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Nov. 23, 2005
Malibu, Calif. -
WAVES IN REGULAR SEASON: The Waves ended a successful 2005 campaign as the program finished with a 15-4-3 overall record and a 3-2-2 West Coast Conference (WCC) record. The Waves kicked off the season in victorious fashion as they went 9-0-1 before posting their first loss to No. 4 UCLA. The 9-0-1 start by Pepperdine was its best in school history, surpassing the Waves' 3-0 opening to the 2004 season.
Pepperdine opened WCC action with a thrilling victory over LMU in double overtime. Senior forward Jenna Fodor scored in the final minutes to give the Waves their first conference win. The Waves snapped No. 1 Portland's 14-game winning streak when they played the Pilots to a 1-1 draw. Continuing success over ranked teams, Pepperdine topped then-No. 5 Santa Clara 1-0 when Fodor knocked in her fifth game-winning goal of the season concluding Pepperdine's regular season play with a momentous win.
In 22 games, the Wave defense along with senior goalkeeper Anna Picarelli, sophomore Kathryn Cumming and freshman Kayla Stolte registered nine shutouts on the season, including two in the postseason.
WAVES IN POSTSEASON: For the fifth consecutive year, the Pepperdine women's soccer team earned a bid to the 64-team NCAA Championships. The Waves traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, where they faced Mississippi in the first round and Samford in the second round of the tournament, which was hosted by Vanderbilt University. Pepperdine was the No. 4 seed in its quadrant. The other seeded teams included No. 1 North Carolina, No. 2 Florida State and No. 3 California.
The Waves posted two consecutive shutouts against the Rebels and the Bulldogs. Junior forward Lindsey Redlin scored the lone goal in the victory over Mississippi, while senior forward Megan Woods knocked in two goals for the win over Samford, advancing the team to the `Sweet 16'.
Pepperdine traveled to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where they faced the No. 2 ranked and 17-time National Champion North Carolina in the third round. The Waves fought a tough battle, but were eliminated 6-0 by the Tar Heels.
SENIORS END SUCCESSFUL COLLEGIATE CAREER: The 2005 campaign marked the final collegiate appearance for six Wave seniors. Forwards Megan Woods and Jenna Fodor, midfielders Kelsey Quane and Lisa Steepleton, defender Daniella Bosio and goalkeeper Anna Picarelli are the second group of Pepperdine seniors to appear in four NCAA tournaments. During their four-year careers, the Waves have compiled an overall record to date of 56-19-9, claimed one conference title and appear in the Top 25 all four years.
WAVES VS. RANKED OPPONENTS: The Waves had one of their most succesful seasons against ranked opponents as Pepperdine held an impressive 4-2-1 record this year against top teams. To kick off the 2005 campaign, the Waves topped then-No. 28 Central Florida 2-1 and then-No. 18 Arizona 3-1 in their first two matches of the season. On September 11, Pepperdine defeated then-No. 28 Kansas 3-2 and in the last regular-season match, Pepperdine edged No. 6 Santa Clara 1-0. The Waves battled Portland, the No. 1 team in the country, to a 1-1 draw, which ended the Pilot's 14-game winning streak. The Waves' only loss against a ranked opponent in regular season was to No. 4 UCLA on October 2, when Pepperdine lost in a 2-1 heartbraker. The Waves ultimately fell to No. 2 North Carolina, who advanced to the fourth round of the NCAA tournament.
WAVES IN TOP 25: The Waves have enjoyed a spot in the national rankings all season and with the win over Santa Clara, Pepperdine climbed the charts as they were ranked 14th by Soccer Times, 15th by Soccer America, 16th by Soccer Buzz and was back on the list by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America with a ranking of 18th during the week of November 7. Pepperdine's highest ranking was the week of October 3rd when it boasted a No. 7 national ranking.
WAVES POST IMPRESSIVE NON-CONFERENCE MARK: Over the last five-plus seasons, Pepperdine has registered a 68-12-9 (.815) non-conference mark. After falling 2-0 to Fresno State in the 2000 season opener, the Waves posted an impressive 22-match unbeaten streak before falling to No. 3 seed UCLA in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Dating back to the start of the 2001 season, Pepperdine is 45-5-7 (.851) during the regular season against non-conference opponents. The Waves had their 34-match regular-season unbeaten streak against non-conference opponents snapped by UCLA early in the 2003 season.
TOUGH TO SCORE ON: Since the start of the 2003 season, Pepperdine has been a difficult team for opponents to score. That season, the Waves established a school-record with 11 shutouts. In 2004, Pepperdine turned in another solid defensive effort as it posted 10 shutouts in 19 matches and set a single-season mark with a 0.60 goals-against average. Junior goalkeeper Anna Picarelli enjoyed a solid campaign as she led the West Coast Conference (WCC) with a 0.61 goals-against average. The Waves totaled nine shutouts in 2005.
PEPPERDINE SETS CONSECUTIVE MATCH SHUTOUT MARK: With shutouts in its first six contests of 2004, Pepperdine broke the school record for most consecutive shutouts. The previous record was four set in 2003.
PICARELLI NO. 1 ON CAREER SHUTOUT LIST: Senior goalkeeper Anna Picarelli entered the 2005 season as Pepperdine's all-time career leader in shutouts with 25. After posting back-to-back shutouts against Mississippi and Samford in the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament, a first for Pepperdine, she increased her career total to 32.5. Picarelli set a single-season record with 10.5 shutouts in 2003 and finished with 10 in 2004. She also entered 2005 as Pepperdine's all-time leader with a 0.72 goals-against average. Her 0.61 goals-against average in 2004 is a single-season school mark.
WAVES IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: Pepperdine made its fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance this year and advanced to the `Sweet 16' for the second time in program history. In 2004, the team ventured cross town to UCLA for the second straight year and lost a hard-fought 1-0 decision to the host Bruins. In 2003, the Waves traveled to nearby UCLA where they opened play against cross-town rival USC and posted a 1-0 victory over the Trojans. It marked the third consecutive year that Pepperdine won a first-round match. The Waves suffered a 2-0 loss to the host Bruins in the second round and have an all-time post-season record of 4-4. The Waves earned their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2001 and advanced to the second round where they lost to UCLA. Pepperdine earned the West Coast Conference's (WCC) automatic berth to the 64-team field in 2002 and reached the "Sweet 16" before falling to Michigan.
WCC PRESEASON COACHES POLL: Pepperdine was picked to finish fourth in the West Coast Conference by the league's coaches. The Waves returned 20 letterwinners, including six starters from last year's team that finished 9-7-3 overall. Pepperdine finished seventh in the WCC and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Waves suffered an opening-round 1-0 loss to UCLA at Drake Stadium. Rankings: 1) Portland (7) 2) Santa Clara (1) 3) San Diego, 4) Pepperdine 5) Loyola Marymount 6) Saint Mary's T7) Gonzaga T7) San Francisco (First-place votes in parenthesis)
PEPPERDINE SCHEDULE INCLUDED EIGHT RANKED OPPONENTS: The Pepperdine women's soccer program, which has become a nationally-ranked entity over the last four years, faced a challenging schedule in 2005 as it played eight teams ranked in Soccer Buzz' preseason poll, including three (UCLA, Portland and Santa Clara) that earned national Top 10 rankings. Other preseason ranked opponents include Arizona (No. 25), Utah (No. 26), Central Florida (28), Kansas (No. 29) and San Diego (No. 30). Additionally, the Waves schedule includes 10 teams (Central Florida, Arizona, Kansas, Southern Methodist, UNLV, Utah, UCLA, Portland, San Diego and Santa Clara) that participated in the 2004 NCAA Tournament.
THE PROGRAM: In the conclusion of its 13th season of intercollegiate competition, the Pepperdine women's soccer program has compiled an overall record to date of 147-85-24 (.621). The Waves achieved a program first in 2002 as they set a single-season record for most wins with an 18-2-2 mark and earned a share of their first-ever West Coast Conference (WCC) title. Pepperdine made its first-ever "Sweet 16" appearance, posting road wins over Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Wisconsin. The Waves' season came to an end in the third round when they suffered a 2-0 loss to Michigan in Ann Arbor. Pepperdine received its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2001 and advanced to the second round to finish the year with a 12-5-3 record. The Waves made their post-season debut against USC on November 16, 2001 and defeated USC, 1-0. Pepperdine's season ended with a 2-1 loss to UCLA in a second-round match. The Waves made their third straight NCAA appearance in 2003 and advanced to the second round and earned a fourth consecutive appearance in 2004. Pepperdine competed as a NCAA Division I independent team in 1993. In 1994, the Waves surprised the critics and finished an impressive third place in their debut West Coast Conference (WCC) season. The Waves turned in the best-ever performance in WCC play in 2002 as they compiled a 6-1-0 record and became the conference's first team to defeat perennial national powers Portland and Santa Clara in the same season. Pepperdine went 13-6-1 during the 2000 campaign and made post-season play for the first time.
Tim Ward: Tim Ward, who concluded his eighth season as head coach of the Pepperdine women's soccer program, has compiled an overall record of 99-45-18 (.667) and is the winningest coach in school history. Ward, who has led Pepperdine to five straight NCAA appearances, guided the Waves to their best-ever record of 18-2-2, including a 6-1-0 mark in West Coast Conference (WCC) play in 2002. Pepperdine tied Santa Clara for the WCC title with a 6-1-0 record and Ward was named the conference's "Coach of the Year." He was also named the West Region's "Coach of the Year" by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). Ward was named Pepperdine's third head coach in May of 1998, succeeding Kenny Dale, who served as the Waves' head coach from 1995-97. Prior to being named head coach, Ward served four years as an assistant under Dale and George Kuntz, the program's first-ever head coach. During his time in Malibu, Ward has been actively involved in all aspects of the Pepperdine program, including conditioning, practice planning, recruiting, scheduling and coordinating the highly successful Malibu Soccer Academy. Ward also served as Pepperdine's assistant sports information director. While an assistant for the Waves, Pepperdine accumulated a four-year record of 35-36-6 overall record and a 14-13-1 mark in West Coast Conference (WCC) play. Ward played his collegiate career at nearby California Lutheran in Thousand Oaks where the Kingsmen compiled a 57-18-8 record during his four years. California Lutheran won or shared the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SCIAC) championship in 1991, 1992 and 1993, and advanced to post-season play in 1990, 1991 and 1992. In addition to garnering academic All-American accolades in 1992, Ward was a first-team All-SCIAC selection in 1993 after earning second team honors in 1992.
WAVES AT HOME: With the conclusion of its 13th season of intercollegiate play, Pepperdine is 87-28-10 (.736) in matches played at Tari Frahm Rokus Field. Pepperdine posted its best-ever home mark in 2002, concluding the year with a 10-0-0 record. The Waves' previous best home records came in 1993 and 1996 when they went 8-1. Pepperdine finished the 2004 season with a 6-1-1 record and finished 8-2-1 in 2005.
WAVES ON THE ROAD: With the conclusion of its 13th season of intercollegiate competition, Pepperdine has compiled a 59-57-13 (.508) record in matches played on the road. The Waves were 6-2-2, including a 1-0-0 mark in neutral contests, on the road in 2002 and tied the single-season record for most road wins, equaling the 2000 team that went 6-4 away from Tari Frahm Rokus Field. Pepperdine finished the 2001 season with a 4-4-1 road record, including a 1-0 mark in neutral contests. The Waves were 6-2-0 on the road in 2003, including a 1-3-0 mark in neutral site contests. They concluded the 2004 season 3-6-1 on the road, including a 1-0-0 mark in neutral contests. Pepperdine finished 7-2-2, including a 4-0 mark of neutral site contests in 2005.
SPORTS INFORMATION HOTLINE: For updated information concerning Pepperdine athletics, including results and a schedule of upcoming events, please contact the Pepperdine Sport Information Hotline at 310-506-7373. The hotline will be updated on a regular basis throughout the course of the 2005-2006 school year.
ON THE WEB: For updated information concerning Pepperdine athletics, including results and schedules of upcoming events, on the Internet, please bookmark the following address: http://www.PepperdineSports.com.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on the women's soccer program, or to arrange interviews with players and the coaching staff, please contact Al Barba at the Pepperdine Sports Information Office by calling (310) 506-4455.
