Rival Broncos outshoot Pepperdine team 26-6 in a blowout game last Sunday.
By Josh Fleer
Sports Assistant
Revenge is sweet. And Santa Clara circled this year’s game against Pepperdine as soon as the schedule was released.
Pepperdine defeated the Broncos during West Coast Conference games the past two years. Both years, the Broncos advanced to the national championship game and won in 2001. Keeping in mind the conference defeats, Santa Clara went to work on a mission last Sunday.
“They were gung ho to get us back,” said Head Coach Tim Ward. “I don’t think any of our girls thought we would ever lose 5-0 to anybody anywhere.”
Santa Clara, which moved up to No. 8 in the Soccer America poll with the dominant performance, left the Waves stunned, out shooting Pepperdine 26-6.
Pepperdine will have to turn it around quickly as No. 3 Portland, the defending national champions, comes to town Friday. The meeting occurs at the peak of Portland’s game. During their past 10 matches, the Pilots have allowed only a single goal, outscoring their opponents an astonishing 31-1.
Before the Santa Clara game the Waves had outscored their opponents 33-7 on the season.
With the efforts of pre-season All-American junior Leslie Osborne, who recorded a hat trick Sunday, the Waves’ lopsided scoring advantage came to a screeching halt at Santa Clara. Osborne earned WCC Player of the Week honors for her efforts in the game.
“It was a lot of things, but we just didn’t get the work done,” said senior defender Mary Stuart. “We played really well the first 20 minutes. Then they had three PKs (penalty kicks) and that got our spirits down. It’s one thing to be losing 1-0, but when it’s 3-0, 4-0, you’re just kind of like, okay. I don’t know what to say, it was a blowout.”
Ward said that in his career as a coach and a player, he had never seen so many penalty kicks before.
The defeat dropped Pepperdine from No. 7 to No. 11 in the Soccer America poll. It also dropped to No. 13 in the Soccer Buzz, Soccer Times and the NSCAA/Adidas polls.
Down 2-0 in the second half, Ward decided to change systems and go with a 3-4-3 formation with one less defender and an extra midfielder.
“I don’t care if we lose three or four to nothing,” said Ward, “At that point, we’ve got to try to score.”
That scheme had worked in the team’s preceeding game against San Diego as the Waves scored two late goals, overcoming a 1-0 deficit. However, Santa Clara was able to exploit Pepperdine’s strategy this time, scoring three late goals to seal their first victory over the Waves during the past two seasons.
Prior to being shutout by Santa Clara, Pepperdine matched its own single season shutout mark at nine games with four games remaining by blanking Cal State Fullerton Oct. 3 and Loyola Marymount Oct. 12.
“We’ve got the record because it’s not just the backfield playing defense,” said Stuart. “When the team as a whole defends, we play real well.”
But Pepperdine is in the business of winning games.
“We’d trade that record for a win against Santa Clara,” Ward said with a laugh. “These next four games we’re really going to have to tighten up.”
The Waves still have a chance to win or, more likely, share the WCC title with a victory over Portland Friday and a total of four league games remaining. Pepperdine finished non-league play with a record of 10-2, and it is currently 2-1 against WCC foes.
Portland will continue play without senior pre-season All-American forward Christine Sinclair, the 2002 Player of the Year, who has not played with the team all season due to the World Cup. Sinclair earned a spot on the Canadian national team, which took fourth place after losing to the United States in the consolation game earlier this month. Portland coach Garrett Smith said Sinclair has missed too much school to return to the team this season despite leaving her on the team’s roster.
Portland marks the third team Pepperdine will play this season with a ranking in the top three.
October 23, 2003