The Long Beach State women’s soccer team has found itself in a position it hasn’t been in since Sep. 2010: Soccer America’s Top 25 national poll.
The 49ers snuck in at No. 23 on Monday after collecting back-to-back victories over then-No. 25 USC and Sacramento State, outscoring their opponents, 5-1, to open up the regular season last weekend.
“I think it’s great to have the recognition for the program because we work extremely hard at it,” LBSU head coach Mauricio Ingrassia said of reaching the Top 25. “We’re proud, but we want to make sure that doesn’t get in the way of continuing to get better every day.”
Senior midfielder Shawna Gordon has led the way thus far with two goals, including the game-winner against the Trojans last Friday after coming off a 2010 campaign that saw her find the back of the net four times. Gordon has tallied 12 goals in her four-year career at LBSU, which places her one shy of cracking the program’s all-time top-10 scorers list. She is also sixth all-time in assists (14) and eighth in points (38).
“We’re really working well as a group, and fortunately, I’ve been able to get on the end of things,” Gordon said. “Hopefully, I can keep doing that, but it’s a long season, so we’ll see.”
Despite the early success, if the ‘Niners hope maintain their footing the Top 25, they’ll need to get past two formidable opponents this weekend as they will travel on the road for the first time this season.
LBSU (2-0-0) will face the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2-0-0) on Friday at 5 p.m. (PT) before taking on No. 13 Marquette University (2-0-0) at 9 a.m. (PT) on Sunday for the Milwaukee Cup at Engelmann Stadium in Wisconsin.
Milwaukee is coming off a pair of victories against Michigan State and DePaul. Senior forward Sarah Hagen paced the Panthers with two goals and an assist en route to being named the Horizon’s League Player of the Week.
“It’s gonna be a tough trip,” Ingrassia said. “Milwaukee is an up-and-coming program who has a top-10 player up front in Sarah Hagen. … She’s a U.S. U23 National Team player who scored two goals against Sweden, so we’re gonna have our hands full with her.”
Hagen, who holds the school and league record for most career goals (69) and points (157), will pose as arguably the most lethal scoring threat that LBSU’s backline has ever faced.
The Appleton, Wis native is coming off a junior season that saw her garner National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) First-Team All-America honors after ranking third in the nation in goals (18) and fifth in points (44).
Despite being unranked, the Panthers received votes in NSCAA/Adidas Top 25 rankings, and are coming off a 2010 season that saw them reach the NCAA Tournament before losing to the University of Wisconsin in the first round.
Meanwhile, Marquette — which are riding an 11-game unbeaten streak at home — is the highest ranked team on the 49ers’ schedule thus far at No. 13 after coming off a pair of 1-0 victories over Western Michigan and Northwestern.
“Marquette is a top-15 team and we’re going to be at their place, so we’re gonna have to bring our ‘A’ game,” Ingrassia said.
Sophomore midfielder Maegan Kelly scored the lone goal against Western Michigan, while senior forward Lindsey Page connected for the game-winner in overtime against Northwestern. Senior goalkeeper Natalie Kulla was credited with both shutouts as she registered two saves on nine attempts en route to earning Big East Conference Goalkeeper of the Week.
It’s no surprise that The Beach’s greatest obstacle against the Golden Eagles on Sunday will be to score on Marquette’s backline led by Kulla. Apart from posting a 16-5-3 record between the posts last season, Kulla allowed just 0.88 goals per game and held a .756 save percentage en route to earning Big East Goalkeeper of the Year.
Kelly, who led the Golden Eagles in goals (7) and points (18) last season, tallied three game-winning goals last year and was named to the Big East All-Rookie Team.
Pulling off an upset against Marquette won’t be easy, but to the ‘Niners credit, they’ve knocked off five Top-25 ranked opponents in the last two seasons, including UC Irvine, which held a 14-match winning streak and was ranked No. 11 at the time.
“Obviously, we’ve beaten ranked teams in the past so it’s nothing new for us,” Gordon said. “Playing these higher ranked teams raises our level [of play], so getting the experience early on can help us get better prepared for the [NCAA] Tournament.”
Though the start of the NCAA Tournament is still a ways away (November), you can bet the 49ers will be aiming to do something that has never been done in the history of the soccer program: get past the first round.
Time will only tell, but until then, the ‘Niners know they still have plenty of work to do.
“All of the wins and accolades, we’ll worry about at the end of the season,” Ingrassia said. “Right now, it’s just about getting better. … Tomorrow, we’re gonna focus on getting a good training session before the game Friday, so we’re trying to stay in the moment as much as possible.”
Injury Update
Sophomore midfielder Kassidy Hause is expected to make her return to the field in time for LBSU’s next home game on Sep. 2 against Princeton. Hause was sidelined for the first two games of the season and will also miss the next two because of a hip flexor injury.
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