If the Long Beach State women’s soccer team hopes to have any shot at repeating as Big West Conference Tournament champions, then it could start by winning at least one of its last two games of the season this weekend.
LBSU, which is seeking its sixth conference tournament appearance in the last seven years, will play host to UC Davis at 3 p.m. on Friday before returning to George Allen Field for a 2 p.m. season finale with the Tigers on Sunday.
The 49ers (4-2-0 Big West), who are in fourth place with 12 points, are only one point behind UC Davis (4-1-1) and Cal State Northridge (4-2-2) for second place. UC Irvine (5-1-1) sits atop the conference standings with a four-point lead over the ‘Niners.
In conference play, three points are awarded for each victory, one point for each tie, and no points for losses.
The top four seeds at the end of Big West play make it into the tournament, with the first seed playing the fourth seed and the second seed facing the third seed. The top two teams receive home field advantage for the semifinals, while the higher seed between the two finalists will host the championship game. The winner of the tournament is then guaranteed an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
The 49ers could take the first seed with two victories this weekend and a loss or tie from UCI in its final match against UC Riverside. If the Anteaters should win, though, the 49ers could clinch a second seed. The ‘Niners, who hold a 7-1 record at home, could certainly benefit from home-field advantage given its success at George Allen Field. But their potential first round opponents (Davis, UCI, and CSUN) have had reasonable success on the road with a combined 13-5-3 record this year.
Pacific (2-3-1, seven points) and UCR (2-3-1, seven points) remain as threats to make a run into the top four seeds, but it appears that the Big West Tournament will most likely feature The Beach, Davis, Irvine, and Northridge.
A pair of wins, two LBSU losses, and a tie or loss in UCR’s final two contests guarantees Pacific a spot in the tournament.
Meanwhile, a pair of LBSU losses and a pair of wins secures UCR a seed.
Although Cal Poly (3-4-0, nine points) is in fifth place, it only has one match left to play. A win over UCSB and a pair of LBSU losses this weekend only guarantees the Mustangs a tie for fourth place with the 49ers, who own the head-to-head tiebreaker.
The Beach’s match against Davis on Friday will be no easy task, though, as the Aggies are riding a five-game win streak. During that span, Davis has scored over two goals in each game, outscoring its opponents, 15-7.
Aggies forward Allison Kelly has proven her offensive abilities by ranking third in the Big West in goals (8) and fourth in points (19). Davis goalkeeper Maria Magana is tied for first in the Big West in shutouts (6).
Pacific (2-3-1), however, is heading into Sunday’s finale against The Beach with far less momentum. The Tigers have been unable to post consecutive victories in conference play and have losses to UC Riverside and Cal Poly — two teams the 49ers have already defeated this season by a combined score of 7-0. However, the Tigers defeated the first place Anteaters in overtime earlier this season. Pacific also has held its own on offense, ranking fourth in the Big West in goals (29) and points (88) and third in assists (30).
LBSU will honor its seven seniors, Sidney Garza, Shawna Gordon, Kaitlyn Gustaves, Nicole Hubbard, Marysol Rosas, Jazz Strozier and Nicole Sweetman, prior to their final regular-season home game against the Tigers on Sunday.
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