Soccer Teams Face Off Sunday For PCH Challenge Point
10/9/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
MALIBU, Calif. - Pepperdine's women's soccer team opens its 2009 West Coast Conference season at home Sunday with a 1 p.m. match against crosstown rival Loyola Marymount.
Both schools have been playing solidly this season and enter their conference lid-lifter with winning marks. Pepperdine improved to 7-4 following Thursday's 1-0 win over Cal State Bakersfield, while 8-3-1 Loyola Marymount is in the midst of a five-match unbeaten streak that dates back to mid-September.
With 17 matches between the rivals, the Waves have battled the Lions more than any other opponent in program history and lead the all-time series 9-5-3. Pepperdine won the first six meetings but are 3-5-3 since then and haven't won back-to-back matches in this series since 1996-97.
But just because the Waves haven't defeated the Lions outright since 2005, doesn't mean the matches haven't been close. In fact, all but three of their contests have been decided by one goal or less and four of the last five meetings have gone into overtime, including LMU's 1-0 home victory in 2008.
Because there are only seven conference matches within the WCC, every contest already takes on a playoff atmosphere. But with the recent creation of the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) Challenge between the Waves and Lions, the stakes are raised even higher as 12 of their intercollegiate athletic teams fight each other for points over the course of this season.
The school with the most points at the end of the 2009-10 academic calendar will be crowned PCH Challenge Champions and take possession of the PCH Cup. LMU currently leads the challenge 1-0 as a result of its neutral site win over men's water polo at the UCSD Triton Invitational.
Pepperdine's soccer team can tie the challenge at 1-1 with Sunday's home victory; however, LMU will be awarded 1.5 points if they can win at Tari Frahm Rokus Field, where the Waves are 5-1 this season. The schools will split the point, fifty-fifty, in case of a tie.
Click here for more information on the PCH Challenge, including a complete schedule and scoreboard.
The PCH Challenge aside, the real story of this year's match appears to be how Pepperdine's young defensive-minded team will stack up against a veteran-laden squad that returns eight starters from a year ago.
The Waves have done great for themselves on defense, which is anchored by four upperclassmen across the back line who've done an outstanding job of protecting freshman goalkeeper Roxanne Barker (Irvine, Calif./Woodbridge HS). Opponents have been averaging fewer than 10 shots per match and only three times have they been able to score two or more goals.
Barker already has been credited with six shutouts - tied for the fifth-highest season total in program history - and claims a 0.85 goals-against average to go along with 36 saves.
Fourth-ranked UCLA's offense even had its problems at Pepperdine despite winning 2-0. The Bruins were held to only four second-half shots, one of which was a goal scored with 43 seconds left in regulation as Pepperdine tried to push forward for an equalizer. Their other score was a Sydney Leroux penalty kick in the seventh minute.
The Lions, meanwhile, have received offensive contributions in the form of goals or assists from 12 of its players, including 10 full-time starters. Junior Julie Gallaudet leads LMU with 11 points on two goals and seven assists, and freshman Erin Rementer is making a push for WCC Rookie of the Year Honors, having scored five goals on just 19 shots.
Like Barker, Lions' goalkeeper Allyssa Clark also has registered six shutouts in addition to compiling a 0.90 GAA and 54 saves. LMU's defense allows an average of 12.5 shots per match.
For as much action as there's expected to be on the field Sunday, there will be just as much going on in the stands as Pepperdine welcomes back its alumni in addition to members from area club soccer teams.
Alumni and their families are receiving discounted admission into the match, while club team players and coaches are getting in for free. Contact Pepperdine's Athletics Promotions and Events Coordinator Kevin Borzenski at Kevin.Borzenski@pepperdine.edu for more information on these offers.
Additionally, the Waves' soccer team will be made available following the match to sign autographs on their 2009 schedule posters.
