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The Long Beach State women's soccer team will open play this Saturday with an exhibition game on their home turf of George Allen Field, and after a disappointing showing last season the team is anxious to get off to a hot start.

Right off the bat, though, it won't be easy.

Home exhibition games are usually scheduled against lesser opponents to give your players a confidence boost and instill some excitement in your fans. Head coach Mauricio Ingrassia has always been one to do things his own way, though, and Long Beach State will host a strong foe in San Diego State at 5:00pm tomorrow.

The Aztecs went 15-4-5 last season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, leading to predictions that the team will finish second in their Mountain West Conference this year. Led by returning MWC Offensive Player of the Year Cat Walker, San Diego State will not lie down for the home team.

But there is extra motivation for the 49ers this season. After welcoming 17 fresh faces to the team last year and struggling to find cohesion, Long Beach State is eager to erase the memory of a 5-11-3 finish. That definitely didn't sit well with Ingrassia, who has compiled a 64-42-14 record in six seasons at The Beach and revolutionized the way the program is perceived by setting several school records in just a few short years. With a veteran squad returning this season, Ingrassia has yet another team capable of winning any game they play.

Led by their two returning All-Big West Conference selections, midfielders Lindsey Bullock and Shawna Gordon, the 49ers return a stable of veterans with loads of talent but without the experience necessary to succeed last year. Things are different this time around, and though the team was only selected to finish sixth in the conference by coaches, anything can happen once the ball is on the pitch.

"Our goal is to be ready for conference and to have the opportunity to get back into the NCAA Tournament," Ingrassia said. "We had a fantastic spring and there is definitely a different vibe and energy coming into this season."

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