Women’s Soccer: No. 15 Pepperdine Blanks San Diego 2-0 in WCC Play Sunday
Anisa Guajardo and Mandy Davis Score Goals for the Waves

October 21, 2012

SAN DIEGO – No. 15 Pepperdine attacked early and often and secured a 2-0 shutout victory at San Diego Sunday afternoon in West Coast Conference play at Torero Stadium. The Waves (12-4-0, 3-1-0 WCC) dispatch the Toreros (7-9-0. 3-2-0 WCC) for the second time this season.

Pepperdine got off to a slow start offensively in its last two matches, but took it to San Diego from the opening whistle. The Waves held a 20-5 shot advantage and upped the pressure in the second half with a 15-3 edge in attempts.

“We were really pleased with the response after Friday (a 3-0 home loss to Loyola Marymount),” Pepperdine head coach Tim Ward said. “In terms of possession it was our best match of the year. For most of the first half and the entire second half we played very well. We’re getting better at the right time of the year. To beat San Diego two times in a year is a big achievement. They’ve been to the NCAAs and have been playing at a high level for a long time. It’s a great result for us.”

Anisa Guajardo (Clovis, Calif./Buchanan HS) scored first for the Waves in the 17th minute off a corner kick from Michelle Pao (Cupertino, Calif./Monta Vista HS). It was the seventh goal of the season for Guajardo and her second in four matches. It was the team-leading ninth assist of the season for Pao.

“Anisa had a great goal and Pao’s service was brilliant,” Ward said. “It was a really great effort for us today. We got great contributions from our midfielders and the defense got a shutout which was really important from confidence standpoint. To single any individual out today does a disservice to the team.”

Mandy Davis (Danville, Calif./San Ramon Valley HS) added her third goal of the season in the 86th minute off assists from Ana Pontes (Houston, Texas/Clear Lake HS) and Taylor Vargo (Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos HS).

Roxanne Barker (Irvine, Calif./Woodbridge HS) collected a pair of saves en route to her sixth shutout of the season. With the win, Barker matches the program wins record (45) set by standout Anna Picarelli (2002-05).

Pepperdine controlled the first half and held a 5-2 shot advantage and four of their attempts were on target. Defensively the Waves did not allow a shot for San Diego until the 30th minute.

Pepperdine played with a man advantage from the 37th minute after San Diego’s Meghan O’Rourke collected her second yellow card.

Now the Waves shift their attention to the Pacific Northwest and the final regular season road trip of the season coming up next weekend.

“We have to be on task every single game if we want to win a championship,” Ward said.

Pepperdine takes on Portland Friday, October 26 at Merlo Field in the Rose City. Game time against the Pilots is set for 7:00 p.m.

NOTES: With her ninth assist, Pao moves into a share of fourth place on the single season chart. The all-time record is 10, set most recently by Lindsey Redlin and Emily Wynne in 2006 … After every loss for the Waves this season, the team has posted a shutout win in its next contest … Pepperdine defeated San Diego 4-2 in the season opener in a non-conference home match … Pepperdine now leads the all-time series against the Toreros 10-9-2, dating to the 1994 campaign … The Waves evened their road record at 3-3-0 with the win at USD.