If the opening games for the Pepperdine women’s soccer team are any indication as to how the rest of the season will go, soccer fans have a lot to be excited about.
The Waves took on Cal Berkeley Aug. 19 and defeated the Bears 2-1 before taking on Arizona at home Aug. 21. The Wildcats fell to the Waves 2-0, giving the Waves a 13-5-1 home opening record.
Junior midfielder Michelle Manning and freshman forward Lynn Williams netted a goal each for Pepperdine in the match while junior goalkeeper Roxanne Barker recorded her first shutout of the season with eight saves.
The Waves’ schedule for the rest of the season consists of games against the Big Ten, Pac-12, and nine home contests. The first game of the West Coast Conference is scheduled on the road against Loyola Marymount University Oct. 9.
In February of 2011, Head Coach Tim Ward announced seven national letter-of-intent signings, according to an article written by Pepperdine Sports. Signees include defender Courtney Assumma, midfielder/forward Kristine Hilliard, defender/forward Briana Lariviere, midfielder/forward Amanda LeCave, defender Nikki McKee, defender Jackie Pedrazza, and Williams.
In May, three other freshmen signed paperwork to attend Pepperdine, bringing the total number of new recruits to 10. May recruits include defender/midfielder Micaela Cervantes, midfielder/forward Ally Holtz, and defender Lisa Santroch.
“In my line of work I get to recruit the people I want to work with, and I think our staff has done a great job of creating great women,” Ward said of the 10 freshman.
“We also return a great amount of veteran leadership,” Ward continued in reference to last year’s team that concluded last season with a 9-6-5 record and a win over UCLA who was ranked seventh in the country.
The veteran leadership will prove to be important as six of the Waves’ opponents this year qualified for last year’s NCAA tournament and Pepperdine’s 20 opponents enter the season with a combined record of 200-169-33.
The goals Ward outlined for the team against said opponents are hardly surprising.
“To be in the NCAA tournament we need to get into double digit wins. Having said that, we know that’s what we desire, but we are really focusing on one day at a time … if we play great and happen to lose, there is no shame in that,” Ward said.
The Waves will face regional rival Cal State Northridge Sept. 3 before beginning their longest homestand of the season Sept. 5.
“We have the quality that can compete day in and day out,” Ward emphasized. “There are no small teams in college soccer … we have to show up.”
