MACK CARROLL/Staff Photographer
TAYLOR BIRD
Sports Assistant
After shutting out Denver for its first victory of the season Sept. 16, the Pepperdine women’s soccer team kept on rolling Friday, battling No.-6 UCLA to a 1-1 tie, on a rainy afternoon at Tari Frahm Rokus Field in Malibu.
The game was scoreless until the 43rd minute, when UCLA forward Lauren Cheney sneaked through a gap in the Waves’ defense and delivered an impressive goal.
“The goal [Cheney] scored was tremendous,” Waves’ Head Coach Tim Ward said. “That was a ridiculous individual effort and a fantastic strike.”
Pepperdine (1-4-2) answered just back just minutes later. With only 1:59 remaining in the first period and rain clouds threatening a downpour, sophomore forward Sophia Medina received the ball from the right wing and crossed to the middle to slip the ball into the goal for a 1-1 tie. This was Medina’s first goal of the season.
“That’s the first time all year we’ve gone down and come back,” Ward said. “And to do it against a nationally-ranked team like UCLA is really a testament to how hard the girls have been working.”
The rain started falling in the second half, and the team tried to jump on any chances to take the lead.
“When it rains, the ball skips a little,” Ward said. “There was more of a chance for a weird goal. We told our players not to play balls back to [goalkeeper] Kayla [Stolte], because the ball could skip or slide or something like that.”
The Waves were out-shot 4-1 in the second period, but Stolte had two saves to keep the score tied at the end of regulation.
Pepperdine barely missed the go-ahead point just three minutes into the first overtime period, when junior defender Ashley Copp smashed a free kick that deflected off the top of the goal.
After several other near misses by both teams, including a shot by Cheney in the 116th minute that Stolte blocked by diving to her left, the match ended in a 1-1 tie.
Both teams were neck-and-neck throughout the match. UCLA had 12 total shots to Pepperdine’s 10, and Stolte recorded four saves.
“This was definitely a big step for us, to come back from being down for the first time this season,” said Courtney Price, a sophomore forward. “We’re really pumped right now, and we keep taking steps forward.”
Ward said he is pleased by the effort his players showed versus sixth-ranked UCLA.
“You can’t really single anyone out because it was a tremendous team effort,” Ward said. “Everybody that stepped on the field today did a great job. Hopefully this is another result we can just build on.”
Although the Waves got off to a rocky start to the season, going both winless and goalless in their first five matches, Ward said he feels that his players have finally discovered the tools they will need to find success in the games to come.
“The younger players are figuring it out now,” Ward said. “Our team chemistry is better than it has been. I think our girls are starting to believe that on any day we can play with anybody.”
Pepperdine is in the midst of a seven-game homestand, which continues this weekend when the Waves host the University of Utah (5-2-1) on Friday and Cal State Northridge (2-4-1) on Sunday.
09-27-2007
