TAYLOR BIRD
Sports Assistant
The Pepperdine women’s soccer team continued its recent success over the weekend, tying the University of Utah, 2-2 on Friday and besting Cal State Northridge with a score of 3-1 on Sunday.
After a rough start to the season, the Waves have picked up steam of late and have not lost in their last four matches.
Pepperdine (2-4-3) got on the board first Friday. In the 27th minute, freshman forward Sage Coralli passed the ball to junior forward Amanda Rupp, who scored for her second goal of the season.
The Utes answered back in the 40th minute when forward Adele Letro worked the ball around Waves’ junior goalkeeper Kayla Stolte to even up the score, despite what appeared to be a missed offside call against Utah.
Pepperdine went back up on top in the second half. In the 69th minute, Waves’ junior forward Courtney Price veered the ball into the goal from about five feet outside the box to put her team ahead 2-1.
Ten minutes later, Letro was awarded a controversial penalty kick, and knocked the ball past Stolte for the equalizing point and her second goal of the match.
“I thought it was a little unfortunate that the game was decided on the P.K. [penalty kick],” Head Coach Tim Ward said, “It was sort of a weird call.”
Stolte said both teams played very well despite some questionable officiating.
“It was kind of rough; we deserved to win that game,” she said. “We definitely had our chances, [and] they had theirs. It was unfortunate that we didn’t win, but a tie’s better than a loss.”
Pepperdine got its offense going early on Sunday. In the 3rd minute of the match, freshman forward Kylie McDonald received the ball from senior midfielder Mckenzie Hill and kicked it past the right post to give her team a 1-0 lead.
The Waves scored again in the 29th minute, when junior forward Amanda Rupp crossed from the right to pass the ball to sophomore forward Sophia Medina, who poked it past Northridge goalkeeper Kellie Drenner.
The Matadors crept closer in the 71st minute, courtesy of a goal by forward Poirsha Woolfork after a series of passes to make the score 2-1.
But Waves’ freshman midfielder Nicole Romanowski put the game out of reach in the 82nd minute, when she smashed a ball up the center that deflected off Drenner’s outstretched hands for Pepperdine’s third and final point.
Ward felt Cal State Northridge played “a bit overly aggressive” during the game, but he said he was pleased with the way his players responded.
“I thought our girls handled themselves in an incredibly professional way,” Ward said. “We maintained a level of class and professionalism that really befits Pepperdine soccer players.”
Both teams were neck-and-neck throughout the match, each managing 12 shots and creating several scoring chances.
“We’re doing good now,” said sophomore forward Courtney Price. “We fought through and through even though they [Northridge] were cheap and dirty.”
Ward says he believes the team’s offensive struggles from the first part of the season are a thing of the past.
“I think we’ve been playing really good soccer,” he said. “We’re scoring goals finally. It’s fun to see that the ball is starting to hit the back of the net, and different players are stepping up to put it there. Our girls conducted themselves in the best possible way today, so we’re really pleased.”
The Waves will wrap up their seven-game homestand when they host Sacramento State (6-2-1) Friday and the University of Hawaii (7-2-1) Sunday.
10-04-2007
