Women’s Soccer Concludes Non-Conference Slate vs. BYU

Thursday, September 26

Long Beach, Calif.

7:00 P.M. PT

Long Beach State University

BYU

Photo by: John Fajardo

9/24/2019 3:07:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Game Notes (PDF)

The Beach will be at home again on Thursday night for a 7 p.m. match against No. 5 BYU. The Cougars will be the third Top 10 team to play at George Allen Field this season as Long Beach State concludes its non-conference schedule.

By: Tyler Hendrickson, Associate Athletic Communications Director

Thursday, September 26
Long Beach State vs. No. 5 BYU
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: George Allen Field
Watch: Beach Vision | Live Stats

BEFORE KICKOFF
• Long Beach State dropped a 2-1 decision against visiting UCF last Thursday, surrendering the game-winning goal in the 90th minute. The Beach have played a challenging schedule so far this season, with five of the team's six defeats coming against teams who have been ranked in the Top 25 or have received votes in the national rankings.

• The Knights took the lead on a deflected free kick goal in the 65th minute, which opened up the game for the final 25 minutes. LBSU equalized less than three minutes later, as a handball near the top of the penalty area gave the Beach a free kick chance of its own. Kaylee Ramirez stepped up and bent a shot into the right side of the goal, beating the UCF goalkeeper for her second goal of the season. The match appeared headed to overtime until a 50/50 ball deflected into the path of UCF's Ellie Moreno in a dangerous area, and she was able to beat an onrushing Ashley Seymour in goal to give the Knights the late winner.

• The Beach held a 10-8 edge in shots and a 6-4 advantage in shots on goal against UCF. The game became increasingly physical after halftime with 14 of the 19 combined fouls coming after intermission. The Knights were issued a pair of yellow cards while Long Beach State's Ayana Robles received the one yellow for Long Beach.

• Redshirt sophomore Ashley Seymour made her first start of the season in goal for the Beach. Seymour played all 90 minutes against UCF, making a pair of saves.

• Katie Pingel had a season-high three shots against the Knights to lead the Beach, while Kaylee Ramirez put both of her shots on target in the match, including her goal.

SCOUTING THE COUGARS
• BYU is off to a perfect 8-0 start to the season, outscoring its opponents by a whopping 22-1 margin. The Cougars have not allowed a goal since Aug. 24, collecting six consecutive clean sheets while winning those matches by a combined score of 19-1. Included in that stretch are wins over a pair of ranked teams: No. 12 Texas A&M on Sept. 12 and at No. 14 Kansas on Sept. 19.

• The Cougars lead the nation in Goals Against Average, surrendering just .143 goals per game this season. In addition, BYU also ranks 12th in scoring offense, averaging 2.75 goals per game. The Cougars moved up to No. 5 in the national rankings this week, receiving a pair of first-place votes.

• Elise Flake leads the Cougars with seven goals scored and 15 points this season. Cameron Tucker just recorded a hat trick in BYU's last win over Kansas State and has four goals on the season. That ties her with Mikayla Colohan for second on the team this season.

SERIES RECORD vs. BYU
• The Cougars lead the all-time series with the Beach 7-4-0, but Long Beach State won the most recent meeting last season in Provo. The Beach scored three goals from the 65th minute on to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 win, with Taylor Bistline scoring the game-winning goal. LBSU has a 2-2 all-time record against BYU at George Allen Field.

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.

PARIS TRIP
• 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.