Tourney time!

The Long Beach State women’s soccer team rolls into Palo Alto today for the first round of the NCAA Tournament on a hot streak, after defeating UC Irvine 1-0 to win the conference championship last week – the first in school history. The 49ers (14-5-2) will face No. 19 Santa Clara (12-6-2) at 4:30pm today.

It’s the second time in three years that the Beach has headed to the Tournament, but in 2008 it was as an at-large selection and this season the 49ers kicked in the door for an automatic bid. It couldn’t come at a better time, as head coach Mauricio Ingrassia has his team playing at full throttle.

Senior Lindsay Bullock has scored six goals in the last nine matches and was this week named Big West Conference Midfielder of the Year. Senior defender Bo Rael scored only her second goal of the season last week, but it was the deciding factor that put Long Beach into the Tournament with a strong header. This week, Rael was rewarded for her efforts by being named a CollegeSoccer360.com Primetime Performer of the Week.

Back in goal, keeper Emily Kingsborough is showing her most inspired play of the season right when Long Beach needs it most, tallying a season high six saves in the UC Irvine win. Kingsborough was also named the Conference Tournament MVP and the 49ers will depend on her to keep Santa Clara at bay today.

We’ll have updates tonight after the game. Check back here to find out how the 49ers performed.