JANE LEE
Sports Editor
The Pepperdine women’s soccer team continued its dominating play on home turf on Friday and Sunday, extending its unbeaten streak to four matches with a victory over Tulsa and a tie with Wisconsin at Tari Frahm Rokus Field.
Receiving goals from three players, the Waves (3-1-2) kicked off the weekend with a 3-1 win over Tulsa, dropping the Hurricanes’ record to 3-3.
After both teams got off to a slow start, senior Lindsey Redlin fed the ball to junior Samantha Hire, who controlled the ball and launched it into the net for her first goal of the season to put the Waves ahead at the 20:12 mark.
The Golden Hurricane pressured the Waves in the following minutes, however, as they crept the ball into the net to tie it up 1-1 after a shot ricocheted off Pepperdine goalkeeper Kayla Stolte.
Pepperdine would not allow another Tulsa goal, as the Waves dominated the remainder of the game.
At the 56:07 mark, Redlin received a pass from Hire and sophomore Emily Wynne and knocked it in the net for another goal to make it 2-1.
Less than 20 minutes later junior Jenna Shay delivered the ball to sophomore Amanda Rupp, who dribbled up the right side where she kicked the ball into the net to put the Waves up for good, 3-1.
Defenders Jennifer Brewer, Caitlin Mitchell, Courtney Nelson and Courtney Price played a key role in the game, preventing Tulsa from any scoring opportunities in the last 10 minutes of play and securing the victory for the Waves.
Pepperdine outshot Tulsa 19-8 as Redlin led all players with seven shots, including five shots on goal.
Stolte recorded three saves in the match and her third win of the season.
The four-match homestand concluded Sunday when the Waves played Wisconsin to a 1-1 tie.
The two teams played evenly until the 22:53 mark when the Badgers got on the board first to make it 1-0. The Waves regained control, however, as the offense began to dominate the field.
With fewer than 10 minutes to play and Pepperdine still down a goal, Wynne sent a pass to sophomore Rosanna Podesta, who fired a shot past the Badgers’ goalkeeper to even the score.
“I never once thought we wouldn’t come back,” Baker said. “Although they got up on us, I knew we would come back and score.”
Pepperdine dominated the field in both overtime periods as it took six shots and held the Badgers from any shots, but Wisconsin was able to keep the Waves out of the box to give both teams their second tie of the season.
“I think we played OK this weekend,” Baker said. “I would call it a decent performance because I know we can do better, but there were also some starters that didn’t play because of injuries.
“Because we didn’t have our normal starters on the field it kind of put pressure on the newer girls, but I think it was good because we’re all learning how to play well together.”
The Waves will hit the road this weekend, as they face Kansas in a 3 p.m. match Friday before traveling to Arizona State on Sunday for a 1 p.m. road match.
“I’m very optimistic about this weekend,” Baker said. “We’re facing two very good teams, but I think we’ll have some extra momentum since it’s our first big road trip.”
09-14-2006
