalry game will have extra meaning, pitting the two top teams from the Big West standings as well as the preseason coaches poll against each other in a game that has large postseason implications.

• The Beach still has a game in hand on the Anteaters, and has ten points with four games played, one point behind UC Irvine in the league standings. Long Beach State is three points clear of UC Davis, while UC Santa Barbara, Hawai'i and CSUN each have six points as league play moves past the halfway point.

• Long Beach State's defense has been outstanding so far in 2018, allowing only 14 goals in 14 games this season, including five shutouts, and have only given up more than two goals once.

• Ashley Gonzales has returned in a big way and continues to lead the Beach. The senior has scored four goals and made an assist this season while leading the team with 32 shots, including 15 on target after missing the 2017 campaign with injury.

• Gonzales' goal against LMU tied the senior with Janet Fettig for the most in school history. Her next goal will see her stand alone at the top of the goal-scoring list at Long Beach State with 34 goals in her career.

• Eleven different players have combined to score Long Beach State's 22 goals this season, with senior Dana Fujikuni scoring four goals along with Gonzales and juniors Katie Pingel and Taylor Bistline each adding three

• Long Beach State's defense has been a strong point despite the absence of 2017 Big West Defensive Player of the Year Kaitlin Fregulia. Senior Sarah Maher has been an anchor, playing nearly every minute this season while sophomore Sarah Pilster has also started all but one game in the back line. Those two have been joined by junior Chloe Froment, senior Alyssa Alvarez and junior Kaylee Ramirez to create a formidable unit in front of senior goaltender Imani McDonald.

• Senior Imani McDonald continues to rise up the career lists for goalkeeping at the Beach. Her Goals Against Average of 1.05 is the fifth-best in school history, and she currently ranks 6th in saves, 4th in minutes and 4th in shutouts all-time at Long Beach State.

• The Beach had two players recognized in back-to-back weeks on the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week. Senior Imani McDonald was the Goalkeeper on the XI for her efforts in the opening week, and then Sarah Pilster was an honorable mention defender after the wins over Northeastern and SMU.

• Further up front, Long Beach State's tremendous depth has shown as 16 outfield players have played in at least 13 of the team's 14 games this year. Seniors Ashley Gonzales, Dana Fujikuni, Sarah Maher, Rocio Rodriguez and Alyssa Alvarez have played in every game as have juniors Taylor Bistline, Chloe Froment and Kaylee Ramirez. Underclassmen to feature in every game include Rola Badawiya, Sarah Pilster, Kayla Cannon, and freshman Elysia Laramie.

• Long Beach State once again faced a tremendous non-conference schedule. On the slate were three road games against opponents ranked in the Top 25, including the season opener against No. 2 UCLA as well as at USC and Texas. Additionally, Long Beach State hosted Auburn who started the season with a nine-game winning streak, and grabbed wins against SMU and BYU, teams both receiving votes same as the Beach when the teams played.

• Receiving two first-place votes, Long Beach State was picked to finish second in the Big West preseason coaches poll, two points behind UC Irvine, who took the top spot along with three first-place votes. Cal State Fullerton also received three first-place votes and was picked to finish third and the three rivals were very close in the final point totals. CSUN was picked to finish fourth, followed by UC Davis who received the final first-place vote. UCSB, UC Riverside, Cal Poly and Hawai'i rounded out the order as predicted by the coaches.

• The Beach had three players selected to the 11-player Big West preseason all-conference team. Senior Forward Ashley Gonzales and Junior F/MF Katie Pingel were two of the offensive players selected, while defender Chloe Froment was one of the four defenders picked as the top representatives for the Big West entering the season. All three have previously earned All-Big West honors, with Gonzales and Froment both claiming top individual honors in 2016.

SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
• UC Riverside got off to a hot start this season, and went through their non-conference schedule unbeaten, but that success hasn't yet translated to league play. The Highlanders are 1-2-2 overall in Big West action, though the team has an 8-1-2 record at home on the year. UCR is led by Madeline Feist, as the forward has seven goals and three assists on the year.

SERIES RECORD vs. UC RIVERSIDE
• Long Beach State has a 9-5-5 lead in the all-time series between the two programs, and the Beach is currently riding a three-game unbeaten streak against the Highlanders, dating back to a Big West Tournament win in 2015. The teams played to a scoreless draw in 2016, the last meeting in Riverside, while the Beach won 3-0 last season in Long Beach.

SCOUTING THE ANTEATERS
• UC Santa Barbara's only game of the week is Sunday's contest against the Beach, and the Gauchos enter the game with a decision in all of their games, going to overtime three times this year but winning one and losing in double-overtime on the road at UC Irvine. Shaelan Murison is the top threat for UCSB, having scored nine goals with four assists on the year.

SERIES RECORD vs. UC IRVINE
• UC Irvine leads the all-time series 12-9-6, helped by a four-game winning streak immediately after the reinstatement of the LBSU soccer program. Recently, the series has been very balanced, featuring three ties in the last five meetings, but also a crucial 3-0 win for the Beach in the 2016 Big West Tournament championship game.

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Women's Soccer Looks To Extend Unbeaten Streak In Two Games This Week

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Players Mentioned

Alyssa Alvarez

Rola Badawiya

Taylor Bistline

Kayla Cannon

Kaitlin Fregulia

Chloe Froment

Dana Fujikuni

Ashley Gonzales

Elysia Laramie

Sarah Maher

Imani McDonald

Sarah Pilster

Katie Pingel

Kaylee Ramirez

Rocio Rodriguez

Long Beach State University Athletics