Pepperdine Women’s Soccer dropped the home opener against USC 1-3 Aug. 25, at Tari Frahm Rokus Field.
Women’s Soccer moves to 2-2 on the season, however, Head Coach Tim Ward isn’t worried about the team’s loss.
“We just probably got beat by a team that’s a little bit more experienced and a little bit more athletic,” Ward said. “That hurts, but we move on and try to get better.”
Despite the score, Pepperdine started the game with intensity, scoring a goal within the first two minutes of the game.
Sophomore forward Julia Quinonez assisted the goal by dishing the ball out to Tori Waldeck, graduate student midfielder/forward, who was positioned on the left wing. Waldeck positioned the goal perfectly into the bottom right of the net, securing one goal on one shot.
Waldeck was able to secure the goal on the counter-attack, which Ward said coming into the game was the plan.
“They have some of the best athletes in the country,” Ward said. “So we thought, alright, make sure we’re tough to beat. Stay organized, hit them on the counter, and to be fair, [we] got a great counter-attacking goal early.”
However, this would be the only goal Pepperdine scored, recording only seven shots in the game, with only two being shots on goal.
USC tallied 15 shots, seven being on goal, however all of their goals came in the second half. One goal at minute 51:54, another at 60:57, and an own goal surrendered by Pepperdine at 76:04, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Pepperdine saw a lot of pressure on their goal end of the field as redshirt junior goalie Taylor Rath recorded five saves throughout the match. USC only had to save one shot in the entire match.
Rath said they aren’t concerned with this difference in saves and shots as it’s still early in the season and they will stick to their soccer style.
“We just continue to work and play our style of play,” Rath said. “All the girls know what we gotta do to take care of business, and from this result, we will continue to grow and learn from it.”
Despite the difference on the offensive side, Pepperdine showed a strong front on the defense end. Sophomore defender Peyton Leonard displayed a strong showing on both sides of the ball, playing for 77 minutes, while disrupting USC’s attacks and threatening them on the counter.
Despite the loss, Leonard sees this game as a good way to start their home opener for the season.
“I think it was a good game to start the home opener with just because there’s so many people out here,” Leonard said.
The fans were a big factor in Pepperdine’s intensity early in the match, and Ward said the importance of the crowd at home is vital to the teams success.
“You want to tap into it, you want to raise the performance levels, and you want to reward that crowd for coming out,” Ward said. “We know that in order for us to be successful, whether we win the WCC [Conference}, compete for the WCC [Championships}, or get an at large [NCAA bid}, we’ve got to protect this place.”
One of the ways Ward plans on protecting the home field is with our depth. Women’s Soccer holds a 30-player roster, with many players starting one match while coming in as a sub for another.
In the first half, Pepperdine saw four substitutions, while in the second that number jumped to 12. To Ward, these players aren’t subs, but game-changers, who can change the tempo of the match altogether.
“They’re not substitutes, they’re game changers, they’re impactors,” Ward said. “It’s my job is to create an environment going forward where even under the heaviest of pressure, they can feel calm and collected and find the solutions, because we do have them.”
The team stresses the importance of the home crowd for their matches and urges all Waves to come support.
“It’s extra motivation just seeing your friends and family in the stands,” Leonard said.
Pepperdine looks to bounce back with another home game Aug. 29 against Arizona at 3:00 p.m.
___________________
Follow the Graphic on X: @PeppGraphic
Contact Justin Rodriguez via email: justin.rodriguez@pepperdine.edu
