After a tough weekend on the road that included an overtime loss and a horrible ref call against them, the Long Beach State women’s soccer team (5-8-2, 1-3-0 BWC) closes out its regular season at home this week as it is set to play host to Big West Conference foes Cal State Fullerton and UC Riverside.

The 49ers will take on the Titans TODAY at George Allen Field at 3pm, and three days later for a 2 pm showdown with the Highlanders on Suday. LBSU will honor its lone senior, Sarah Strohl, before Sunday’s match.

“I can see us getting better,” said coach Mauricio Ingrassia of his young team that hasn’t scored in five of the last seven games.  “We just need a goal so bad… we’re right there.”
 
Cal State Fullerton is 3-8-4 overall and 1-3-1 in Big West Conference action. Last week, the Titans battled UC Irvine to a 1-1 tie before falling to Cal State Northridge, 1-0. CSF has been outscored 17-8 on the season and is led by three players with two goals apiece. Shannon Simpson has seen most of the action between the posts with a 1.25 goals against average and three shutouts.

UC Riverside (5-8-3, 0-5-0 BWC) enters Sunday’s match on a six-game losing streak after falling to Cal State Northridge and UC Irvine last weekend. The Highlanders are paced by Denise Thomas, who has a team-best three goals, seven points and 25 shots. Jessica White is the primary goalkeeper with a 0.77 goals against average, 94 saves and six shutouts.

Here are some more notes from the LBSU Sports Information Department

COMMON FOES

LBSU and CS Fullerton have two common non-conference opponents in San Diego and Cal State Bakersfield. The Beach earned a scoreless tie against both teams, while the Titans fell to USD (2-0) before battling CSUB to a 0-0 draw.

Long Beach State and UCR both faced Cal State Bakersfield, Fresno State and San Diego in non-conference action. Against those three teams, the 49ers are 1-0-2, while the Highlanders are 1-1-1.

GORDON LEADS THE WAY

Shawna Gordon, who earned All-Big West honorable mention recognition as a freshman, has paced the 49er offense in 2009. She leads the squad in goals (5), assists (5) and points (15), and ranks second on the team with 27 shots. Gordon earned her first career Big West player of the week honor on Aug. 24.

AGAINST RANKED TEAMS
 
Long Beach State’s schedule has not been easy as the 49ers faced five ranked teams in non-conference action, including two that were in the top 10. LBSU is 1-3-1 in games vs. ranked squads, with its win coming at then No. 21 Missouri. The Beach has also played UCLA, Kansas, Boston College and San Diego.

UP NEXT
 
Long Beach State wraps up the regular season on the road next week as it heads to UC Irvine (Oct. 29) and Cal State Northridge (Nov. 1).