ZACH ENGLUND
Sports Assistant
After going unbeaten for seven consecutive games, the Pepperdine women’s soccer team finally came back to earth this weekend, going 1-1 against San Diego State and No.-3 UC Los Angeles, respectively.
During their unbeaten streak, the Waves (6-2-2) had been finding ways to win, with few games coming easy and most being too close for comfort.
Pepperdine continued that pattern against San Diego on Friday, winning 1-0 in a game that could just as easily have been lost. The Aztecs (4-6) were not about to give the match away, taking two quick shots on goal right out of the gate, putting the heat on the Waves’ defense.
It looked as though neither team would take control of the game, with both defenses allowing little room for opportunity and still no score at the half. With the game winding down, the end seemed destined to be a tie, but at the 78:13 mark, McKenzie Hill’s put-back on Emily Wynne’s miss off the crossbar gave the Waves the first and only goal of the match.
In the process of victory, goalkeeper Kayla Stolte, who was named last week’s West Coast Conference “Player of the Week,” recorded her second straight shutout of the season.
Sunday, the team began its four-game road trip at Frank W. Marshall Field in Los Angeles, taking on rival No.-3 UCLA in the biggest game of the season thus far.
The Bruins wasted no time getting on the board, scoring on a free kick by Lauren Chaney at the 11:04 mark in the first half. Then, with 32:24 elapsed, UCLA scored another goal by Chaney to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead at the break.
“Our first half against UCLA was perhaps the worst half of the season, especially considering the magnitude of the game,” Head Coach Tim Ward said. “We’re not thinking we should of won that game, because we shouldn’t have.”
They added yet another goal at the 84:25 mark, ensuring that the Wave’s unbeaten streak would finally come to an end.
Although Ward gave the Bruins all the credit they deserved, he also said that they were playing with more incentive than usual.
“They were coming off a loss, and we were cruising along, not losing for seven in a row,” he said. “We got too comfortable, and the girls know that.”
On the surface, the loss against UCLA was a bitter disappointment, but Ward suggests that, even through losing, the Waves could end up being victorious.
“I think it could ultimately be a very good loss, where it’s going to remind us of what level we need to be at to compete for a championship,” he said.
The Waves’ team weaknesses were exploited by a superior opponent on Sunday, and they plan on shoring up those areas that they now know pose a problem if they wish to be among the best teams in the nation.
Ward knows that there is only one thing that separates good teams from great ones, work ethic.
“Talent alone is not enough,” he said. “It needs to be accompanied by really hard work.”
Pepperdine will look to start a new unbeaten streak next weekend, as it continues its road trip in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Friday to take on Utah, followed by a trip to Las Vegas, Nev., to face UN Las Vegas on Sunday.
09-28-2006
