Women's Soccer Hosts UC Irvine, Dartmouth
9/7/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 7, 2010
Pepperdine Women's Soccer Notes 
MALIBU, Calif. -- With nine goals in its last three games, the Pepperdine women's soccer team hopes to keep its strong offensive play going with home matches against UC Irvine and Dartmouth this weekend.
MATCH #6 -- Friday (Sept. 10) at Tari Frahm Rokus Field: Pepperdine (3-2-0) vs. UC Irvine (3-1-1) at 3 p.m.
MATCH #7 -- Sunday (Sept. 12) at Tari Frahm Rokus Field: Pepperdine vs. Dartmouth (1-1-0) 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.
TICKETS -- Single-game prices are $8 for adults, $5 for students/seniors/children and free to all Pepperdine students, faculty and staff (and their dependents) with a valid Pepperdine ID. A season pass costs just $36. Call the Ticket Office at (866) WAVE-TIX for more information.
UC IRVINE -- Pepperdine is 7-4-1 all-time against UC Irvine, including a 4-1 mark at home. The schools have only met once in the previous six seasons, a 2-1 Anteater victory in Irvine in 2008. That ended a five-match Pepperdine win streak. UCI enjoyed a 6-2 home win over WCC rival Gonzaga earlier this season.
DARTMOUTH -- This is the first meeting between Pepperdine and Dartmouth.
LAST WEEKEND -- The Waves lost 2-1 at Cal State Northridge but bounced back nicely with a 4-0 home rout of Detroit. Anisa Guajardo scored the game's first goal at CSUN, but the Matadors scored twice late, including the winner on a Wave own goal in the 88th minute. In the victory over the Titans, Guajardo had a goal and two assists, Ana Pontes scored her first career goal and Laura Cole and Michelle Spacciapolli also scored. The Waves attempted 19 shots at CSUN and 18 vs. Detroit.
WCC STATS -- Among conference teams, Pepperdine is tied for second in goals per game (2.20), fourth in shots per game (14.00) and sixth in goals-against average (1.00) ... Anisa Guajardo leads the conference in points per game (2.00), goals per game (0.80, tied) and shots per game (3.80) ... Laura Cole is tied for second in game-winning goals (two), tied for seventh in shots (2.40), tied for seventh in goals (0.60) and tied for 10th in points (1.20) ... Roxanne Barker is third in saves per game (4.00) and sixth in goals-against average (0.85).
GUAJARDO -- Sophomore forward Anisa Guajardo (Clovis, Calif./Buchanan HS) has scored a team-high four goals in five games. She's working on a streak of three consecutive games with a goal. She's the first Pepperdine player to record at least four goals and 10 points after five games since Emily Wynne in 2006.
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.
2010 HONORS -- 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) ... Gunny Jonsdottir, Michelle Manning and Michelle Spacciapolli made the all-tournament team at the USD Tournament ... Spacciapolli, an All-WCC second team selection in 2009, was named to the preseason All-WCC squad.
2010 ROSTER -- The Waves bring back 14 of 24 letterwinners (including eight of 11 starters) as well as one redshirt, 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 one senior (Haleigh Guertin, now in her fourth year as a starting defender), 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.
GOALS -- It's the same for every team, but a particular area of emphasis for the Waves will be putting the ball in the back of the net. Despite last year's successful record with 11 wins, the Waves managed just 18 goals in 19 games, were shut out six times and never scored more than twice in any one contest. Michelle Spacciapolli and Callie Payetta are the top returning goal-scorers with four apiece in 2009, while Anisa Guajardo netted two in limited action and Michelle Manning had one.
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 will face nearly half the Pac-10 (Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA and Washington State) and will play in tournaments hosted by San Diego and Hawaii. Pepperdine will play a total of nine home games.
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.
