No. 19 Waves Host Toledo, No. 1 Virginia This Week
9/2/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
This Week: The No. 19 Pepperdine women's soccer team continues early-season play by hosting a pair of non-conference matchups this week. The Waves host Toledo on Friday and then welcome the No. 1 team in the country, Virginia, on Sunday. Kick-off for those games will be 3 p.m. and 1 p.m. respectively.
Multimedia: Fans can watch both games live at WaveCasts on TheW.tv. Live stats for both games will be available at PepperdineSports.com. Fans can also follow @WavesSoccer on Twitter for live, in-game updates.
Last Week: Pepperdine went 1-1 last week, scoring a convincing 2-0 win over then-No. 13 Wisconsin on Friday, before falling 1-0 at home to Iowa State. The Waves got goals from Courtney Assumma (on a set piece from just outside the box) and Michelle Maemone in the win over the Badgers. The goal given up to Iowa State was the first the Waves have allowed this season.
Scoreless Streak: The Waves opened the season with three-straight shutouts, running their scoreless minutes streak to 324 before giving up a goal to Iowa State in their lone loss. The three consecutive shutouts were the most to starts a season since 2004, when the Waves opened with a program-record six-straight shutouts.
Player of the Week: Hannah Seabert picked up the first WCC Player of the Week honors after Pepperdine opened the season with two wins. Seabert held both opponents scoreless into overtime before her team could find golden-goal wins. Seabert posted six saves in the team's two wins.
Overtime Openers: The Waves opened the season with a pair of overtime wins, scoring early in extra time in both victories. Pepperdine downed Cal State Northridge at home to start the year, getting a penalty kick goal from Kristen Rodriguez in the 94th minute to win 1-0. The Waves got another 1-0 win against North Carolina State at the Torero Classic in San Diego on Sunday, with Taylor Alvarado scoring the game-winner in the 92nd minute.
Waves in the Rankings: The Waves moved to No. 19 in the NSCAA Coaches Poll after going 1-1 last week and moved to No. 21 in the Top Drawer Soccer rankings. Pepperdine opened the season at No. 10 in the coaches poll.
Right at Home: Pepperdine opens the season with five of its first six games at home. The Waves are coming off a season in which they went 9-1-1 at Tari Frahm Rokus field, bumping the program's home record to 147-44-25. Pepperdine hasn't lost a home opener since 2008.
Malibu Milestone: Pepperdine head coach Tim Ward hit a milestone last week, presiding over his 200th win at the helm for the Waves. Ward is in his 18th season with the team 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. 2014 was his fourth 15-win campaign. Ward's record is now 201-100-45 for his career.
Preseason Poll: The Waves were selected third in the WCC preseason poll behind No. 19 BYU (79 points, eight first-place votes) and Santa Clara (69 points, two first-place votes). The Waves picked up 63 points in the poll. Pepperdine picked up wins over both BYU and Santa Clara last season, suffering their only loss in WCC play to San Diego, who was picked fourth in the poll (61 points). Pepperdine finished last year third in the conference with a 6-1-2 record.
Preseason All-WCC: Hailey Harbison picked up Preseason All-WCC honors. Harbison (Rancho Penasquitos, Calif./Westview HS) got the preseason nod after taking home WCC Freshman of the Year and NSCAA All-West Region first team honors last year. She was a catalyst on both the offensive and defensive ends for the Waves last season, scoring one goal and recording two assists as an attacking outside defender. Harbison was part of a Waves defense that gave up just 16 goals all year, and led the conference with 11 shutouts and a 0.67 goals against average.
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.
