Women's Soccer Begins WCC Play at LMU on Saturday
10/6/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 6, 2010
Women's Soccer Weekly Notes 
MALIBU, Calif. -- The Pepperdine women's soccer team, unbeaten in its last five matches, begins West Coast Conference play against rival Loyola Marymount this weekend. Points are on the line in the second annual PCH Challenge, a season-long competition between the two rivals. Michelle Manning was named WCC Player of the Week on Monday.
MATCH #14 -- Saturday (Oct. 9) at Sullivan Field in Los Angeles, Calif.: Pepperdine (7-3-3, 0-0-0) at Loyola Marymount (8-3-0, 0-0-0) at 1 p.m.
ON THE WEB -- Live internet statistics via Gametracker will be available for all home matches at www.pepperdinesports.com. A link to the opponents' live stats program will be provided for road games.
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT -- Pepperdine is 9-5-4 all-time against Loyola Marymount. But, the Waves are looking for their first win since 2005 (0-2-2 since), as well as their first road victory in the series since 1996. The schools played to a 0-0 tie in 2009 in Malibu. The Lions won 1-0 in overtime in 2008, the last time this match was played at LMU. Five of the last six meetings, and eight overall, have gone to overtime.
PCH CHALLENGE -- The PCH Challenge, now in its second year, is a season-long competition encompassing all athletic meetings between local rivals Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount, who are separated by just 19.1 miles. Pepperdine won the initial crown in 2009-10 (14.5 to 8.5). LMU currently leads the 2010-11 scoring, 1.5 to 1.0. A home win is worth one point, a road win is worth 1.5 points. The two women's volleyball teams also play at LMU on Saturday.
LAST WEEKEND -- Pepperdine posted its biggest win of the year with a 1-0 road victory at then-#11 UCLA on Friday, snapping the Bruins' national-best 73-match home unbeaten streak. It was the Waves' first win over the Bruins since 1993 (0-12-1 since). Michelle Manning scored in the 23rd minute off a pass from Michelle Spacciapolli. It was an evenly played game, with UCLA holding a 10-8 edge in shots, but Pepperdine's defense recorded its fourth shutout in a row. The Waves' shutout streak then ended at 447 minutes in a 1-1 tie at CSU Bakersfield. Pepperdine outshot CSUB 21-10 but only Anisa Guajardo's equalizer in the 63rd minute found the back of the net.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK -- Pepperdine claimed its first WCC Player of the Week honor of the season when Michelle Manning was selected following her game-winning goal against UCLA. She was also chosen to CollegeSoccer360.com's Primetime Performers of the Week list.
WCC STATS -- Among conference teams, Pepperdine is second in goals-against average (0.66), third in goals per game (1.46) and fourth in shots per game (13.15) ... The Waves are committing the fewest fouls in the league (8.00 per game) ... Laura Cole is tied for first in game-winning goals (four), tied for third in goals per game (0.46), fifth in points per game (1.00) and tied for eighth in shots per game (2.31) ... Roxanne Barker is second in goals-against average (0.60) and tied for fourth in saves per game (3.92) ... Michelle Spacciapolli is tied for fifth in game-winning goals (two) and fifth in shots (2.83) ... Anisa Guajardo is tied for fifth in goals (0.38), sixth in points (0.92) and seventh in shots (2.46) ... Gunny Jonsdottir is tied for 10th in assists per game (0.25).
COLE -- Pepperdine is unbeaten (6-0-1) when junior forward Laura Cole (Whittier, Calif./La Habra HS) scores a point this season, and 5-0-1 when she scores a goal. Cole notched six goals as a 2008 freshman (earning All-WCC honorable mention and WCC All-Freshman honors), but was kept off the scoresheet entirely in 2009. She has bounced back in excellent form with team highs of six goals and 13 points thus far in 2010. Her tally of four game-winning goals is one shy of the school single-season record. After nine games, she had already scored more goals (six) than any Pepperdine individual in all of 2009.
GUAJARDO -- Sophomore forward Anisa Guajardo (Clovis, Calif./Buchanan HS) scored four goals in the season's first five games, quickly surpassing her freshman total of two tallies. She's the first Pepperdine player to record at least four goals and 10 points after five games since Emily Wynne in 2006. She now has five goals and 12 points, both of which rank second on the team.
2010 NOTES -- Pepperdine won on opening day (8/20 vs. Fresno State) for the second year in a row and the sixth time in the last eight years ... Pepperdine's four-goal output vs. Arizona (8/29) was the first time the Waves scored more than two goals since the end of the 2008 season ... Pepperdine had four different goal-scorers vs. Arizona (and again against Detroit), the first time that had happened since midway through the 2008 season ... Pepperdine has scored first in nine of 12 games where a goal has been scored ... Pepperdine is 7-0 when scoring a goal in the first half ... Just three players have started all 13 games: goalkeeper Roxanne Barker and central defenders Kelsea Smith and Kristin DeGrandmont ... Pepperdine matched 2009's season total of 18 goals in its 12th game (UCLA) and surpassed it in the 13th (CSU Bakersfield) ... The Waves had a shutout streak of 447 minutes between Sept. 18 and Oct. 3, and their four consecutive shutouts were their most since early in the 2004 season ... Pepperdine went 2-1-1 against the Pac-10.
2010 HONORS -- Michelle Manning was named WCC Player of the Week and was picked to CollegeSoccer360.com's Primetime Performers of the Week list on Oct. 4 after recording the game-winning goal in Pepperdine's upset win at UCLA ... Anisa Guajardo was named the Player of the Week by L.A. Soccer News on Sept. 7 (which includes all area college and pro teams, men and women) following a two-goal, two-assist weekend vs. Cal State Northridge and Detroit ... Manning, Gunny Jonsdottir and Michelle Spacciapolli made the all-tournament team in San Diego ... Spacciapolli, Katie Gallanes, Michelle Pao and Ana Pontes made the all-tournament team in Hawaii ... Spacciapolli, an All-WCC second team selection in 2009, was named to the preseason All-WCC squad ... Cole is ranked #56 on Top Drawer Soccer's list of the nation's top players (non-freshmen) ... Jonsdottir is ranked #56 on Top Drawer Soccer's list of the country's top freshmen.
BIO HIGHLIGHTS -- Gunny Jonsdottir is a member of the Iceland National Team ... Four Waves played in the U-23 club national championship match this summer: Rebecca Klamser and Kelsea Smith for the winning Camarillo Eagles team and Anisa Guajardo and Myriah Stockman on the second-place Arizona Rush side ... Katie Gallanes also won a club national championship this summer with the U-17 So Cal Blues.
2010 ROSTER -- The Waves bring back 14 of 24 letterwinners (including eight of 11 starters) as well as two redshirts, while eight newcomers complete the roster. Returning players account for 11 of the 18 goals (61%) and seven of the 11 assists (64%). The roster consists of just two seniors (Haleigh Guertin, now in her fourth year as a starting defender; and Michaela Carrera, a sixth-year senior), six juniors, eight sophomores, one redshirt freshman and seven true freshmen.
WARD -- Part of the program from nearly the beginning, Tim Ward is in his 13th season as the Waves' head coach. He entered the 2010 season with a 135-75-30 (.583) record with eight seasons of double-digit victories. His teams have posted nine winning seasons and five NCAA Tournament berths, including the Sweet 16 in 2002 and 2005. Ward has been with the women's soccer program for 17 of its 18 seasons, as he was an assistant coach from 1994-97 before being elevated to head coach.
SCHEDULE -- Twelve of Pepperdine's 20 matches come against teams that posted a .500 record or better in 2009, and six advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Waves faced nearly half the Pac-10 (Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA and Washington State) and played in tournaments hosted by San Diego and Hawaii.
WCC PRESEASON POLL -- The Waves were picked to finish fourth in the conference in a preseason vote of the league's coaches. The predicted order went as follows: Portland, Santa Clara, San Diego, Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, Saint Mary's, Gonzaga and San Francisco.
2009 IN REVIEW -- The Waves went 11-7-1 last season, good for their 11th double-digit win season and first since 2006. Pepperdine narrowly missed out on an NCAA Tournament berth after finishing 3-3-1 in the WCC, good for a tie for fourth place. Kelly Reilly and Michelle Spacciapolli made the NSCAA All-West Region second team, while Sophia Medina was on the third team. All-WCC honors saw Medina on the first team, Roxanne Barker, Reilly and Spacciapolli on the second team and Cammie Burke and Kelsea Smith on honorable mention.
WOMEN'S SOCCER HISTORY -- One of Pepperdine's youngest programs (it was established in 1993), the women's soccer team has also been one of its most successful over the last decade with five NCAA Tournament appearances, including Sweet Sixteen berths in 2002 and 2005. The Waves have posted winning seasons in 12 of their 17 seasons, including 11 years with double-digit victories.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE -- Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won a total of nine NCAA championships in five different men's sports -- one of just 14 schools to have accomplished this feat. Of the 14, Pepperdine is the only non-BCS school and has by far the smallest enrollment. The majority of Pepperdine's teams are ranked nationally year after year and compete for conference and national titles.
