A battle between the Big West’s top two clubs highlights conference action this week, as first place Long Beach State travels to UC Santa Barbara on Friday. The 49ers would clinch the outright regular season championship with a win.
Long Beach State (11-4-3, 5-0-1 Big West) looks to clinch its third consecutive Big West title. The 49ers earned co-championships with UC Santa Barbara in 2006 and Cal State Fullerton in 2007. However, LBSU never has secured an outright title. The 49ers currently lead the Gauchos by three points in the standings and have clinched a berth in next week’s four-team Big West Tournament.
Recent matchups have gone in favor of Long Beach State, with victories in each of the last three meetings. The Gauchos last defeated the 49ers in 2004. UCSB owns an overall all-time series advantage of 9-6.
The Gauchos have two Big West championships to their credit, sharing titles in 2004 and 2006. UCSB would move into a tie for first place with LBSU with a win and clinch a tournament berth as well.
The Big West Tournament takes place on Wednesday, November 6 and Sunday, November 9. Semifinal games will be played on the campus sites of the top two seeds. The highest remaining seed from the two semifinal winners will host the championship match.
Three remaining tournament berths are still wide open for the taking, and four schools are in contention to host.
Cal Poly, currently in third place with 12 points, is hostingUC Irvine and Long Beach State. The Mustangs need at least one tie to clinch a tournament berth. One win could secure a tournament hosting opportunity, and two wins would for sure.
UC Irvine needs one win against either Cal Poly or UC Santa Barbara, coupled with a Pacific loss to UC Davis, to clinch a tournament berth. The Anteaters also could find themselves in a hosting position, but would need to win twice and receive a lot of help from other schools.
Three other teams also are still fighting for tournament bids. Pacific earns a berth with a tie against UC Davis on Sunday, combined with either two ties or at least one loss from UC Irvine. The Aggies could get in with a win against the Tigers, as long as UC Irvine loses twice or loses once and ties once this week.
Cal State Northridge must win at home against Cal State Fullerton this week and hope that tiebreakers fall in its favor to gain entry into the tournament. The Titans failed to reach the tournament field this season after earning three straight championships.
UC Riverside also has been eliminated from tournament contention. The Highlanders finish up their season with a home contest versus Seattle University on Sunday.
Cal Poly, UC Irvine and Pacific can all reach the 10-win plateau this week. The Mustangs need one win to claim double-digit victories for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. The Anteaters are aiming for a second consecutive double-digit win season. The Tigers are looking to achieve 10 wins for the third time in the last four seasons.