After two momentous wins that solidified a second seed in the Big West Conference Tournament, the Long Beach State women’s soccer team will look to earn its second straight trip to the conference championship when it hosts Cal State Northridge at George Allen Field on Thursday at 2 p.m.
A pair of wins against UC Davis and the University of the Pacific moved the ‘Niners (13-5-1, 6-2-1 Big West 18 points) from fourth to second place in the Big West standings. The Beach had a chance to contend for a first-place finish, but UC Irvine clinched the top seed with a decisive win over UC Riverside on Sunday.
With the second seed, the 49ers have home-field advantage for their semifinal match, but would have to play on the road should they and UCI advance to the finals.
Cal State Northridge (7-9-2, 4-3-1 Big West 13 points) holds a 1-0 victory over The Beach this season after senior forward Heidi Farrnan scored the game-winner in the final minute of the match. On a positive note for the ‘Niners, they defeated the Matadors twice last season, including in the opening round of the Big West Tournament.
The Beach is looking for a repeat performance in the Big West Tournament after winning it all last season by defeating Northridge and Irvine. The ‘Niners went on to the NCAA Tournament where they lost in the first round to Santa Clara University.
A win against Northridge would mean a trip to the finals to match up against the winner of the UC Irvine/UC Davis match on Nov. 6th. The winning team of the finals match will guarantee themselves a bid to the NCAA Tournament, but the losing team may still gain an at-large bid.
The Matadors have been struggling as of late, losing two of its last three matches. When playing with a lead, however, Northridge has been sturdy with all seven of its victories coming after they scored the first goal.
“I think we’ve improved since [our last game against Northridge],” LBSU head coach Mauricio Ingrassia said. “We’re looking forward to the game and it should be a different result than last time.”
Junior forward Nadia Link is on the brink of LBSU history. She is just two goals shy of the single-season school record for goals (16) set by Annette Fernandez in 1984. Link’s 14 goals lead the Big West this season. She also leads the conference in points (38), assists (10), and game-winning goals (5). Link was also named the Big West Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season.
“We’re accomplishing our goals that we set out from the very beginning,” said Link, who had two goals and three assists over the weekend. “It’s great that the team is working hard. They’re creating opportunities for me and I am doing my best to create opportunities for them.”
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