From Reports By Long Beach State Sports Information Department
The Long Beach State women’s soccer team will make history on Friday, Nov. 14, when they take on the University of San Diego in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship at Drake Stadium on the UCLA campus.
But before they take the field, they have to collect their hardware as the team claimed three of the six major Big West Conference awards and also had a league-high six student-athletes earn first-team honors the conference office announced Wednesday.
Senior Liz Ramos was named Goalkeeper of the Year, sophomore Lindsay Bullock garnered Midfielder of the Year accolades and Mauricio Ingrassia collected his first Coach of the Year award. Joining Ramos and Bullock on the all-BWC first team were seniors Hayley Bolt, Kim Silos, Mariko Strickland and Sara Baca.
In his fifth season at the helm of the 49er soccer program, Ingrassia has led LBSU to a 14-4-4 overall record, its unprecedented third consecutive Big West regular season title and its first-ever berth into the NCAA Tournament. The Beach went unbeaten in conference action with a 7-0-1 mark and tied the program’s all-time record for wins in a season with 14 victories.
Ramos became the first 49er to earn top goalkeeper honors after leading the Big West in goals against average (0.64) and shutouts (8). The Bakersfield, Calif., native posted a 13-3-2 record as The Beach allowed a league-low 16 goals on the season. Ramos has etched her name in the LBSU record books, owning the top spot on the career charts in saves (236), goals against average (0.66), shutouts (36.5) and minutes in goal (6436:30).
Bullock (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) earned her first all-conference award after leading the team with 10 tallies, while finishing second on the squad in shot attempts (55) and points (21). She became just the second 49er to accumulate double-digit goals in a season since the program was reinstated in 1998. Bullock notched her third game-winning goal of the season in a 2-1 double overtime victory at UC Santa Barbara, clinching LBSU’s third consecutive regular season crown.
Both Bolt and Silos garnered first-team all-BWC recognition for the third year in a row. Bolt, a local product from Lakewood, Calif., leads The Beach with 22 points and is second on the team with nine goals. Bolt notched a pair of tallies in LBSU’s 3-0 victory over Pacific in the Big West Tournament semifinals.
Silos (Ontario, Calif.), meanwhile, had another stellar season, compiling six goals and six assists as she is tied for third on the team with 18 points.
Strickland and Baca rounded out the 49ers on the all-BWC first team, earning their first career awards. Baca has established a school-record with 81 consecutive starts over her three-plus seasons at LBSU. The defender from Ventura, Calif., has anchored a defense that has posted a 0.69 goals against average.
Strickland (Anahola, Hawaii), who tallied three assists in two games in the BWC Tournament, finished the regular season with two goals and six helpers.
Senior Dana Farquhar and freshman Nicole Hubbard both garnered second-team all-BWC accolades, while sophomore Kristen Kiefer and freshman Shawna Gordon earned honorable mention recognition.
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