Long Beach State women’s soccer defeated the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine 4-2 on Thursday night with significant playoff seeding implications on the line.
LBSU head coach Mauricio Ingrassia understood the importance of their final home game of the season: win and host a playoff game. He felt that Sunday’s frustrating 3-0 loss at Cal State Fullerton inspired his team to respond with a positive performance.
“I felt we were fantastic the last 75 minutes against Fullerton. We didn’t quite get the goals but we held possession and created chances, and that’s outstanding given the situation,” Ingrassia said.
The Beach led 3-0 at halftime, its first two goals being penalty kicks from sophomore midfielder Cherrie Cox and senior forward Kassandra Ceja within the half-hour mark.
Cox, who usually takes the penalty, allowed Ceja to take the second penalty and redeem herself for missing a golden opportunity in the box minutes prior.
“Cherrie and I are very good friends, very close and I’m glad that she gave it to me, you know, just a little momentum,” Ceja said. “I think it was just we’re a family here. It doesn’t matter who makes it just as long as it gets put in the back of the night.”
Sophomore midfielder Sara Ybarra raced to a loose ball in Hawaii’s six-yard box from a Long Beach State corner and unleashed a rocket into the top right corner to add the third goal.
Five minutes after the start of the second half, Cox tallied her second goal of the night in the 49th minute and made it 4-0 in favor of The Beach, giving her 13 on the season.
Hawaii was able to rally during the second half and make things interesting. Two goals in a span of three minutes from redshirt sophomore forward Amber Gilbert and junior midfielder Mia Foster gave the Rainbow Wahine momentum necessary for a comeback.
LBSU dug deep defensively to keep Hawaii at two goals as freshman defenders Brooklyn Antonucci and Zoe Willis played all 90 minutes and commanded the back line. They led The Beach defensively to a 4-2 victory to close out the 2023 season.
“Irvine’s a great team, you gotta give respect where respect is due and I’m just excited that it’s gonna be a great match,” Ceja said. “I’m very proud of this team and how far we’ve come.”
Both teams had already clinched postseason berths prior to the opening kickoff, but the seedings and opponents were still unknown.
Cal State Fullerton clinched the No. 1 seed with a 4-0 win over UC Riverside and UC Davis jumped to the No. 2 seed after defeating UC Irvine. Both teams earned a bye in the first round of the playoffs.
Hawaii will be traveling to San Luis Obispo to take on the Mustangs, who were upset by UC San Diego and fell from the top of the Big West standings to the No. 3 seed.
No. 4 Long Beach State takes on No. 5 UC Irvine at 6 p.m. Sunday at George Allen Field in the first round of the Big West Soccer Championship. The winner earns a spot in the semifinals and will take on regular season champions and No. 1 seed Cal State Fullerton at Fullerton on Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m.