Big West Action Continues For Women's Soccer

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- After going unbeaten in the month of September, Long Beach State Women's Soccer returns to action after a small break, playing two Big West games this week. The Beach will travel to face winless UC Riverside on the road before hosting UC Irvine in the Black and Blue Rivalry Sunday at George Allen Field.

KICKOFF
• The Beach is currently in eighth place in the Big West standings but has two games in hand against most of the league, playing every available Thursday and Sunday through the end of the season. That road begins against the Highlanders on Thursday, with both games live on ESPN+.

• The Beach is unbeaten in their last four games. Long Beach State opened September with a dominant 6-0 win over Nevada, and then battled to a 1-1 draw against San Diego. Cherrie Cox and Natelle El Mokbel each scored to lead the Beach to a 2-1 win over New Mexico State, and then in the Big West opener, Hawai'i and Long Beach State played to a 0-0 tie.

• Freshman Natelle El Mokbel was named the Big West Freshman of the Week following the team's win over NM State, the first winner of the season for the Beach. El Mokbel scored her second game-winner of the year, an absolute strike from just outside of the box to give Long Beach State a 2-1 lead over New Mexico State as the Beach grabbed the win despite playing nearly 80 minutes down a player after an early red card. El Mokbel also had four shots, three on goal against San Diego to earn the award.

• Opening the season on George Allen Field, Long Beach State had a sparkling start to the season in a non-conference matchup against preseason Big West favorites, Hawai'i. Radisson Banks opened the scoring with an early goal, and freshman Natelle El Mokbel headed home the game-winner off of an Ameera White free kick to give the Beach a 2-1 win over the Rainbow Wahine.

• Long Beach State set or tied numerous offensive records during a comprehensive 6-0 win over Nevada. The six goals and 6-goal margin were both tied for the most in school history, while the team's eight assists setting up those goals broke a school record, set in 2013 when the program had seven assists against Cincinnati.

• Kailey Supa had a brace for Long Beach State as the sophomore doubled her career goal total at the Beach against the Wolf Pack, while junior Radisson Banks played a part in four goals, setting up the opener for Cherrie Cox who buried her own rebound, making two assists and scoring one of her own. 10 players in total either scored or had an assist for the Beach while Aurora Schuck closed out her first shutout of the season, making three saves.

• The Beach is now 3-1-2 at home at George Allen Field this season, with the team's only loss coming against No. 19 Texas.

• Long Beach State controlled much of the action against No. 19 Texas, outshooting the Longhorns 20-11 and taking a 1-0 lead after Cherrie Cox buried a rebound after a shot from Natalie Arnold. Two goals in the second half by Texas allowed the Longhorns to slip away with a 2-1 victory as the Beach split their games on the opening week.

• Head Coach Mauricio Ingrassia enters his 22nd year at the helm of the program. Ingrassia earned his 200th win with the Beach during the 2024 season and is readying his team for a run at a return to the postseason in 2025.

• Cherrie Cox was one of 11 players selected as Preseason All-Big West as the conference announced their preseason awards. Cox was the 2023 Big West Offensive Player of the Year, and was recognized as a standout player in advance of the season. The Beach was picked to finish fourth in the 11-team league by the coaches in the preseason coaches' poll.

• The Beach had a strong offensive start to the season, scoring three goals and piling up 36 shots over the first two games with 20 on target. Long Beach State is now outshooting their opponents 113-68 on the year.

PLAYER NOTES
• Cherrie Cox returns for Long Beach State and has played a major part in the team's success this season. The Big West Offensive Player of the Year in 2023, Cherrie Cox missed last season but has returned for her junior season, and leads Long Beach State with four goals while adding two assists for 10 total points on the year. The star junior will miss time due to a suspension following a red card against New Mexico State however.

• Radisson Banks has made a huge impact in the forward line for Long Beach State. A transfer from Washington, Banks leads Long Beach State in most offensive categories, starting every game and leading the team with 35 shots including 21 on goal, while scoring three goals and adding two assists in her first season in Long Beach.

• Anchoring the back line for Long Beach State will be junior Zoe Willis. Willis has now started 34 straight games for the Beach and played every minute of the 2024 season. She has played nearly every minute for Long Beach State dating back to October 8, 2023, coming out for just two minutes this season.

• Another key player returning after missing the full 2024 season is Brooklyn Antonucci. An All-Big West selection as well as an All-Freshman Team pick in her first season, Antonucci played over 1,700 minutes on the back line as a true freshman, starting every game and contributing six assists. Antonucci has started every game so far this season for Long Beach State.

• One of Long Beach State's most veteran players is Logan Nidy, the lone senior on the roster after transferring from San Diego State. Nidy spent three seasons with the Aztecs, including starting 13 games and playing nearly 1,200 minutes last season, providing a goal and three assists on the year. Nidy has played big minutes for Long Beach State while playing in wide positions, totaling nearly 600 minutes so far in 2025.

• Junior goalkeeper Aurora Schuck has played every minute in goal over each of the last two seasons for Long Beach State. With shutouts against Nevada and Hawai'i, Schuck has made 26 saves so far this season, including a season-high six against No. 19 Texas. As a sophomore, Schuck made 74 saves and had five shutouts, including two straight against Cornell and UC Riverside, earning Big West Defensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 23, 2024.

• Junior Kana Uchida remains another solid defensive presence for Long Beach State. Now with over 3500 minutes played in her career, Uchida has started 46 games in her time at the Beach, the most of any player on the LBSU roster. Uchida started all 18 games for Long Beach State last season and has contributed five assists during her time at the Beach.

• Junior Jordan Candelaria returns as a starter for Long Beach State in the midfield. Long Beach State's team captain has started in every game this season for the Beach. The junior scored her first goal of the season against Nevada and is one of seven outfield players with over 600 minutes played this season.

• Sophomore Kailey Supa scored a brace against Nevada, and now has four goals during her career at Long Beach State.

• Two other returning players saw over 500 minutes of action last season in Kylie Perez and Natalie Arnold. Perez has made three starts this season for Long Beach State, while Arnold has played in all nine games, starting six while taking three shots and making an assist in 2025.

• Two freshman have made a significant impact in the early portion of the season for Long Beach State. Canadian International Natelle El Mokbel has now twice scored a game-winning goal, first in the season opener against Hawai'i and most recently against NM State. The freshman is third on the team in shots taken and trails just Banks in shots on goal during the season. Further back on the field, Ameera While is tied for third on the team with four points while starting seven games as a midfielder.

• Sophomore Julie Lopez has also returned for Long Beach State after missing last season's action and has had a promising start. Starting four games and playing in every game this season, Lopez recorded her first assist of 2025 against Nevada and is among the leaders in shots taken.

• Others with over 100 minutes played in the early portion of the season include sophomore Malea Johnson and a trio of freshmen in Hannah Peters, Ruby Mansour and Thilde Alvberger.

THE OPPOSITION
• UC Riverside has struggled in 2025, posting a 0-10-1 record and still looking for their first win. Their tie came at home in Riverside, a scoreless draw against UTEP. In league, the Highlanders have played some of the top teams so far however, losing to UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton and CSUN, with the losses to the 'Eaters and the Matadors coming on the road. The Beach leads the all-time series 12-6-7, and is 5-3-3 all-time in Riverside.

• UC Irvine was picked to finish third in the preseason, and has gotten off to a good start this season, posting a 5-3-4 overall record including wins over UC Riverside and Cal State Bakersfield in league play. The all-time series in the Black and Blue Rivalry is close as one would imagine, with UC Irvine leading 15-10-10 all-time, though the Beach is on top at George Allen Field, with seven wins, five losses and six ties.

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Players Mentioned

Thilde Alvberger

Brooklyn Antonucci

Natalie Arnold

Radisson Banks

Jordan Candelaria

Cherrie Cox

Natelle El Mokbel

Malea Johnson

Julie Lopez

Ruby Mansour

Logan Nidy

Kylie Perez

Hannah Peters

Aurora Schuck

Kailey Supa

Kana Uchida

Ameera White

Zoe Willis

Long Beach State University Athletics