Malibu, Calif. – Pepperdine women's soccer (10-6-2, 7-2-1 WCC) could not find an offensive groove against Portland (9-3-6, 6-1-3) WCC) Wednesday afternoon at Tari Frahm Rokus Field.
 
"We told the team the game was going to come down to moments," head Coach Tim Ward said. "We had two or three really good opportunities to score and we didn't take them. We will go back and recover, but then we have to go again."
 
Opening the match with two good looks on goal, Melina Livadas and the Waves were knocking early.
 
As the match progressed, the visiting Portland Pilots sewed up the defensive holes and by half, neither side would find the back of the net as it sat 0-0 at the break.
 
Without just two shots in the second half, Pepperdine struggled to break through to the attacking third in the latter 45 minutes.
 
Scoring off a clearance by the back line, the Pilots netted the sole game of the match in the 64th minute.
 
Held to two shots on goal, it is the lowest total for the Waves all season, previously held by a season-low four shots on goal at Arizona State. The 0-1 loss opens the title race up in the West Coast Conference as Pepperdine keeps hopes of hoisting the conference championship trophy alive with one match to go.
 
Up next, Pepperdine closes out the regular season in the Bay area at San Francisco. The match versus the Dons will kickoff at 1 p.m. With a stream on ESPN+ (subscription required) live stats will also be available at pepperdinewaves.com.
 
A win Saturday combined with a Saint Mary's loss against Santa Clara is the magic recipe for team 33 to be crowned West Coast Conference champions for the second year in a row.
 
ABOUT PEPPERDINE WOMEN'S SOCCER
Pepperdine women's soccer has been competitive since season one in 1993. As just the third head coach in the program's history, Tim Ward has led the Waves to 14 NCAA tournament appearances, winning the West Coast Conference five separate times and taking his squad to the round of 16 four times, most recently in 2021. With 23 winning seasons, Ward has proven he can lead consistently with excellence, garnering an overall record of 318-156-78.
 
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