Sophomore forward Cherrie Cox’s two-goal and one-assist performance on Sunday propelled The Beach to a 5-1 win over Northern Colorado on senior day.
Cox was extremely effective against the Bears as she led The Beach with six total shots and three shots on goal in only 67 minutes of action.
“It felt great, especially on senior night. The assist meant the most getting Elysia [Laramie] involved, big day for her,” said Cox on how her performance felt.
This season, Cox is second on the team in goals (5) and assists (4) after only playing seven games. She attributes her success to “Building that team chemistry, figuring out some new players and then just seeing what works for us.”
Cox has already tied her goal tally from last year where she put together a campaign in which she took home the Big West Freshman of the Year award, and was named to the Big West All-Freshman team.
Reflecting on those accolades, Cox said, “It felt great. Once a gain I think my teammates helped me so much because my success comes off of them too.”
Cox has been a revelation for The Beach, and head coach Mauricio Ingrassia has seen it coming since Cox was in middle school.
“She came to our club when she was very young, so I’ve had my eye on her for a long time,” Ingrassia said.
Being from Torrance, CA, Cox says that she loves having her number one supporters, her parents, be able to come out to every game, and that played a role in her decision to come to LBSU.
“Since day one,” said Cox about her loyalty to The Beach.
Cox suffered a concussion in the game on Aug. 24 against BYU that took her out for three games. Once cleared to play again, it took her less than 90 minutes on the pitch to score her first goal since her injury.
“Mentally, it was definitely a rough one,” Cox said. “But once again, teammates are always there, that’s the biggest thing here, being one big family and they helped me through every step of the way.”
As all the fans who have attended a game at George Allen Field this season have seen Cox plays a massive role in this team’s success. Coach Ingrassia highlighted how she has taken ownership on offense with last season’s leader in all offensive statistics Lena Silano gone.
“She’s a big focal point for our offense, and she knows it. She’s grown into it,” Ingrassia said.
Cox looks to continue to contribute to the success of her team as conference play is just getting started as The Beach is in the mix for a Big West conference title.