No. 8 Waves Ready for Final Non-Conference Tuneups
9/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 21, 2011
MALIBU, Calif. -- No. 8 Pepperdine is set to host Lamar on Friday at 3 p.m. PT for the first home game for the Waves in almost two weeks. The team will then go back on the road on Sunday to face Fresno State at 1p.m. PT. These two games are the last two non-conference matches on the slate for the Waves, as they will have a week off next week and will then be set to begin WCC play on October 6 vs. San Diego.
MATCH #11 -- Friday (Sept. 23) No. 8 Pepperdine vs. Lamar at Tari Frahm Rokus Field, 3 p.m.
MATCH #12 -- Sunday (Sept. 25) No. 8 Pepperdine at Fresno State, Bulldog Stadium, 1 p.m.
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.
LAST WEEK -- The Waves had two games on the road over the weekend, going 1-0-1. The team earned a 3-0 win over UC Santa Barbara and a 1-1 double-overtime tie at Cal Poly. At Santa Barbara, JR F Michelle Manning netted two goals, including one penalty kick and SR D Myriah Stockman added her second goal of the season in the victory. Against Cal Poly, the Waves got last minute heroics from JR F Anisa Guajardo, who tied the game up at 1-1 with 1:40 left in regulation.
SETTING RECORDS -- Now 10 games into the season, the Waves are undefeated at 7-0-3, a feat the program has only seen three times previously all-time. The three previous years and records are: 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 second straight week, moving up one spot to eighth place in the NSCAA poll. In the Soccer Times poll, the Waves are ranked No. 13 and in the Soccer America poll, they come in at No. 16.
WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK -- For the second straight week a Wave took home the WCC Player of the Week honor, as JR F Michelle Manningwas awarded for her two-goal game at UC Santa Barbara on Friday. She then led the team with nine shots, including three on goal in a 1-1 tie at Cal Poly on Sunday. The honor was the second of Manning's career.
LAMAR-- The Cardinals come to Malibu riding a two-game win streak, where they totaled 15 goals over two games. The team beat Southern 4-0 and Southern Texas 11-0. Overall the Cardinals are 3-3-1 on the season. The squad is led by Kimmy Albeno, who has netted five goals so far for the Cardinals. Six different players have scored two or more goals and six more have scored one goal.
ON THE RECORD -- This is the first meeting between Lamar and Pepperdine in school history. Lamar's soccer program first began in 2007.
FRESNO STATE- Entering the weekend, the Bulldogs are 4-3-2 and went 1-0-1 last weekend at Colorado College and Air Force. The Bulldogs have already played two similar opponents to the Waves, as they lost 4-1 to UCLA and 3-2 to UC Santa Barbara. They have also already played two other WCC opponents, earning a 0-0 tie with LMU and a 3-0 win over San Francisco.
ON THE RECORD -- Overall the Waves are 2-1 against Fresno State. In 2010, the Waves defeated the Bulldogs, 2-0 in Malibu. The last time the team traveled to Fresno was in 2000, where it lost 2-0.
IN THE STATS -- As a team, the Waves lead the conference in goals (20), goals per game (2), and points (48) and is tied for first in assists (18). Individually, FR F Lynn Williams sits atop the rankings in mulitple categories, including assists (6), assists per game (.6), points (40), shots (40), and shots per game (4.00). JR F Anisa Guajardo is tied for first in goals (6), goals per game (.67) and game-winning goals (3). JR GK Roxanne Barker leads with goals against average (0.55).
SCORING -- Wave strikers have gotten right to work in 2011, with four starting forwards netting a combined 17 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. FR F Lynn Williams has scored four goals in 10 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 Garcia netted 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.
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 Manningwas 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 3-0-1. Stemming back to the 2009 season, the Waves are currently riding a 15-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 Stockmanall 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.
