ZACH ENGLUND
Sports Assistant
The Pepperdine women’s soccer team hit the road last week to face a couple of top-notch opponents in Cal State Northridge and the University of Portland. With a postseason entry still not guaranteed, the Waves needed desperately to play their A-game to maintain their hopes of a possible NCAA tournament birth. Although they returned home with a 1-1 split on the trip, Head Coach Tim Ward said the team could hold their heads high after playing exceptional soccer against both opponents.
“We’ve played really good soccer ever since the beginning of conference play,” he said. “Since that time, I don’t think we’ve really had a bad game.”
Pepperdine’s (10-5-3) first of two matches led them to Matador Soccer Field on Oct. 26, where Northridge (10-9-0), already out of postseason contention, looked to play spoiler and make the Waves’ offseason as long as their own. With their playoff lives on the line, Pepperdine was not about to give up, playing like a team determined to add another game to the win column.
With the game tied at the half, the Waves had not yet capitalized on its many chances to score, but once the 53rd minute rolled around their luck started to change, as senior forward Lindsey Redlin hit a bullet from 25 yards out past the diving Matador goalkeeper to give Pepperdine the 1-0 advantage.
Fewer than 10 minutes later, sophomore forward Amanda Rupp hit a beautiful cross pass to freshman forward Sophia Medina, who in turn hit the ball between the goalposts to build the lead to 2-0.
Northridge was not about to succeed the match in front of its home crowd, scoring on a penalty kick at the 82:08 mark and giving its fans something to cheer about. With only one goal separating both teams with fewer than five minutes in regulation, sophomore midfielder Emily Wynne headed the ball in the net with 3:77 remaining in the game, securing the 3-1 victory for the Waves.
Pepperdine’s next match took them to Portland, Ore., home of the No.-6 defending national champion Pilots (14-3-2), one of the toughest games of the year that resulted in a 3-1 Waves loss.
Waves’ goalkeeper Kayla Stolte was the hero of the first half, keeping the game scoreless despite 14 shots attempted by the Pilots. Even though they failed to score, Ward thought the girls played some of their best soccer of the season in the first half.
“Considering they were the reigning national champions, one of the top five teams in the country, and had more than 4,000 attending the game, I thought we managed very, very well,” he said. “We played a great first half.”
After taking a few shots early in the second half, the Waves were on their toes thereafter, as the Pilots scored two goals within five minutes of each other, taking a 2-0 lead with 66:59 elapsed in the game.
Although the match looked to be decided, Pepperdine refused to let up, as senior forward Jennifer Brewer scored on a shot from 20 yards out in the 81st minute to put the Waves on the board and the pressure on the home team. Not too long after Pepperdine had scored did the Pilots retake a two-point lead, making another goal at the 87:42 mark to seal the win for Portland.
Coach Ward was very proud of his team’s performance, even though they came up short.
“Portland is a very, very good team,” he said. There’s a reason they’re ranked where they are, and we really pushed it and played well.”
The Waves’ next and last game is Saturday against division rival Gonzaga at 4 p.m. Prior to the game, Pepperdine’s seven seniors will be recognized. If the Waves win, they clinch a spot in the NCAA tournament. If lost, nothing is guaranteed.
“If we win this game we’ll be in the tournament for sure,” Ward said. “If we tie or lose, then we have to wait and see what other teams do. We’re really close either way.”
11-02-2006