Click here for 2011 NCAA Tournament bracket
The Long Beach State women’s soccer team won’t have to go far for the start of the NCAA Tournament this season.
The NCAA.com selection show revealed that the 49ers (15-5-1) will travel to Malibu to face Pepperdine (15-1-4) on Saturday in the first round of the 64-team tournament. Kickoff at Rokus Field is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
“Our soccer team has continued to represent our students and the university with great class and success,” Cal State Long Beach President F. King Alexander said Monday. “They fought hard all season and deserve their fitting reward in the form of this NCAA bid.”
LBSU earned one of 30 automatic berths into the 64-team field after winning its second consecutive Big West Conference Tournament title with a 1-0 victory at No. 16 UC Irvine. This marks the 49ers’ third NCAA Tournament appearance in the last four years as they received an at-large bid in 2008 and an automatic bid in 2010.
Although The Beach has yet to advance past the first round of the NCAA Tournament, LBSU head coach Mauricio Ingrassia said the ‘Niners are in a more favorable position than they were last season.
“A 45-minute drive up the coast versus a flight and all that is obviously better for us,” said Ingrassia, whose team traveled to Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif. for last year’s first-round match against Santa Clara.
Despite outshooting Santa Clara, 22-5, the ‘Niners lost to the Broncos last season after surrendering a goal with 6:52 left in regulation.
“I think it’s different this year,” LBSU forward Nicole Sweetman said. “I think we had a good team last year, but I think we might have a better team this year. … I mean, it’s my senior year and it’s time for me to go all out. I want to go out big and I want us to do well.”
Despite the close proximity between Long Beach and Malibu, Ingrassia said defeating No. 3-seeded Pepperdine, which was one of 16 teams to be seeded from No. 1 through No. 4 in the bracket, will be a difficult task.
“We’re going to have to play our best,” Ingrassia said. “If we play our best, we can beat a lot of teams. [Pepperdine] is a very good soccer team; they had a fantastic year and they’re going to be a tough opponent. We have to get used to their field because it’s narrower, but we have to be ready for everything. … We’re looking forward to it.”
Pepperdine, which is ranked No. 8 in the nation, tied the University of San Diego for first place in the West Coast Conference standings, but won the tiebreaker thanks to a head-to-head victory. As a result, the Waves claimed the conference’s title and its automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Waves’ only loss of the season came against then-No. 10 Santa Clara.
“It’s going to take a lot of heart [to beat Pepperdine],” Sweetman said. “It’s going to take a lot of hard work and confidence, but I think it’ll be good.”
In the other half of LBSU’s side of the bracket, the University of Miami (9-7-1) will host Alabama (10-8-3) in Coral Gables, Fla.
The winners of the two matches will then meet in the second round on Friday, Nov. 18 at a campus site to be determined.
Meanwhile, fellow Big West rival and regular-season conference champion UCI (14-4-2), which lost to the 49ers in the conference finals for the second year in a row, will again host a first round match. UCI will face the University of San Diego at 7 p.m. on Friday at Anteater Stadium.
“It is what it is,” Ingrassia said of the situation. “It’s a matter of time before we start hosting regularly. … It’s based on the RPI.”
The NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) takes into account a team’s win-loss record and strength of schedule to help determine the NCAA pairings.
The Anteaters were ranked No. 22 in the RPI, while LBSU was tabbed at No. 31 in the most recent poll released Sunday night.
Disclaimer: The Daily 49er is not responsible for Postings made on www.daily49er.wpengine.com. Persons commenting are solely responsible for Postings made on this website. Persons commenting agree to the Terms of Use of the website. If Postings do not abide by the Rules of Conduct or Posting Regulations as listed in the Postings Policy, the Daily 49er has all rights to delete Postings as it deems necessary. The Daily 49er strongly advises individuals to not abuse their First Amendment rights, and to avoid language suggestive of hate speech. This site also encourages users to make Postings relevant to the article or other Postings.