Waves Visit Santa Clara, San Diego
10/16/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
UPCOMING — The Pepperdine women’s soccer team (3-5-5, 0-1 WCC) has one of its most challenging weekends of the season as it faces two ranked West Coast Conference opponents on the road in #9 Santa Clara and #11 San Diego.
MATCH #14 — Friday (Oct. 19) at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.: Pepperdine at #9 Santa Clara (8-3-2, 0-1) at 6 p.m.
MATCH #15 — Sunday (Oct. 21) at Torero Stadium in San Diego, Calif.: Pepperdine at #11 San Diego (10-1-2, 1-0) at 12 p.m.
OPPONENT INFO — Pepperdine is 4-9-0 all-time against Santa Clara, but has won the last two in the series, beating the Broncos in Malibu by 1-0 scores in both 2005 and 2006. The Waves have never won at Santa Clara and are 0-6 there. Santa Clara is ranked #9 by Top Drawer Soccer, #11 by the NSCAA, #12 by Soccer Buzz and #13 by Soccer America and Soccer Times ... Pepperdine is 7-6-1 all-time against San Diego and hasn’t lost to the Toreros since 2001. Pepperdine has won the last two meetings and is 4-0-1 in the last five meetings. The Waves are 3-4 in San Diego. The Toreros are ranked #11 by Soccer America, #14 by Soccer Buzz and Soccer Times, #18 by the NSCAA and #21 by Top Drawer Soccer.
LAST WEEK — In their final non-conference game, the Waves got two goals from Emily Wynne in the final 20 minutes to erase a 1-0 deficit and post a 2-1 win at UC Santa Barbara last Thursday (Oct. 11). Amanda Rupp assisted on both goals. It was Pepperdine’s first win away from Malibu in 2007 and extended the Waves’ unbeaten streak to seven games. Unfortunately, that streak ended in the conference opener as Loyola Marymount posted a 1-0 victory in Malibu on Sunday (Oct. 14). The Lions scored on a penalty kick in the 13th minute, while the Waves got one in the 90th minute but had it blocked by the LMU goalkeeper. The Waves outshot the Lions 12-5.
TOUGH SCHEDULE — Pepperdine’s record can be explained partly by the fact that the Waves have played possibly the most difficult schedule in the country. The win-loss total of Pepperdine’s 13 opponents thus far is 96-50-29 (.631) according to the NSCAA scoreboard. And, according to www.soccerratings.com, at one point this season Pepperdine had the highest-rated strength of schedule in the country. The site also ranked Pepperdine at #54 nationally last week despite having only two wins at the time.
TIES — Pepperdine’s fifth tie of the season (which came in the 11th game) set a new school record, surpassing the four that were recorded in 1998. Also, for whatever it’s worth, the Waves have not lost this season when they’ve scored a goal.
YOUTH — The nucleus of Pepperdine’s team will be together for two straight years, as the 2007 Waves have only three seniors, two of whom are in their final year of eligibility. The breakdown is as follows: three seniors, eight juniors, six sophomores and seven freshmen.
WCC STATS — Pepperdine is fifth in the conference in goals-against average (0.92) and seventh in goals scored (1.00) ... Kayla Stolte is fourth in goals-against average (0.92) and seventh in saves (3.2) ... Amanda Rupp is tied for sixth in goals (four), tied for sixth in assists (four) and tied for seventh in points (12) ... Emily Wynne is fourth in shots per game (2.6).
TIM WARD — Now in his 10th year as head coach of the Waves, Tim Ward has developed Pepperdine to where it is on the verge of being a national power. The Waves have made the NCAA Tournament in five of the last six years. Ward has been with Pepperdine from nearly the beginning, as the program was established in 1993 and he became an assistant coach in 1994 before being elevated to the head position in 1998.
GOOD WORK — One of the team’s goals is to be the most socially conscious program in the country, so most Pepperdine women’s soccer players weren’t wasting away the summer at the beach. Among the interesting accomplishments from summer 2007: senior midfielder McKenzie Hill, junior midfielder Jenna Shay and junior forward Emily Wynne spent three weeks in Uganda, Africa, putting on soccer clinics and volunteering at a medical clinic in a rural village ... Freshman defender Cammie Burke did a month of community service in Fiji ... Junior defender Ashley Copp studied vertebrate biology in Argentina ... Junior forward Amanda Rupp studied in Florence, Italy ... Junior midfielder Samantha Hire and junior defender Michaela Carrera went on a mission trip to Honduras.
WCC PRESEASON POLL — The Waves were picked to finish third in the West Coast Conference in 2007 in a preseason vote of the coaches. Only long-time powers Portland and Santa Clara ranked ahead of Pepperdine. Following the Waves in the voting were San Diego, Loyola Marymount, Gonzaga, San Franciso and Saint Mary’s.
PEPPERDINE HISTORY — The Waves have made five NCAA Tournament appearances in their 14-year history, with all of them coming in the last six years. Pepperdine advanced to the Sweet 16 in both 2002 and 2005. The Waves also captured a share of the 2002 WCC title.
2006 RECAP — The Waves fell on the bubble heading into the 2006 postseason and unfortunately were not awarded an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament despite an 11-6-3 record and a third-place finish in the WCC at 4-2-1. Lindsey Redlin and Emily Wynne each tied a school record with 10 assists and made the All-WCC first team and second team, respectively. Kelsey Baker was also on the second team and Jen Brewer and Sophia Medina were honorable mention. Medina and Courtney Price made the WCC All-Freshman team.
TARI FRAHM ROKUS FIELD — Located on the campus of Pepperdine University, Tari Frahm Rokus Field might just be the most beautiful soccer facility in the nation with its view of the Pacific Ocean. It has been the Waves’ home field since the program was established in 1993. The Waves have won more than 70 percent of their home games at Rokus Field, which is surrounded by the Stotsenberg Track.
TICKETS — Single-match tickets to all home women’s soccer games are $8 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and free to all Pepperdine students and faculty with a university ID.
UP NEXT — Pepperdine plays two of its final three home games next weekend as the Waves host San Francisco and Saint Mary’s on Friday and Sunday, Oct. 26 and 28, respectively.
