Pepperdine Women’s Soccer is still in the hunt.
Women’s Soccer squared off against Oregon State University on Oct. 26, at Paul Lorenz Field. Heading into the match, the Waves were 10-2-4 overall and 4-0-2 in conference play, finding themselves in a three-way tie for first place in the West Coast Conference.
Alongside Pepperdine in first was Oregon State and Santa Clara University, all teams in the fight for the WCC Championship. The Waves and the Beavers’ battle ended in a 1-1 draw, but this didn’t take Pepperdine out of contention for the championships.
Despite the low scoring, this game was an intense fight from start to finish. Early fouls on both sides set the tone for the match, which would be a common theme throughout.
Before a goal was scored, both sides combined for eight fouls alongside 10 shots. Pepperdine committed fewer fouls and attempted more shots within this span, however, the Beavers struck the back of the net first at 34 minutes to take a 1-0 lead late in the first half.
The Beavers had the momentum for the rest of the half, holding the Waves to zero shots, while attempting one shot on goal of their own, which was saved by freshman goalie Jillian Medvecky.
At the end of 45 minutes, the Waves attempted seven shots, none on goal, and committed five fouls. The Beavers had more gas in their tank, recording six shots, three on goal, with one crossing goalpost.
Oregon had more fouls; six, but all were before they had scored. After, the Beavers gave up no fouls.
Entering the second half, the Waves had to flip the script, and they did just that.
The Waves were able to limit fouls and started with more energy than the half prior. This led to more fouls from Oregon’s end, which would benefit Pepperdine.
In a 15-minute stretch to open the half, the Waves held Oregon to just one shot, all while the Beavers surrendered five fouls. Three straight fouls at the end of this stretch ultimately resulted in a fourth from Oregon, but this time, it came with a reward for the Waves in a penalty kick.
A Beaver defender dropped graduate defender/forward Megan Edelman at 62 minutes, and graduate midfielder/forward Tori Waldeck stepped up to take the penalty kick. Waldeck’s kick was a good one, putting a goal on the board for the Waves and bringing the game to a 1-1 tie.
From here, the match would be at a standstill, with the Waves maintaining their high energy and still forcing the Beavers to surrender fouls.
Ending at a draw, Pepperdine attempted 21 shots to Oregon State’s 11. Only three of those shots were on goal for the Waves, with four on goal for the Beavers.
Medvecky saved three shots for the Waves, while the Beavers saved four. Fouls were the difference in this match for the Waves, as Oregon State committed 18 fouls, one resulting in a penalty kick goal, while Pepperdine had 10, all according to Pepperdine Athletics.
This brings the Waves to a 10-3-4 overall and a 4-1-2 conference record. This keeps Pepperdine and Oregon in a tie with Santa Clara for first in the WCC Standings, both with one more game played over Santa Clara this season.
With just three games left in their season, the Waves look to stay in the hunt Nov. 2 against the University of San Diego at Tari Frahm Rokus Field.
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Email Justin Rodriguez: justin.rodriguez@pepperdine.edu
