Noah Godwin
Assistant Sports Editor
Junior midfielder April Pettigrew scored in the 88th minute to propel the No. 24 Pepperdine women’s soccer team to a 2-1 victory over Arizona State on Sunday afternoon.
The win broke a two-match losing streak for the Waves, who began the season with a seven-match unbeaten streak. Pepperdine is now 6-2-1 for the year.
Both teams played to a 0-0 tie at halftime before Arizona State junior midfielder Manya Makoski scored off of an assist from sophomore midfielder Katie Mahoney in the 57th minute.
Pepperdine junior forward Jenna Fodor tied the game in the 69th minute on a penalty kick. Junior forward Megan Woods was tackled inside the penalty box by Sun Devil senior defender Holly Azevedo to set up the penalty kick.
“We really felt like it was a breakthrough performance for our offense,” sophomore defender Caty Mitchell said.
Pettigrew’s goal came after junior goalkeeper Anna Picarelli fielded a Sun Devil corner kick and initiated the offense with a pass to sophomore forward Jennifer Brewer.
Brewer took advantage of weak transition defense by Arizona State and advanced the ball the length of the field.
Brewer then found Pettigrew about 15 yards out, who beat goalkeeper Kim Bingham on the inside post for the game-winning goal.
“Our coaches told us at halftime that we really needed to draw strength from each other,” Mitchell said.
“The whole team was pretty drained at that point, so it felt really good to rally together and play so well in the second half,” she said.
Pepperdine had a 12-7 advantage over the Sun Devils in shots, including a 6-5 margin in shots-on-goal.
The match was a rare home match for the Waves. The team will play its next four matches on the road.
The Waves had a tough time on the road last Friday at UCLA, losing 1-0. UCLA continues to be a thorn in the Waves’ side: the No. 9 Bruins have now won seven of nine matches in the all-time series against Pepperdine.
“It was deflating because we all got so pumped up for the match,” Mitchell said.
Bruin senior forward Kim Devine scored shortly after the second half began, beating Picarelli on a rare goal allowed by a Waves team that is fourth in the nation with a goals- against average of only 0.325.
The defense is bolstered by senior defenders Diana Sanguinetti and Ashley Swanson, Picarelli and junior defender Ashley Swanson.
UCLA improved to 6-2-0 following the victory, which was its third straight shutout victory over the Waves following two last year.
Devine scored from only nine yards out after receiving the assist from sophomore forward Bristyn Davis.
“We felt like we played well enough to win, especially in the second half,” Mitchell said.
“Even the sidelines were excited about that match,” she said.
The teams only took seven shots each, with UCLA holding a 5-2 advantage in shots-on-goal.
Pepperdine junior Megan Woods led the offensive attack for the Waves with three shots.
“It was really big for us to play so well this weekend because those games against Pac-10 opponents are huge when it comes to the NCAA selection process,” Mitchell said.
Up next for Pepperdine is University of Arizona on Friday.
The match will be the final non-conference contest before the Waves open West Coast Conference play against Loyola Marymount University.
Arizona is 8-1-0 on the season and is on a four-match winning streak, including wins over Brigham Young University (1-0) and Weber State (2-1).
The Wildcats’ only loss of the year came against national power West Virginia University.
Junior midfielder Mallory Miller leads the Arizona attack. She has 13 points, three goals and a team-best seven assists so far this year.
The match will be the fifth meeting all-time between the two programs. The Waves lead the series 3-0-1. The last meeting came in 2002 in Tucson, Ariz., and the match resulted in a 2-2 tie.
The Waves do not return for a home match until Oct. 22 against Saint Mary’s College.
09-30-2004