IRVINE, Calif. –  In a tightly contested battle at the top of the standings, Long Beach State has been selected as the top team in the Big West heading into the 2023 season, as voted on by the league’s 11 head coaches. 

The Beach (8-7-6, 5-2-3 BW) earned 87 points and two first-place votes in the polling to claim the top spot in the preseason table after appearing in The Big West Championship title match a year ago.  

Coaches in the league also voted on a 12-person Preseason All-Big West team. Long Beach State claimed two spots on the preseason team with the pairing of Cherrie Cox and Maddy Perez earning the honors. In 2022, Cox became the sixth Big West Freshman of the Year in Long Beach history after tallying 15 points (5 goals, 5 assists) on the season, 12 of which came during conference play. Perez returns to the picture behind a 2022 campaign that was capped off with a 2022 Big West All-Conference First Team selection and All-West Region Third Team accolades for a stellar performance on the back line. Perez also earned Big West Freshman of the Year recognition during the 2021 season.  

Cal Poly (9-7-3, 6-1-3 BW) was left from the top spot on the poll after notching one less point (86) than the Beach but still holds the advantage in first-place votes with four. The defending regular season champions will look to climb their way back to the top after falling in a hard-fought Big West Semifinals match to the eventual conference champion UC Irvine. Emma Brown boasts preseason honors after contributing to a Cal Poly defense that secured 10 shutout victories a year ago, the most in program history since 2009. Brown was selected to the 2022 All-Big West First Team, and 2022 United Soccer Coaches All-West Region Third Team, respectively, behind 1,786 minutes of play on the back line, qualifying for the most in program history since 2017. 

One point also separated the third and fourth spots on the preseason list between UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton as the Anteaters accumulated 79 points (3 first-place votes) to rival the Titan's 78 points (oen first-place vote).  

Defending conference champion UC Irvine (11-6-7, 3-2-5 BW) will look to clinch its third consecutive Big West Championship title after going on an NCAA Tournament run that included a berth to the Sweet Sixteen after dethroning No. 14 USC, 2-0, and advancing past Brown in PK’s, 4-2, during the first two rounds on the national stage. UC Irvine’s three representatives on the preseason team account for the most of any Big West institution. Gianna Crieghton started and played in all 24 matches last year to tie a single-season program record with 2,191 minutes played. The Anteaters will look towards the leadership and play of goalkeeper Glo Hinojosa, who returned to the team for a graduate year. Hinojosa was named MVP of the Big West Championship and set the single-season high for saves at UC Irvine with 86. Alyssa Moore also returns to the field after being tied for the team lead with six goals and earning a spot on the 2022 All-Big West Second Team and 2022 National Team of the Week for the week of Aug. 21st.  

Cal State Fullerton (6-2-2, 9-6-5 BW) takes command of the list with its two honorees, Makenna McGill, and Kaylin Raibon. Raibon returns after making 18 starts as an outside back on the Titan's defense that produced a 1.088 GAA, placing third in the Big West a year ago. Raibon also celebrates a 2022 Big West Freshman of the Week honor after recording two assists in a crucial conference win on Oct. 6. McGill arrived at Cal State Fullerton from Washington State a year ago where the forward saw action in 12 matches in a Titan's uniform.  

UC Davis (9-6-4, 6-2-2 BW) finished fifth in voting with 69 points. Senior Midfielder Leslie Fregoso led the Aggies in scoring with goals (6), ranking seventh amongst all players in the conference last year, clinching a spot on the 2022 All-Big West First Team.  

UC Santa Barbara (5-9-6, 4-3-3 BW) received a lone first-place vote behind its 58 points and is projected to secure the sixth and final spot in the Big West Championship according to the votes. The Gauchos return Lauren Helwig as their top goal scorer (7) from a year ago earning 2022 All-Big West First Team honors. The Midfielder placed fifth in the conference with 15 points. Other than Helwig, the student-athletes listed above her in the top 5 have completed their respective collegiate careers.   

Hawai’i slides into the seventh-place slot with 44 points. Graduate student Eliza Ammendolia gathered a 2022 All-Big West First Team Selection after starting in 13 of the team's 15 total matches.  

UC San Diego (36), UC Riverside (29), CSUN (20), and Cal State Bakersfield (15) round out the preseason rankings. These four squads will be looking to shake up the league after improving last season. 

Play across The Big West kicks off this Thursday, Aug. 17. Conference play begins on Thursday, Sept. 14 with four matches on the docket, kicking off a seven-week slate. Each side will see five home matches and three bye dates dotted throughout the Thursday-Sunday rotation that ends on Oct. 26.   
 

2023 Big West Women’s Soccer Preseason Coaches’ Poll
Rank	Institution	Points
1.	Long Beach State	87 (2)
2.	Cal Poly	86 (4)
3.	UC Irvine	79 (3)
4.	Cal State Fullerton	78 (1)
5.	UC Davis	69
6.	UC Santa Barbara	58 (1)
7.	Hawai'i	44
8.	UC San Diego	36
9.	UC Riverside	29
10.	CSUN	20
11.	Cal State Bakersfield	15

- First-place votes in parentheses
 

2023 Big West Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Team
Student-Athlete	Year	Position	Institution	Hometown
Eliza Ammendolia	Grad Student	Midfielder	Hawai'i	Griffith, New South Wales
Emma Brown	Junior	Defender	Cal Poly	Clovis, Calif.
Cherrie Cox	Sophomore	Forward	Long Beach State	Torrance, Calif.
Gianna Creighton	Senior	Midfielder	UC Irvine	San Diego, Calif.
Leslie Fregoso	Senior	Midfielder	UC Davis	Live Oak, Calif.
Lauren Helwig	Senior	Midfielder	UC Santa Barbara	El Dorado Hills, Calif.
Glo Hinojosa	Grad Student	Goalkeeper	UC Irvine	Chula Vista, Calif.
Makenna McGill	Junior	Forward	Cal State Fullerton	Huntington Beach, Calif.
Alyssa Moore	R-Junior	Forward	UC Irvine	Menifee, Calif.
Maddy Perez	Junior	Defender/Midfielder	Long Beach State	West Covina, Calif.
Kaylin Raibon	Sophomore	Defender	Cal State Fullerton	Laguna Niguel, Calif.
Risa Yamada	Senior	Midfielder	UC Davis	Fukuyama, Japan