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Women's Soccer Kicks Off 2025 By Hosting No. 5 USC In An Exhibition
8/5/2025 11:54:00 AM | Women's Soccer
The action for Long Beach State starts on Wednesday night.
LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State will begin the 2025 season with a home exhibition, taking on USC at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, August 6 at George Allen Field. The Trojans begin the year ranked No. 5 in the nation and will provide a great standard for the Beach to test themselves prior to the team's official opening game on August 14 against Hawai'i.
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KICKOFF
• 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.
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• Long Beach State was hit with a ton of injuries during the 2024 season and will get an immediate lift from six returning redshirts from last season. That group will provide an immediate infusion of experience and talent that will mix with five returning starters, five additional returning letterwinners, as well as two Division I transfers and 10 other newcomers from the USA and abroad.
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• Preseason All-Big West selections and the Big West Preseason Coaches Poll are scheduled to be announced later this week.
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PLAYER NOTES
• Foremost among those returning redshirts is junior Cherrie Cox. The Big West Offensive Player of the Year in 2023, Cox missed last season but returns in 2025 after leading the Beach and the Big West with 13 goals as a sophomore. Cox was eighth in the country in goals per game and started every game she played in as a sophomore. As a freshman in 2022, Cox was the sixth player from LBSU to be named the Big West Freshman of the Year. Playing in all 21 games, Cox finished the season with five goals and five assists in her first year at the Beach.
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• 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. Her return to the lineup will be another hugely impactful addition for the Beach.
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• Long Beach State turned to the transfer portal for two Division I players over the offseason. Junior forward Radisson Banks comes to the Beach from Washington, where Banks played in 35 games, starting 11 over the last two seasons and scoring six goals for the Huskies.
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• Also coming to Long Beach State 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.
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• Anchoring the back line for Long Beach State will be junior Zoe Willis. Willis has started 24 straight games for the Beach and played every minute of the 2024 season. She has played every minute for Long Beach State dating back to October 8, 2023.
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• Junior goalkeeper Aurora Schuck also returns after playing every minute last season for Long Beach State. Schuck made 74 saves on the year 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.
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• Another defensive stalwart returns for the Beach in Kana Uchida. The Japanese defender has played nearly 3,000 minutes combined over the last two seasons for Long Beach State and has 37 starts in her career, 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.
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• Junior Jordan Candelaria returns as a starter for Long Beach State in the midfield. Candelaria made 14 starts as a sophomore and has now played in 33 games over the last two seasons in her Long Beach State career. She scored the game-winner against Fresno State in 2023 and played over 1,100 minutes last season.
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• Three other returning players saw over 500 minutes of action last season for Long Beach State. Kylie Perez made eight starts in the midfield, Kailey Supa started seven while finishing with a pair of goals as a freshman, and Natalie Arnold made seven starts, playing nearly 700 minutes throughout the season.
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• Other returning letterwinners include Charlotte Luhr, Malea Johnson, and Natalie Arnold, while Makena Irvine, Amanda Perez, Julie Lopez, and goalkeeper Amaya Sanles join Cox and Antonucci as returning redshirts from last season.
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• Long Beach State brought in four new international players for the 2025 campaign. Natelle El Mokbel is a winger from Canada, Mila Ivits is a forward from Greece, Yuna Demir is a midfielder from Germany, and Thilde Alvberger is a defender from Sweden.
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• Freshmen joining the program from closer to home include goalkeeper Cassidy Parks, defenders Ruby Mansour and Siri Coyne, and three midfielders: Kylie O'Donnell, Hannah Peters, and Ameera White.
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THE OPPOSITION
• USC reached the NCAA quarterfinals a season ago as a No. 1 seed, falling to Wake Forest in penalty kicks for the opportunity to reach the Women's College Cup. Star Maile Hayes and the other top four scorers from last season have moved on, and the Trojans will look to reload for the 2025 season.
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• USC leads the all-time series between the teams 6-2-1. The last time the teams met in the regular season was in 2022, where the Trojans came away with a 1-0 victory at George Allen Field. Long Beach State were 1-0 winners in the home meeting prior, in 2016.
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THIS AND THAT
• In 2024, Mauricio Ingrassia won his 200th career game on August 31 as Long Beach State defeated Utah Valley 2-1. He became the 82nd active NCAA Division I head coach to win 200 career games. Ingrassia has the highest winning percentage of any coach in the Big West and ranks third all-time in wins among Big West coaches.
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• 2022 Big West Offensive Player of the Year Lena Silano is one of four Long Beach State alumnae playing professionally around the world. Silano signed a new contract with the Spokane Zephyr after spending two seasons with the Washington Spirit in the NWSL, becoming the second LBSU draftee to the league following Kaitlin Fregulia. Maddy Perez, Aimee Medwin, and Marta Alemany Sanchez are also pursuing their professional careers worldwide.
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KICKOFF
• 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.
Â
• Long Beach State was hit with a ton of injuries during the 2024 season and will get an immediate lift from six returning redshirts from last season. That group will provide an immediate infusion of experience and talent that will mix with five returning starters, five additional returning letterwinners, as well as two Division I transfers and 10 other newcomers from the USA and abroad.
Â
• Preseason All-Big West selections and the Big West Preseason Coaches Poll are scheduled to be announced later this week.
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PLAYER NOTES
• Foremost among those returning redshirts is junior Cherrie Cox. The Big West Offensive Player of the Year in 2023, Cox missed last season but returns in 2025 after leading the Beach and the Big West with 13 goals as a sophomore. Cox was eighth in the country in goals per game and started every game she played in as a sophomore. As a freshman in 2022, Cox was the sixth player from LBSU to be named the Big West Freshman of the Year. Playing in all 21 games, Cox finished the season with five goals and five assists in her first year at the Beach.
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• 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. Her return to the lineup will be another hugely impactful addition for the Beach.
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• Long Beach State turned to the transfer portal for two Division I players over the offseason. Junior forward Radisson Banks comes to the Beach from Washington, where Banks played in 35 games, starting 11 over the last two seasons and scoring six goals for the Huskies.
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• Also coming to Long Beach State 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.
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• Anchoring the back line for Long Beach State will be junior Zoe Willis. Willis has started 24 straight games for the Beach and played every minute of the 2024 season. She has played every minute for Long Beach State dating back to October 8, 2023.
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• Junior goalkeeper Aurora Schuck also returns after playing every minute last season for Long Beach State. Schuck made 74 saves on the year 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.
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• Another defensive stalwart returns for the Beach in Kana Uchida. The Japanese defender has played nearly 3,000 minutes combined over the last two seasons for Long Beach State and has 37 starts in her career, 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.
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• Junior Jordan Candelaria returns as a starter for Long Beach State in the midfield. Candelaria made 14 starts as a sophomore and has now played in 33 games over the last two seasons in her Long Beach State career. She scored the game-winner against Fresno State in 2023 and played over 1,100 minutes last season.
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• Three other returning players saw over 500 minutes of action last season for Long Beach State. Kylie Perez made eight starts in the midfield, Kailey Supa started seven while finishing with a pair of goals as a freshman, and Natalie Arnold made seven starts, playing nearly 700 minutes throughout the season.
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• Other returning letterwinners include Charlotte Luhr, Malea Johnson, and Natalie Arnold, while Makena Irvine, Amanda Perez, Julie Lopez, and goalkeeper Amaya Sanles join Cox and Antonucci as returning redshirts from last season.
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• Long Beach State brought in four new international players for the 2025 campaign. Natelle El Mokbel is a winger from Canada, Mila Ivits is a forward from Greece, Yuna Demir is a midfielder from Germany, and Thilde Alvberger is a defender from Sweden.
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• Freshmen joining the program from closer to home include goalkeeper Cassidy Parks, defenders Ruby Mansour and Siri Coyne, and three midfielders: Kylie O'Donnell, Hannah Peters, and Ameera White.
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THE OPPOSITION
• USC reached the NCAA quarterfinals a season ago as a No. 1 seed, falling to Wake Forest in penalty kicks for the opportunity to reach the Women's College Cup. Star Maile Hayes and the other top four scorers from last season have moved on, and the Trojans will look to reload for the 2025 season.
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• USC leads the all-time series between the teams 6-2-1. The last time the teams met in the regular season was in 2022, where the Trojans came away with a 1-0 victory at George Allen Field. Long Beach State were 1-0 winners in the home meeting prior, in 2016.
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THIS AND THAT
• In 2024, Mauricio Ingrassia won his 200th career game on August 31 as Long Beach State defeated Utah Valley 2-1. He became the 82nd active NCAA Division I head coach to win 200 career games. Ingrassia has the highest winning percentage of any coach in the Big West and ranks third all-time in wins among Big West coaches.
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• 2022 Big West Offensive Player of the Year Lena Silano is one of four Long Beach State alumnae playing professionally around the world. Silano signed a new contract with the Spokane Zephyr after spending two seasons with the Washington Spirit in the NWSL, becoming the second LBSU draftee to the league following Kaitlin Fregulia. Maddy Perez, Aimee Medwin, and Marta Alemany Sanchez are also pursuing their professional careers worldwide.
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Players Mentioned
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