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Two decades.
That’s how long Mauricio Ingrassia has coached Long Beach State women’s soccer while the program rewrote its own history books. His championship teams have all played a similar style that wants to possess the ball and control the big moments with poise. A lot of that responsibility falls on the defensive, particularly the center backs, to calmly build momentum moving forward.
It looked like Ingrassia had another one of those championship squads developing headed into this 2024 season, but a preseason injury suffered by All-Big West Conference center back Brooklyn Antonucci has changed everything.
“That’s someone you can’t lose, now we’re trying to reinvent it a little bit,” Ingrassia said of Antonucci, who will miss the entire season.
Despite losing one of his top players as a daunting non-conference schedule starts Thursday with a season-opening visit from No. 11 UCLA, Ingrassia wants to maintain his expectations while understanding his team’s development.
“Obviously we went from being a team that’s settled, and now all of a sudden we are kind of a team in progress,” Ingrassia said. “We had a solid (spring season of exhibition games) and (built) a good identity, we hadn’t been scored on in the last five games… Now we may have to find a couple different ways to play.”
Those adjustments started with shifting personnel as sophomore defensive midfielder Kylie Perez has dropped back to fill in the defensive hole left by Antonucci, and redshirt junior Bella Ternero has stepped up to take over the defensive midfield.
Perez is now playing alongside sophomore center back Zoe Willis, who made seven starts last year, and they’ll be in front of new No. 1 goalkeeper Aurora Schuck. The Los Alamitos alum transferred from Washington State and sat out last season. Ingrassia said she is solid in all phases of the game and earned her starting spot during an impressive spring season.
“I think what sets her apart is her communication and her presence,” he added.
Junior Julia Moore and sophomore Kana Uchida are returning to their positions as All-Big West outside backs after starting all but one game last season.
The midfield will be captained by experienced seniors Makayla Demelo and Kassandra Ceja. Demelo was named first-team All-Big West last year after helping LBSU become the top scoring offense in the conference. Ceja was third on the team with 12 points last year.
Ingrassia also has to fill a giant hole left by forward Cherrie Cox, who led the team in scoring last year but will miss this season due to personal issues. Although they are very different types of players, Texas transfer Liz Worden has emerged as the go-to target up top during the offseason.
Worden is a Riverside native who scored five goals in 33 appearances for the Longhorns. She made an immediate impact for the Beach by scoring twice in an scrimmage win over USC, and was named to the Big West Women’s Soccer Preseason Coaches’ Team where LBSU was also picked to win the conference.
“This kid is special,” Ingrassia said of Worden.
Worden will be supported by fellow forwards Summer Laskey and Jordan Candelaria. The senior Laskey has scored 10 goals and dished out seven assists in 55 appearances over the last three seasons. The sophomore Candelaria is the former New Mexico Gatorade Player of the Year.
There is some help on the way to the Beach. Saint Mary’s transfer Marissa Garcia will be cleared to play later this month before she can bolster the back line, and Penny Smith will also add defensive depth after coming over from Cal State Bakersfield as a graduate transfer.
Ingrassia is also excited about the development of freshmen like Kailey Supa and Malea Johnson, but knows that it will take time to see the team he thinks this talented group can become.
“I think we’ve got to take some steps forward in terms of identity and style,” he said of the season opener against UCLA. “We’ve just got to take care of moments and usually if your identity is set you can handle moments better. It’s like a boxer. If you have good rhythm you can figure out punches.”
Kickoff against No. 11 UCLA is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday at George Allen Field.
LBSU is trying to reach its eighth NCAA Tournament under Ingrassia. The Beach has won the Big West regular season or tournament championship nine times in the last two decades.
