Waves Host Wells Fargo PCH Cup Rival LMU on Sunday
10/29/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
MALIBU, Calif. The No. 12 Pepperdine women's soccer team enters the final home stretch of the regular season, hosting Wells Fargo PCH Cup rival Loyola Marymount on Sunday, November 2 at 1 p.m. It is the first of two home matches left on the Waves' schedule before the postseason.
Multimedia: Fans can watch Sunday's game live on WaveCasts. Live stats for the game will also be available at pepperdinesports.com. Fans can also follow @PeppSoccer on Twitter for live, in-game updates.
Last Week: Pepperdine picked up its first road victory at Portland since 2002 on Friday with a 1-0 shutout ... Kristen Rodriguez charted her first game-winning goal of the year ... Despite Lynn Williams' strike early in the second half at Gonzaga on Sunday, the Waves settled for the draw in Spokane.
Waves in the Rankings: The Waves currently sit at No. 12 in the NSCAA Coaches Poll. Pepperdine spent two weeks in the Top 10, reaching as high as No. 7. The Waves also came in at No. 12 in the Top Drawer Soccer rankings and No. 13 in the Soccer America ratings. Pepperdine leads the WCC with its No. 18 NCAA RPI rating.
WCC Race: With two games left to go, Pepperdine trails first-place BYU by four points, and holds a two-point advantage over Santa Clara. First place is still within striking distance for the Waves if they win on Sunday and if BYU returns from its Saint Mary's-Pacific road trip without a win. Pepperdine has twice tied for first in the final WCC standings, first in 2002 and again in 2011.
Program Best: The Waves' 13-2-3 record is the third best in program history through 18 games, just behind the 2002 (15-1-2) and 2011 squads (13-1-4). The team's seven-game winning streak earlier this year is tied for the second longest in program history and is the best since 2003 when the team also won seven-straight. Both the 2000 and 2002 teams won eight straight to set the program record. The 2002 team finished the year 18-2-2, made a run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and achieved the highest final-season ranking in program history at No. 5 in the country. The 2011 Waves finished the year ranked No. 10.
LMU: Loyola Marymount is 2-4-1 in WCC games and 9-6-2 overall. Pepperdine is 11-6-5 in the series against the Lions, including a 6-3-1 tally while playing in Malibu. LMU got the upper hand against the Waves during the last meeting at Tari Frahm Rokus Field in 2012, winning 3-0. Pepperdine has played to a draw with the Lions more than any other team it has ever faced (5).
Lucky 13: The Waves' last victory gave the team its eighth 13-win season in program history. Since 2001, the Waves have had six 12-win seasons and in each one the team has made the NCAA Tournament. The 2002 team set the program record with 18 wins.
Williams' Awards: Lynn Williams has picked up plenty of recognition for her play this season, taking home the WCC Player of the Week honors twice already. She was also named Top Drawer Soccer's National Player of the Week and to the College Soccer 360 National Honor Roll earlier this season.
Lynn Williams All-Time Rankings:
- 2nd in goals scored - 36
- 1st in game-winning goals - 15
- 2nd in total points - 90
- T-5th in assists - 18
- T-6th in games started - 72
- 1st in shots - 369
Hannah Seabert All-Time Rankings:
- 6th in saves - 175
- T-4th in win total - 22
- 4th in shutouts - 13
MAC Hermann Watch List: Lynn Williams was one of 63 players named to the preseason MAC Hermann Award Watch List this season. The MAC Hermann Trophy is the most prestigious individual award in NCAA soccer presented annually to one male and one female athlete. The winners will be announced Friday, Jan. 9, 2015, at the trophy presentation banquet at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.
Holtz's Helpers: Ally Holtz tied a program record with three assists in the Waves' 5-0 win over Pacific. The senior midfielder set up Pepperdine's first goal of the day by sending a pass across the face of the goal to Taylor Alvarado. Late in the second half Holtz combined on a give-and-go to set up the team's third goal and then found Williams for the fourth.
Balanced Attack: Pepperdine has 11 different players that have found the back of the net thus far this season. Seven players have scored multiple times through 18 games and seven players have recorded multiple assists. Seven different Waves have come up with game-winning goals for Pepperdine as well.
National Stat Rankings: The Waves .806 winning percentage is 17th in the NCAA and they are currently 15th in the nation with a 0.588 goals against average. Williams' five game-winning goals ranks 15th in the country and Seabert's 0.593 goals against average is 23rd.
WCC Stat Rankings: The Waves lead the WCC with 11 goals allowed and have a WCC-best 10 shutouts. The Waves are second with 30 goals scored. Williams leads the league in shots (101) and game-winning goals (5) and Hannah Seabert's 0.590 goals against average eight shutouts are the best in the WCC. Williams' 11 goals are third. Ally Holtz rates tied for third with seven assists, while Colby Carson ties for eighth with five.
Ward Watch: With two regular-season games remaining, Pepperdine head coach Tim Ward sits four wins from 200 in his career. Ward is in his 17th season with the Waves after taking over as the Pepperdine head coach in 1998. His team posted a program-best 18 wins in 2002 and has recorded double digit win totals in 12 of his 17 seasons.
Non-Conference Tests: The Waves have excelled through a tough non-conference schedule, finishing non-conference play 9-1-1. Pepperdine has wins over teams from the ACC (North Carolina), Pac 12 (USC), Big 10 (Maryland) and SEC (Kentucky) this year. The Waves have beaten two teams currently at least receiving votes the NSCAA Top 25, downing No. 7 North Carolina 1-0 and USC (RV) 2-1. Pepperdine's only loss came at the hands of No. 1 UCLA and the team's only tie came in a scoreless game against No. 21 Washington State.
Scoreless Streak: The Waves had a streak of 397 scoreless minutes broken against UCLA earlier this season. Pepperdine had not allowed a goal since their season opener before playing the Bruins. The Waves currently have a 133 minute scoreless streak going.
Conquering Carolina: The Waves picked up one of the biggest wins in program history earlier this year, taking down 21-time NCAA Champions North Carolina. The Waves got a 71st minute goal from Williams and then held on to the clean sheet to seal a 1-0 victory over the then ninth-ranked Tar Heels.
Kentucky Thriller: The Waves scored a thrilling 3-2 win at Kentucky this year, getting the winning goal two minutes into OT from Lynn Williams. It was Williams' second goal of the game as she previously gave Pepperdine the lead in the 82nd minute. The Wildcats tied the game up with a goal just 32 seconds before the final whistle, but the Waves regrouped to win in overtime.
Player of the Week: Bri Visalli picked up her first career player of the week award after recording two goals and an assist three weeks ago. Visalli scored the game-winner against USF and scored the equalizer and assisted on the winner against Santa Clara. They were the first collegiate scores for the freshman.
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 17 schools to have accomplished this feat — and nine overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment, is the only school without football and is the only university that has not been affiliated with a "major" conference. The Waves have won a total of 23 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that's given to the top non-football school, three times (most recently in 2011-12). 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 #54 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.
