Beach Hits The Road For First Time In 2026

Thursday, August 20

Fresno, Calif.

7 p.m.

Long Beach State University

Fresno State

8/19/2026 12:04:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Week 2

Long Beach State Faces Fresno State, New Mexico State In First Road Series

By: Chelsea Pfohl, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- After opening the 2026 season unbeaten at George Allen Field, Long Beach State heads out on the road for the first time this season for a pair of non-conference matches. The Beach will travel to face Fresno State at 7 p.m. on Thursday and New Mexico State at the same time on Sunday. The Beach enters the week at 1-0-1 after a scoreless draw with Saint Mary's and a 1-0 victory over Colgate, while senior goalkeeper Aurora Schuck was named the season's first Big West Defensive Player of the Week after posting consecutive shutouts.

KICKOFF
• Long Beach State hits the road for the first time in 2026 this week, traveling to face Fresno State and New Mexico State for its first road series of the season. The Beach enters the trip unbeaten at 1-0-1 after opening the year with a 0-0 draw against Saint Mary's and a 1-0 victory over Colgate at George Allen Field.

• The Beach has yet to allow a goal through the opening 180 minutes of the season. Long Beach State has limited its opponents to 17 shots and five shots on goal while recording back-to-back shutouts. Offensively, LBSU has taken 29 shots with 11 on target.

• Long Beach State broke through for its first goal and victory of the season against Colgate. Cherrie Cox scored the game-winner with Radisson Banks providing the assist as the Beach earned a 1-0 victory.

• The Beach attack took a major step forward against Colgate, finishing with 19 shots and 10 shots on goal after recording 10 shots and one shot on goal in the season opener against Saint Mary's.

• Long Beach State entered the 2026 campaign following a 5-8-5 season in 2025. The Beach finished 2-4-4 in Big West action while scoring 21 goals and allowing 20.

• Long Beach State was picked to finish seventh in the 2026 Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll with 72 points. Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara tied for the top spot with 100 points each, while Cal State Fullerton was third with 98 points.

• Cherrie Cox and Radisson Banks were both selected to the Preseason All-Big West Team. The duo has accounted for all three of Long Beach State's points through the first two games of 2026, with Cox scoring the Beach's lone goal and Banks recording the assist.

PLAYER NOTES
• Senior goalkeeper Aurora Schuck was named the first Big West Defensive Player of the Week of the 2026 season after leading Long Beach State to consecutive shutouts against Saint Mary's and Colgate. Schuck played all 180 minutes in goal, making five saves without allowing a goal as the Beach opened the year 1-0-1. She made two saves against Saint Mary's before stopping three shots in the 1-0 victory over Colgate.

• Schuck has now started 38 consecutive games in goal for Long Beach State and has played every minute over that stretch. With her two clean sheets to begin 2026, she has 12 career shutouts at the Beach while improving her LBSU career totals to 134 saves and a .740 save percentage.

• Senior forward Cherrie Cox supplied the decisive moment in Long Beach State's first victory of the season, scoring the game-winning goal against Colgate. Cox has one goal and two points through two starts and has now scored 24 goals with 11 assists for 59 points in 50 career games at the Beach. Her goal against Colgate was the sixth game-winner of her career.

• Already one of the most decorated active players in the Big West, Cox was the 2023 Big West Offensive Player of the Year after scoring 13 goals with four assists as a sophomore. She was also the 2022 Big West Freshman of the Year after recording five goals and five assists in her first season at the Beach.

• Senior forward Radisson Banks continues to drive the Long Beach State attack. Banks leads the Beach with eight shots and five shots on goal through two games and recorded the assist on Cox's game-winning goal against Colgate. She produced six shots in that victory, putting five on target.

• Banks now has four goals and six assists for 14 points in 20 appearances at Long Beach State. Including her two seasons at Washington, the senior has 10 goals and seven assists for 27 points in 55 career Division I appearances.

• Sophomore Ameera White has started both games in the Long Beach State midfield, playing 152 minutes through the opening week. White recorded a shot on goal against Saint Mary's and has helped the Beach control play while allowing just 17 total shots over the first two contests.

• Senior Zoe Willis remains one of the most dependable players on the roster. The captain has played all 180 minutes through the first two games of 2026, extending a run in which she has been a fixture in the Long Beach State lineup.

• Senior captain Jordan Candelaria has started both games to begin the season and has recorded two shots. Candelaria enters the Fresno State matchup with 53 career appearances and 34 starts while totaling three goals and four assists for 10 points at Long Beach State. She also has history against the Bulldogs, scoring at Fresno State during her freshman season in 2023.

• Senior Kana Uchida made her 56th career start in the season opener against Saint Mary's. The versatile defender/midfielder has now appeared in 57 career games while logging more than 4,490 minutes for the Beach.

• Senior captain Natalie Arnold has appeared off the bench in both games to begin the season. She enters the road trip with 35 career appearances and 20 starts while totaling three goals and one assist for seven points.

• Junior forward Kailey Supa has started both games in 2026 and has taken two shots while playing 139 minutes. Supa has five career goals and 10 points through 37 appearances at Long Beach State.

• Transfer Cassidy Drago has made an immediate impact in the starting lineup. The BYU transfer has started both games and ranks second on the team with four shots while putting two on goal. Both of her shots on target came in the victory over Colgate.

• Ruby Mansour has also moved into the starting lineup, playing all 180 minutes through the first two contests. Mansour has taken three shots, including two against Colgate, and put one on goal in the victory.

• Kylie Perez joins Mansour, Willis and Schuck as Beach players who have played all 180 minutes through the opening two games. Perez has started both contests as part of a Long Beach State defense that has not conceded a goal.

THIS AND THAT
• Long Beach State is unbeaten through its first two games for the first time this season at 1-0-1, with both results coming via shutout. The Beach played Saint Mary's to a 0-0 draw before defeating Colgate 1-0.

• Defense has set the tone through the opening week. Long Beach State has not surrendered a goal in 180 minutes and has held opponents to 8.5 shots and 2.5 shots on goal per game. Schuck has stopped all five shots on goal she has faced.

• Long Beach State has outshot its opponents 29-17 and holds an 11-5 advantage in shots on goal. The Beach is averaging 14.5 shots per game while opponents are averaging 8.5.

• Banks has been the most active shooter for the Beach with eight attempts, including a team-high five on goal. Drago follows with four shots, while Cox and Mansour have three apiece.

• Cox and Banks have combined on Long Beach State's only goal of the season. Cox scored against Colgate for her 24th career goal and sixth career game-winner, while Banks' assist increased her Long Beach State career total to six.

• Long Beach State's defense has been especially effective at limiting quality chances. Opponents have put just five of 17 shots on goal for a .294 shots-on-goal percentage, while the Beach has put 11 of its 29 attempts on frame.

• The Beach will now take its unbeaten record away from George Allen Field for the first time in 2026. Long Beach State went 1-0-1 during its season-opening homestand and enters the road trip having not trailed at any point this season.

• Head Coach Mauricio Ingrassia earned his 200th career victory at Long Beach State on August 31, 2024, with a 2-1 win over Utah Valley. He is in his 23rd season leading the Beach in 2026.