ZACH ENGLUND
Sports Assistant
The Pepperdine women’s soccer team, winning its last couple games at home, left Malibu and hit the road last weekend to face off against a couple of West Coast Conference rivals. The first stop at Saint Mary’s was a favorable one, with the Waves leaving Moraga, Calif., with their heads held high after beating the Gaels, 2-1, in exciting fashion. However, their trip to San Francisco proved to be more than they could handle, falling to the Dons, 2-0.
The Waves’ (9-5-3) match against Saint Mary’s (3-11-2) Thursday might have been a success, but the stat sheet alone tells very little of the drama that ensued in what was a tightly contested game from start to finish. Pepperdine dominated the first half of action, taking an impressive 14 shots to only four tries by the Gaels. After an excess of missed attempts, sophomore forward Amanda Rupp finally got one to fall for the Waves, scoring on a pass from sophomore midfielder Emily Wayne and giving Pepperdine a 1-0 advantage going into the half.
With just 49 seconds elapsed into the second frame, the players had barely gotten back on the field when the Gaels made a goal of their own, knotting it up at one apiece in a game that now had Saint Mary’s thinking about a possible upset against a superior Waves team. With the contest still deadlocked as the clock wound down, a tie seemed almost inevitable from the way things were going on the field, with neither team really controlling the match. Trying to play the hero once again, Rupp’s shot from 10 feet out was deflected off a defender, yet bounced favorably to freshman midfielder Kelly Reilly, who quickly struck the ball into the back of the net, giving the Waves a 2-1 lead with fewer than five minutes remaining in the game and spoiling the possible upset for the Gaels.
The Waves packed up their bags and headed to San Francisco to take on a team that, despite their record (5-11-2), showed that they should not be taken lightly.
“San Francisco played really well,” said Head Coach Tim Ward. “Their record may not have been great, but they were one of the toughest teams we’ve played all year.”
The Dons wasted no time getting on the board, scoring within the first 10 minutes and establishing themselves early on as a threat. With both teams trading shot after shot, San Francisco once again got the better of Pepperdine’s defense, shooting another one in at the 39:26 mark. The Dons took full advantage of their opportunities, which is something the Waves had trouble doing throughout the entire contest.
With San Francisco leading 2-0 at the half, Pepperdine came out with a fire in their bellies, completely dominating the second half en route to 10 shot attempts while allowing none to the Dons. Even with such an inspiring second-half effort, the Waves just could not squeeze any shots past the goalie for San Francisco, leading to a disappointing 2-0 defeat from the hands of their rival underdog.
Even with a split on the road, Ward said he feels the girls could have easily won both games, and sometimes the ball just did not bounce their way.
“I think the girls can feel pretty good about their performance over the weekend,” he said. “The ball just wasn’t going into the net against San Francisco, and that happens sometimes.”
There are three games left in the season for the Waves, starting on the road against CSU Northridge today, and Ward believes the team can finish strong.
“It comes down to character, and our girls have a ton of it,” he said.
10-26-2006