Thursday, October 26
Long Beach, Calif.
7 p.m.
Long Beach State University
10-6-3, 5-3-2
4
vs
2
Hawai'i
5-7-3, 4-5-1
1
2
F
Hawaii
0
2
2
Long Beach St.
3
1
4
Photo by: Diego Devia @Devia.Img
Beach Clinches Home Postseason Contest With 4-2 Win Over Hawai’i
10/26/2023 10:24:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Cherrie Cox scored a brace as the Beach reached the 10-win mark for the 14th time in program history.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Long Beach State jumped out to a big lead and rolled to a 4-2 win over Hawai'i to close the 2023 regular season, extending their home unbeaten streak to nine games and clinching a home opener Sunday in the upcoming Big West Championship.
Long Beach State (10-6-3, 5-3-2 Big West) was on the front foot early against Hawai'i (5-7-3, 4-5-1 Big West), earning pair of early corner kicks in the first 60 seconds and put a ton of pressure on the Rainbow Wahine in the early minutes.
That would pay off quickly as Makayla Demelo was fouled in the box for a penalty, that sophomore Cherrie Cox coolly put away to give the Beach an early 1-0 lead. A second penalty would follow shortly as Kassandra Ceja knocked a shot into a Hawai'i hand, earning another corner in the 29th. The junior opted to take the shot herself and scored to make the score 2-0 in favor of the Beach.
Another goal for the Beach came in the 36th minute, as a Beach corner pinballed in the box, landing at the feet of sophomore Sara Ybarra who smashed the third into the net to give the Beach a 3-0 halftime lead.
Coming out of the break, Long Beach State added their fourth. Earning a free kick from midfield, Maddy Perez sent an entry into to Cox who controlled and finished with skill to push the lead for Long Beach State to 4-0 in the 49th minute.
Hawai'i scrambled to get back into the contest that opened up at that point. Amber Gilbert was able to score the first in the 63rd minute, and the Rainbow Wahine added a second on a Mia Foster penalty kick in the 66th, but the Beach settled the contest back down and saw out the victory, their second straight win at George Allen Field.
The brace for Cox was her fifth two-goal game of the season, as the sophomore led the Big West in scoring during the regular season. Cox is among the national leaders in goals and is tied for fourth in a single-season with 13 goals entering the postseason. Long Beach State finished the regular season with 37 goals, fourth-most in program history and reached the 10-win plateau for the 14th time.
Long Beach State, unbeaten at home since the opening day of the season, will return to George Allen Field and host UC Irvine to begin the Big West Championship. The second meeting of the Black and Blue Rivalry this season will be held starting at 6 p.m. with live coverage on ESPN+.
Long Beach State (10-6-3, 5-3-2 Big West) was on the front foot early against Hawai'i (5-7-3, 4-5-1 Big West), earning pair of early corner kicks in the first 60 seconds and put a ton of pressure on the Rainbow Wahine in the early minutes.
That would pay off quickly as Makayla Demelo was fouled in the box for a penalty, that sophomore Cherrie Cox coolly put away to give the Beach an early 1-0 lead. A second penalty would follow shortly as Kassandra Ceja knocked a shot into a Hawai'i hand, earning another corner in the 29th. The junior opted to take the shot herself and scored to make the score 2-0 in favor of the Beach.
Another goal for the Beach came in the 36th minute, as a Beach corner pinballed in the box, landing at the feet of sophomore Sara Ybarra who smashed the third into the net to give the Beach a 3-0 halftime lead.
Coming out of the break, Long Beach State added their fourth. Earning a free kick from midfield, Maddy Perez sent an entry into to Cox who controlled and finished with skill to push the lead for Long Beach State to 4-0 in the 49th minute.
Hawai'i scrambled to get back into the contest that opened up at that point. Amber Gilbert was able to score the first in the 63rd minute, and the Rainbow Wahine added a second on a Mia Foster penalty kick in the 66th, but the Beach settled the contest back down and saw out the victory, their second straight win at George Allen Field.
The brace for Cox was her fifth two-goal game of the season, as the sophomore led the Big West in scoring during the regular season. Cox is among the national leaders in goals and is tied for fourth in a single-season with 13 goals entering the postseason. Long Beach State finished the regular season with 37 goals, fourth-most in program history and reached the 10-win plateau for the 14th time.
Long Beach State, unbeaten at home since the opening day of the season, will return to George Allen Field and host UC Irvine to begin the Big West Championship. The second meeting of the Black and Blue Rivalry this season will be held starting at 6 p.m. with live coverage on ESPN+.
Team Stats
HAW
LBS
Goals
2
4
Shots
16
11
Shots on Goal
6
7
Saves
3
4
Corners
5
4
Fouls
14
14
Scoring Plays
Cherrie Cox (12)
LBS Cherrie Cox PENALTY KICK GOAL.
17:04
Kassandra Ceja (3)
LBS Kassandra Ceja PENALTY KICK GOAL.
28:51
Sara Ybarra (1)
GOAL by LBS Ybarra, Sara.
35:04
Cherrie Cox (12)
Assisted By: Maddy Perez
GOAL by LBS Cox, Cherrie Assist by Perez, Maddy.
48:52
Amber Gilbert (7)
Assisted By: Brynn Mitchell , Cate Sheahan
GOAL by HAW Gilbert, Amber Assist by Mitchell, Brynn and Sheahan, Cate.
62:25
Mia Foster (4)
HAW Mia Foster PENALTY KICK GOAL.
65:38
Game Leaders
mid
Shots
2
SOG
2
Goals
2
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
1
Players Mentioned
F
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