Soccer team struggles on road, looks to bounce back in conference opener.
ZACH ENGLUND
Sports Assistant
Coming off a loss against No.-3 UCLA, the Pepperdine women’s soccer team was looking to rebound and return to its winning ways on the road. Unfortunately, the mission was not accomplished, with the Waves (6-4-2) losing in two hard-fought matches against Utah and the University of Nevada in Las Vegas this weekend.
On paper, No.-20 Pepperdine was the favorite to win Friday, facing off against No.-23 Utah in Salt Lake City. However, every underdog has its day, as the Utes took full advantage of their scoring opportunities and played terrific defense all the way through, leading to a 2-0 upset victory over the disgruntled Waves.
With both teams still scoreless going into the second half, tension raised as time was running out for both teams to get on the board. Pepperdine had a plethora of opportunities to score, but never quite cashed in.
Utah, on the other hand, had fewer chances, but made the most of them. Amanda Feight scored the first goal of the game at the 61:15 mark, giving the Utes the elusive advantage. With the game almost over, Utah scored once again, closing the door to a possible Waves comeback, going on to win the game, 2-0.
Although Pepperdine lost to a lower-seeded team, Head Coach Tim Ward said he had no problems with the way his team performed.
“We actually felt like we played one of our better soccer games of the year,” he said. “We played very well, yet we had nothing to show for it.”
Ward explained that Utah seizing their opportunities was the main reason his team lost: “They took their chances and we didn’t take ours. They scored great goals.”
Their next match took them to Las Vegas, where they would engage in what proved to be a genuine war against UNLV on Sunday.
After battling for 90 minutes, the game still had no score, and in overtime, an already physical game became even more intense. Ward said he thought the refs might have let the girls play a little too much, and that UNLV was getting too many calls in their favor.
“This is going to sound like sour grapes, but the refs favored the home team,” he said. “After watching the tape, there were some influential calls that were made and not made that definitely favored UNLV. It was just unfortunate.”
Once again, the Waves had ample opportunity to score in regulation, with three shots taken in the first 10 minutes of the game, yet they were once again unable to capitalize.
The Rebels finally established their will in overtime, not allowing a shot attempt by Pepperdine in both overtime periods. Then, with 106:36 elapsed, UNLV’s Tanya Roberts headed the ball into the net off a free kick to give the Rebels the one and only goal of the match.
Ward knows his team could have performed better, but he said he understands away games are an uphill battle.
“I don’t want to give our girls an out,” he said. “But when you’re on the road, you not only have to be better than the other team, but also the officials.”
The team returns to Malibu plagued with injuries, with no shortage of calf, ankle and knee problems littered across the Waves’ roster. Because there’s a week off until their next game, Ward plans on giving the girls some much-needed rest.
“Our biggest concern moving forward is the health of our team,” he said. “We’re pretty banged up right now.”
Pepperdine’s next game is not until Sunday, when the team travels to Los Angeles to face Loyola Marymount.
10-05-2006
