After coming off a dominant 6-0 victory over Saint Mary’s, the Long Beach State women’s soccer team will be looking to extend its winning streak to three games Friday against the University of Nevada-Las Vegas at George Allen Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.
The game will mark the final contest for the 49ers before they start Big West Conference play next weekend against UC Santa Barbara.
The ‘Niners’ (6-3-1) gained national recognition this week as they received votes in the NSCAA’s Top 25 poll for the first time this season. The Beach is ranked 27th in the nation and 2nd in the West Region behind Pepperdine, which is ranked 8th in the top 25.
The UNLV Rebels (3-6-1) might have a losing record, but the ‘Niners and head coach Mauricio Ingrassia aren’t looking past their opponent.
“UNLV is always a tough game for us,” Ingrassia said. “They are well coached and matchup well against our team. Winning this game is a matter of us coming out and playing hard for a full 90 minutes.”
The Rebels are coming off a 2-1 loss to Seattle before defeating Hawaii, 3-0. Forward Jenn Wolfe is the squad’s top scorer with three goals, while Courtney Botelho has a team-best four assists. Goalkeeper Midfielder Kylie Wassell has anchored the defense with a 0.95 goals against average and 38 saves.
The 49ers needed an overtime goal from Shawna Gordon to defeat the Rebels when the teams met last season in Las Vegas. The 49ers trail its overall series against UNLV, 1-3-2.
Senior defender Nicole Hubbard is also coming into Friday’s match with a sense of confidence after she netted a hat trick in the Beach’s rout of Saint Mary’s last Sunday.
“I’m feeling really good,” Hubbard said. “Our team’s confidence is really high right now and we just have to keep up the intensity we’ve been playing with.”
After Hubbard’s performance, the ‘Niners now have three players who are among the top 5 in goals scored in the Big West this season. Junior forward Nadia Link leads the conference with eight, while Hubbard and Gordon are tied for fifth with four goals apiece.
The Beach has also been faced with a grueling nonconference schedule, which has featured four teams that have been ranked in the NSCAA Top 25 poll at some point during the season. However, Ingrassia still likes his team’s chances in the Big West this season.
“We have seen definite growth the past few games,” Ingrassia said. “[The Big West Conference] is going to be different every year and this year is no exception. We need to take it one game at a time and I think we can do well against some very tough opponents.”
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