Beach Soccer Opens Season Against Two Pac-12 Foes

Thursday, August 22

Tucson, Ariz.

6:30 P.M. PT

Long Beach State University

Arizona

Photo by: John Fajardo

8/21/2019 10:57:00 AM | Women's Soccer

Game Notes (PDF)

Long Beach State women's soccer is visiting Arizona on Thursday night for the 2019 season opener before hosting No. 4 UCLA on Sunday night at George Allen Field.

By: Tyler Hendrickson, Associate Athletic Communications Director

Thursday, August 22
Long Beach State at Arizona
Time: 6:30 p.m. PT (Pac-12 Network)
Location: Tucson, Ariz. (Mulcahy Stadium)
Watch: Pac-12 Network | Live Stats

Sunday, August 25
Long Beach State vs. No. 4 UCLA
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: George Allen Field
Watch: Beach Vision | Live Stats

BEFORE KICKOFF
• The Beach will face a pair of Pac-12 foes to open the 2019 season, starting off with a trip to Tuscon to face the Arizona Wildcats. Coverage for the game will be provided by Pac-12 Networks with Kevin Danna on the call.

• Long Beach State's home opener will be on Sunday against No. 4 UCLA. It will be the first of two consecutive games against Top 10 teams. The Beach will host No. 6 Penn State on Friday, Aug. 30. That means each of LBSU's first three opponents are either nationally ranked or receiving votes to start the season.

• Fans got an early look at the Beach last Wednesday night as Long Beach State hosted FC Golden State of the WPSL. LBSU scored in the third minute as Elysia Laramie flicked a shot over the keeper to put the Beach in front. Nadiyah Siqueiros doubled the advantage just before the half hour mark, and Katie Pingel added the final goal in the 60th minute to make it a 3-0 final.

• The Beach returns 14 letterwinners from the 2018 team, including some key starters. Seniors Taylor Bistline and Katie Pingel return in the midfield, and both were named to the Preseason All-Conference team along with sophomore forward Elysia Laramie. Also returning is 2017 Big West Defensive Player of the Year Kaitlin Fregulia, who missed the entire 2018 season due to a knee injury. Other key returners include fullbacks Sarah Pilster and Kaylee Ramirez, along with attacking threats like Kayla Cannon, Sierra Castles, and Nadiyah Siqueiros.

• Prior to the season, the Long Beach State women's soccer team went on a foreign tour to France for the 2019 Women's World Cup. The Beach played a pair of exhibition matches against the Argentina National Team during an 11-day trip to Paris and surrounding cities. LBSU then witnessed the Argentines earn their first Women's World Cup point during a 0-0 draw with Japan at the Parc de Princes. The Beach capped off the trip in Reims, France where the team witnessed Team USA's historic 13-0 victory over Thailand in their World Cup opener.

LOOK WHO'S BACK
• Buoyed by the return of 2017 Big West Defensive Player of the Year Kaitlin Fregulia, the Beach boasts an experienced back line. Juniors Sarah Pilster and Kaylee Ramirez have a combined 77 appearances over their first two years on campus. Santa Clara transfer Myah Baksh joins the ranks and should partner nicely with Fregulia at center back.

• In the midfield, the Beach will be looking to talented sophomores Sierra Castles and Charlotte Guillory to take the next step in their development and become facilitators for the Beach. Senior Taylor Bistline provides veteran leadership and was a Preseason All-Conference selection. In the junior class, Nadiyah Siqueiros has made strides during the offseason and should be a key contributor for the Beach, while Kayla Cannon provides valuable pace and playmaking ability on the outside.

• Up front, LBSU has a pair of Preseason All-Conference selections in senior Katie Pingel and sophomore Elysia Laramie. Pingel is LBSU's leading returning scorer after netting four times last season. She has made 38 starts over the past two seasons with the Beach and will likely need to shoulder more of the scoring load after the departure of Long Beach State's career scoring leader Ashley Gonzales and 2018 Big West Midfielder of the Year Dana Fujikuni. Laramie was an All-Freshman Team selection after scoring twice last season. The sophomore forward was also the first player on the scoresheet in LBSU's scrimmage win over FC Golden State, scoring in the third minute.

• Long Beach State will need to replace goalkeeper Imani McDonald, who made 39 starts between the posts in her four years on campus. Top candidates are redshirt sophomore Ashley Seymour, who impressed against the Argentina National Team on LBSU's foreign tour to France this summer, and transfer Marta Alemany Sanchez, who has experience with the Spanish Youth National Team. LBSU also has depth in goal with freshmen Abigail Trengove and Morgan Houston-Shepherd.

WELCOME TO THE BEACH
• In addition to Baksh and Alemany Sanchez, LBSU also adds transfer Amanda Jones from Arizona State. The Long Beach native played in 22 games over her first two seasons in Tempe. LBSU also has a talented freshman class on campus with Aleea Caceres, Jillian Hiraga, Sam Encarnado, Alexis Komisza, Amanda Meichtry and Emily Jauregui joining the Beach this season.

SCOUTING THE WILDATS
• Arizona reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2018 and posted a 13-6-2 record for the season. The Wildcats return 19 players from last year's team, including five of the team's top seven goal scorers.
• The Wildcats visited San Diego for a preseason scrimmage on Aug. 16 and earned a 3-0 win over the Toreros. Kelcey Cavarra, Iyana Zimmerman and Samantha Falasco were each on the scoresheet for Arizona in the scrimmage victory.

SERIES RECORD vs. ARIZONA
• Long Beach State is 2-0 all-time against the Wildcats, with a 2-0 victory in Tucson in 2008 and a 2-1 overtime win in Long Beach during the 2012 season. The 2012 victory was also in the season opener.

SCOUTING THE BRUINS
• UCLA returns 10 starters from a team that ended last season on a 13-match unbeaten streak and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins are ranked No. 4 in the national preseason poll and were picked to finish second in the Pac-12, just a few points behind Stanford in first.

• The Bruins have played a pair of preseason exhibition matches, first defeating LMU 4-1 at home and then winning 2-1 at UC Irvine on a late winner by Kali Trevithick. She also scored in UCLA's win over LMU, as did UCLA's returning scoring leader Ashley Sanchez, who had 10 goals and 15 assists in 2018.

SERIES RECORD vs. UCLA
• The Bruins hold a 7-2 advantage in the all-time series with Long Beach State, and this is the fifth consecutive season that the programs will face off. UCLA squeaked out a 1-0 victory in last season's opener in Westwood and Long Beach State's last win over UCLA was also by a 1-0 margin in 2015 at George Allen Field.