Two Schools Represent Big West In NCAA Tournament
The Big West continued to climb the hierarchy ladder of top women's soccer conferences in the country as two teams qualified for the NCAA Women's Soccer championship for the second time in school history.
UC Santa Barbara and Long Beach State were selected for the 64-team field after outstanding seasons that were integral to making the Big West the No. 10-ranked conference in the NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).
Long Beach State won a school record-tying 14 games and captured the conference regular season championship with an unbeaten 7-0-1 record. After three straight seasons of losing in the Big West Tournament semifinals on the road, the 49ers found home field to their advantage as they defeated Pacific in this year's semifinals to advance to their first championship game.
However, upstart UC Santa Barbara, which came into the season after a tough 6-10-4 showing in 2007, utilized a bunch of young talent to upset the 49ers in the tournament championship game. The two teams played to a 1-1 tie in regulation and two overtimes, and the Gauchos prevailed 6-5 in penalty kicks. UCSB also used the penalty kick route to defeat Cal Poly in the semifinals, winning 5-4 in the shootout.
UCSB earned the Big West automatic bid to the NCAA Championship by virtue of being conference tournament champion.
This was the first year the Big West Tournament was not contested at a single site. The highest seeded team hosted each semifinal and the championship game.
The 49ers received an at-large berth from the selection committee to secure their first trip to the NCAA postseason party. LBSU drew San Diego in the first round and lost a close 1-0 battle. The 49ers were one of seven schools making their first appearance from the field.
Meanwhile, UCSB made its eighth NCAA appearance overall but first since 1991. The Gauchos met Stanford in the first round and fell 2-0 in the first meeting between the two teams since 1994.
The Big West first sent two teams to the NCAA postseason in 2005 when Cal State Fullerton and UC Riverside participated. The Titans ended up advancing to the Sweet 16 that year.
Cal Poly (10-9-1) and Pacific (10-8-1) also finished above .500 to help the Big West cause.
Cal State Fullerton saw its three-year reign as Big West Tournament champion come to an end. The Titans did not make the tournament field.
Big West News and Notes
BIG WEST TOURNAMENT RECAP
UC Santa Barbara captured its first-ever Big West Tournament championship, becoming the first team to do so in back-to-back penalty kick shootouts. The Gauchos played both Cal Poly and Long Beach State to 1-1 ties through regulation and two sudden-victory overtimes. Against the Mustangs, UCSB won 5-4 in penalty kicks as junior Sarah Stoltz knocked home the game-winner. In the LBSU match, both teams went eight players deep in the shootout, with UCSB prevailing 6-5 when Gaucho freshman Alissa Sanchez converted her try.
FOUR MORE YEARS LIKE THAT
The last four seasons for the Long Beach State women's soccer program have been very successful. The 49ers have compiled a 53-22-8 (.687) record during that span and became the first Big West program to claim three consecutive Big West regular season championships.
SILOS TIES BIG WEST ASSIST RECORD
Senior Kim Silos enjoyed a stellar career at Long Beach State and her place in the Big West record book reflects those efforts. As one of the top scoring threats in conference history, Silos totalled career numbers of 93 points on 32 goals and 29 assists. The 29 assists tied Silos with Pacific's Wendy Woolgar (1996-98) for the Big West career record. In addition, she placed sixth in points all-time in Big West annals. Silos earned All-Big West First Team honors three consecutive seasons and was the Big West's Offensive Player of the Year in 2006.
RAMOS REWRITES RECORD BOOK
Senior Liz Ramos finished a decorated career at Long Beach State as the keeper of two Big West goalie records. She shattered the career shutouts record of 28, formerly held by Pacific's Kim McCaskey, concluding her four-year career with 34 clean sheets. Ramos also established the conference's career goals against average record of 0.66. In addition, Ramos played 6,526 minutes to finish second in that Big West career category.
CROZIER REACHES COACHING MILESTONE
Cal Poly head coach Alex Crozier earned his 200th career victory when the Mustangs defeated Cal State Northridge 1-0 Oct. 12 on a goal with five seconds remaining in the game. Crozier is now 202-135-34 in 17 seasons at the Mustang helm.
IVES REBOUNDS FOR TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYER HONORS
UC Santa Barbara's Genelle Ives was a huge success story as the forward overcame a knee injury that forced her to sit out the 2007 season, coming back to capture Big West Offensive Player of the Year laurels in 2008. The junior ranked in the conference top five in goals (9), assists (7) and points (25). Her nine goals was a career-high, and she also led the Big West with 78 shots. Ives was the leading scorer on the league's second-most prolific scoring team, which averaged 1.8 goals per game.