The Waves proved their worth as one of the top 10 teams in the nation once again after a record-setting weekend. Coming into the Sept. 23 weekend, the No. 8 Waves were looking strong with an impressive 11-game streak of victory dating back to last season and were looking to expand upon their success with a win over the Lamar Cardinals and Fresno State Bulldogs.
This started with an impressive dismantling of the Lamar women’s soccer team with a final score of 6-0. This game saw three Waves gain their first career goals. The game started with sophomore and Cupertino native Michelle Pao scoring her first career goal and giving the Waves an early 1-0 lead over Lamar. Freshmen Ally Holtz, Micaela Cervantes and Kristine Hilliard also chipped in their first career goals for the Waves, making the score 4-0, 5-0 and 6-0 respectively.
Throughout the game, the Waves showed their strength and depth as the team’s offense completely overwhelmed the Lamar Cardinals’ defense, which appeared confused at times. The Waves’ offense even forced Lamar to score on itself earlier in the game, making the score 2-0. Freshman Anisa Guajardo continued her impressive season as well, bumping up the score to 3-0 at the time.
Following the game, Head Coach Timothy Ward appeared optimistic, but remained direct. He stated that although he was pleased with the team’s performance, he
had expected the victory, and ultimately wanted to make sure the players maintained their focus going into their match against Fresno State. And the team did.
Sunday afternoon, following a 1-1 tie with Fresno State, the team set a new all-time record for women’s soccer, remaining undefeated for 13 straight games.
The Waves experienced a tough battle at their final non-conference match of the season against the Fresno State Bulldogs. The team persevered through double overtime, their fifth extra period match and fourth double overtime match of the season.
Guajardo lead the charge with an impressive performance, scoring her eighth goal of the season and giving the team an early first half lead. For a while it appeared that the one goal may have been enough, after several successful saves by goalkeeper and junior Roxanne Barker. The team held strong until the 72:18 mark at which Fresno State’s Kayla Kret scored on a corner kick, tying the game. This proved to be the final score of the game, with neither team able to break the tie through extra time.
The Waves, now at 8-0-4 and No. 8 in the nation, continue to impress going into conference play. They have the upcoming weekend off, and will then face San Diego. They will have their first out-of-state match against BYU in Utah on Oct. 8.
