No. 8 Waves Set to Begin WCC Slate
10/5/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 5, 2011
MALIBU, Calif. -- No. 8 Pepperdine is set to open the West Coast Conference schedule at Tari Frahm Rokus Field at 3 p.m. on Thursday as they host San Diego. The Waves will then travel to Provo, Utah to face BYU in the first WCC matchup ever between the two squads. The Waves are one of only eight NCAA Division I women's soccer teams that remain undefeated. They are off to their best start since 2002 when they started 10-0-2.
MATCH #13 -- Thursday (Oct. 6) No. 8 Pepperdine vs. San Diego at Tari Frahm Rokus Field, 3 p.m. PT
MATCH #14 -- Saturday (Oct. 8) No. 8 Pepperdine at BYU, South Field, 12 p.m. PT The game will be broadcast on BYUtv and is also available free online through byutv.org/live.
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. An all-sports pass, which provides admission to all Pepperdine sporting events, with the exception of men's basketball, is $100. Call the Ticket Office at (866) WAVE-TIX for more information. Pets are not allowed in ticketed areas.
ON THE WEB -- Live internet statistics via Gametracker will be available for all home matches at www.pepperdinesports.com.
LAST TIME OUT -- The Waves had last week off in preparation for the conference slate next on the schedule, but the previous time out, the Waves went 1-0-1. At home against Lamar, the Waves won 6-0, with five different players netting goals, including the first career goals for FR F Ally Holtz, FR MF Kristine Hilliard, FR MF Micaela Cervantes and SO D Michelle Pao. The squad then traveled to Fresno to face Fresno State. The Waves scored early, in the third minute to go ahead 1-0, but the Bulldogs came back to tie it up in the 73rd minute. After two overtime periods, the Waves and Bulldogs tied, 1-1.
SETTING RECORDS -- Now 12 games into the season, the Waves are undefeated at 8-0-4, setting a new school undefeated streak stemming back to last season at 13 games. The next four-best undefeated records include: 2002 - 12 games (10-0-2) 2001 - 11 games (8-0-3) 2005 - 10 games (9-0-1)
IN THE RANKINGS -- The Waves remain in the top 10 for the third straight week and sit at No. 8 in the NSCAA poll. In the Soccer Times poll, the Waves are ranked No. 12 and in the Soccer America poll, they come in at No. 17.
SAN DIEGO-- The Toreros are 5-6-0 so far on the season and are led by SR Stephanie Ochs, who has netted six goals so far on the season. She has been named to the NSCAA Hermann Trophy watch list. Natalie Garcia is next on the team with four goals scored. Courtney Parsons is in the goal and has made 36 saves on the season. The Toreros lead the WCC with 76 corners so far this season.
ON THE RECORD -- The Toreros lead the all-time record at 7-9-2. Last season the Waves fell, 2-1 to the Toreros in San Diego. The Waves haven't had the Toreros at Tairi Frahm Rokus Field since 2008, where they lost, 1-0.
BYU - The Cougars are 6-3-2 coming into their Thursday match with Portland. SR Jennie Marshall, JR Carlee Payne and FR Jaiden Thornock currently lead the BYU offense with three goals apiece. Their squad is deep, as a total of 11 different players have scored at least one goal, combining for 20 total through BYU's 11 games. The Cougars have a strong home-field advantage as they are averaging 3,213 fans per home game this year.
ON THE RECORD -- Overall the Waves are 1-1-0 against the Cougars. The last time the Waves travelled to Provo was in 1996, where they lost, 6-2.
IN THE STATS -- As a team, the Waves lead the conference in goals (27), goals per game (2.25), shots (183) and points (75) and is second in assists (21). Individually, FR F Lynn Williams sits atop the rankings in mulitple categories, including assists (7), assists per game (.6), points (40), shots (47), and shots per game (4.27). JR F Anisa Guajardo is first in goals (8) and goals per game (.73). JR GK Roxanne Barkerleads with goals against average (0.63) and save percentage (0.862).
SCORING -- Wave strikers have gotten right to work in 2011, with four starting forwards netting a combined 18 goals. JR F Anisa Guajardo has scored two goals in a game twice this season, once at California (8/19) and at home against Michigan (9/4) and leads the team with six goals. She has scored a goal in each of the last three games. FR F Lynn Williams has scored four goals in 12 games for the Waves, including what proved to be the game-tying goal on against UCLA. SR F Laura Cole has scored three goals for the Waves. JR F Michelle Manning has scored four goals on the season. SR F Karissa Garcianetted the first goal of her career in a 1-0 win against Long Island.
LINEUPS -- The 2011 Waves feature an excellent mix of experienced letterwinners and newcomers ready to make an impact. Five freshmen made their collegiate debuts in F Lynn Williams, F Amanda LeCave, MF Micaela Cervantes, MF Ally Holtz and D Nikki McKee. LeCave saw her first colleigate start against Long Island. Holtz saw her first collegiate start on Sept. 23 against Lamar.
2011 ROSTER -- The Waves bring back 15 of 24 letterwinners (including nine of 11 starters) as well as one redshirt, while 10 newcomers complete the roster. Returning players account for 25 of the 26 goals (96%) and 13 of the 19 assists (68%). The roster consists of four seniors, seven juniors, four sophomores, one redshirt freshman and 10 true freshmen.
2011 HONORS --Sophomore defender Michelle Pao was named to the 2011 preseason All-WCC squad. She picked up WCC All-Freshman honors and All-WCC first team honors in 2010, becoming the first freshman to be named first team since 1996. For her part in preserving a shutout against Arizona, JR GK Roxanne Barker was named SoccerSavings.com/LA Soccer News Women's College Player of the Week for the week ending August 21. After collecting 10 saves against UCLA to preserve the double-overtime tie, Barker was then named to collegesoccer360.com's Primetime Players of the Week list. SR F Laura Cole was bestowed with the honor of WCC Player of the Week (Sept. 12) after being named Offensive MVP of the LSU Invitational. She was also named SoccerSavings.com/LA Soccer News Women's College Player of the Week. JR F Michelle Manning was named WCC Player of the Week (Sept. 19) after a two-goal performance against UC Santa Barbara.
Tim Ward -- Part of the program from nearly the beginning, Tim Ward is in his 14th season as the Waves' head coach. He enters the 2011 season with a 144-81-35 (.621) record with eight seasons of double-digit victories. His teams have posted ten 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 18 of its 19 seasons, as he was an assistant coach from 1994-97 before being elevated to head coach.
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE -- The Waves are always extra tough at Tari Frahm Rokus field, owning an all-time record of 119-37-21. Through four games this season, the Waves are 4-0-1. Stemming back to the 2009 season, the Waves are currently riding a 17-game undefeated streak at home.
SCHEDULE -- 10 of Pepperdine's 20 matches come against teams that posted a .500 record or better in 2009, and eight advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Waves will face top teams from the Pac-12, Big 10 and Southeastern Conferences. Pepperdine will play a total of nine home games.
WCC PRESEASON POLL -- The Waves were picked to finish sixth in the conference in a preseason vote of the league's coaches. The predicted order went as follows: Portland, Santa Clara and BYU tied for second, San Diego, Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, Saint Mary's and Gonzaga and San Francisco tied for eighth.
2010 IN REVIEW -- The Waves went 9-6-5 last season. Pepperdine narrowly missed out on an NCAA Tournament berth after finishing 2-3-2 in the WCC, good for a tie for fifth place. Michelle Pao made the NSCAA All-West Region second team, All-WCC first team and WCC All-Freshman honors. Roxanne Barker, Laura Cole, Kristin DeGrandmont, Kelsea Smith and Myriah Stockman all received All-WCC honorable mention nods.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE -- Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men's sports - one of just 16 schools to have accomplished this feat - and nine overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest enrollment and is the only school not in a major conference. Located in scenic Malibu, Calif., the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation's most beautiful. Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks #55 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges. The 2011-12 school year marks Pepperdine's 75th anniversary.
