A central theme of this season for the women’s soccer team has been adversity, and adversity is exactly what they faced in their final game of the season.
No. 22 Pepperdine played No. 23 California on Saturday Nov. 10 in Malibu. Not only did the team have to face a very strong opponent, they were also matched with an unusually windy day. Coach Tim Ward admits that the wind both hurt and helped each team. “We had the wind in the first half and we were on top of them and they had the wind the second half and they were on top of us.” The score remained 0-0 until Junior Ariana Martinez netted a goal for the Bears 86 minutes into the game. The abrupt and late goal by California left the Waves “feeling a bit like last year,” commented Coach Ward. The Waves finished No. 10 in the 2011 season after claiming the WCC Championship Title.
The team lost 1-0 in the first round in an over-time game against Long Beach State. Senior goal-keeper Roxanne Barker described the end of the season as a heartbreaker. “When it came down to it, we just couldn’t score. They had some great saves.”
Sophomore Ally Holtz echoed Coach Ward’s description of the season saying it was one filled with adversity. “We had to deal with a lot of injured players,” Holtz said.
Despite their injuries and hurdles they had to overcome, Coach Ward is “so proud of what we have achieved as a team this year.” The team knows that their last game “doesn’t reflect how our season was or show the things we have accomplished this season.”
The end to the season brought about tears for the senior Waves but no one can deny or ignore the contribution they have all made to the soccer program during their career. “We love our senior girls and they will be missed,” Coach Ward acknowledged.
Though their abrupt defeat led to the close of this season, the younger players are optimistic about the future for Waves soccer. Of the next season, Coach Ward said, “we can use [the last game] as motivation for next year.” Holtz has hopes for the rest of her career as a Wave. “I just want for our team to get one step forward than we did this year. Of course we all have dreams of an NCAA championship.”
