Pepperdine gets a lot of offensive action, but doesn’t score as Wake Forest claims victory, 1-0.
By Josh Fleer
Sports Assistant
A hot Wake Forest team snapped Pepperdine’s seven-game winning streak in a physical match Sunday, leaving the Waves anxious to return to the field to avenge their controversial loss.
Despite the defeat, Pepperdine remained in the top 10 in three national polls, ranked as high as No. 7 by Soccer Buzz.
“Some of the players on the team have been saying Cal State Fullerton better be scared,” said junior All-American Ashley Swanson with a laugh. “Sometimes it takes a loss to get stronger. We’re focused and fired up for this Friday. We know what we need to do to start our wining streak back up. Everyone hates losing.”
Pepperdine returns home Friday to host Cal State Fullerton (6-3-1), which split a two-game set during the weekend.
CHRISTINE MORRISON/PHOTOGRAPHER
Before meeting up with Wake Forest, the Waves dominated Colorado College 3-0 Friday in spite of the Tigers’ distinct home field advantage at Colorado’s high altitude.
The shutout moved Pepperdine within two of the school’s all-time season mark. The shutout also allowed sophomore goalkeeper Anna Picarelli to climb within two of Pepperdine’s career shutout mark of 13 with her 11th blanking of her career.
The Waves would not move closer to the records Sunday as Wake Forest, whose 1-0 victory catapulted the Demon Deacons into the top 10 in the Soccer America and NSCAA/Adidas polls, scored the lone authenticated goal of the match in the first half, a screamer from 25 yards out that sailed past Picarelli’s reach.
“It was an awesome goal,” said Swanson. “You can’t take anything away from it.”
However, the would-be game-tying goal was taken away from Pepperdine.
In the 87th minute of the game, sophomore Daniella Bosio volleyed a corner kick into the net, evening the score at one-all until the center referee called it off.
“There was a lot of pushing going on all day, but they chose to call that one,” said Swanson. “There were about five Wake Forest players there and only two of us. How you can call a foul on that, I’m not really sure. But it happened.”
In a game in which the referees had allowed physical play all game on both ends of the field, junior Jenna Ainsworth was called on the foul as she headed the corner kick to Bosio for the score.
“It wasn’t a foul,” said Head Coach Tim Ward, whose team out-shot Wake Forest 20-14. “It was just hard, aggressive play by both players. The ref told me after the game, ‘sometimes I make mistakes and today maybe I learned a lesson.’”
Instead of a tie game with a chance to win in overtime, Pepperdine came out on the losing end for only the second game this season.
Wake Forest picked up where Pepperdine left off, extending a winning streak of its own to seven games.
The Waves remain focused on their long-term goals.
“That game is going to help us more in the long run than a five-nothing game would have,” said Ward. “We’d love the shot to play them again,” he added, referring to a possible meeting in the NCAA tournament.
October 02, 2003