Despite winning the Big West Conference tournament championship, the Long Beach State women’s soccer team seemingly got the raw end of the deal when the ESPNU selection show revealed the NCAA tournament bracket Monday.
The 49ers (14-5-3) will play Santa Clara (12-6-3) Friday in the first round of the 64-team NCAA Women’s College Cup. The teams will play at 4:30 p.m. at Stanford’s Laird Q. Cagan Stadium in Palo Alto, Calif.
“I think [making the NCAA tournament] validates our program,” LBSU head coach Mauricio Ingrassia said. “[Santa Clara] is a possession-oriented team, maybe, [like] a Pepperdine-style [team] where they try to possess and create [scoring opportunities].”
Top-seeded Stanford (18-0-2), the only unbeaten team in the nation, will face Sacramento State (9-9-1) at 7 p.m. in the other matchup of the Stanford Regional. The winners will meet Sunday in the second round at Cagan Stadium at 1 p.m.
Meanwhile, fellow Big West member and regular-season conference champion UC Irvine (17-2-2), which lost to the 49ers in the conference finals, will host its own regional and play Arizona State at Anteater Stadium on Friday.
“Well, [UCI] had a great year and their [Ratings Percentage Index] was high,” Ingrassia said. “It is what it is.”
The RPI takes into account a team’s win-loss record and strength of schedule to help determine the NCAA pairings.
The 49ers raised their arms up proudly and erupted in cheers at the sight of seeing “Long Beach State” flash across the big screen at the Beach Club Sports Bar and Grill.
“I’m just really excited,” said goalkeeper Emily Kingsborough, who was on the 2008 team that qualified for the NCAA tournament but did not play. “I’m glad I’ve been given this opportunity. It’s kind of like nothing else to lose, so I’m just going to play all out.”
Senior midfielder Lindsay Bullock added, “Some people won’t experience [playing in the NCAA tournament] in their lifetime. I’m blessed to be able to be a part of this.”
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