Women’s Soccer: Waves Seize 1-0 Overtime Win at No. 23 USC on Lynn Williams Game-Winner
All-American Candidate Tallies Sixth Goal, Third Game-Winner of the Season

September 13, 2013

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MALIBU, Calif. – Freshman goalkeeper Hannah Seabert and a stout defense got Pepperdine to overtime and Lynn Williams provided her third game-winner to down No. 23 USC 1-0 in the first period of bonus soccer at McAlister Field. The Waves (3-2-1) improved to 2-1-1 against top-25 opponents at the expense of the Women of Troy (3-2-1) in the first regular season meeting between the two clubs since 1998.

Both teams created a ton of dangerous scoring chances, but the defense remained steadfast on both ends. After a regulation featuring a combined 34 shots resulting in 18 saves, Williams (Fresno, Calif./Bullard HS) received the ball at the edge of Pepperdine’s defensive third and broke away down the far sideline. USC’s keeper came out to challenge but Williams buried it to the far post left-footed for the dramatic victory in the 94th minute.

“Let’s be honest, that is a very good soccer team,” Pepperdine head coach Tim Ward said. “They were dealing with some adversity, but that should take nothing away from what we were able to accomplish. After the disappointment of last Sunday’s result and last weekend’s road trip, the response today was a beautiful thing. We had some really good looks today and for as much as they had the ball in terms of possession, we really looked dangerous on the counterattack. We love the way the kids executed the game plan today.”

Seabert (Riverside, Calif./Woodcrest Christian HS) turned in the finest match of her young career in posting her second shutout, improving to 3-2-1 on the season after corralling a season-high 11 saves. Seabert faced double-digit shots in both periods of regulation. As it has all season, Pepperdine started four freshmen and two redshirt freshmen while three more freshmen saw significant time off the bench.

USC spent much of the game testing Pepperdine’s young defense and held a convincing 26-12 shot advantage, including an 11-8 edge in shots on frame. The Women of Troy outshot the Waves 15-5 after the intermission before Williams delivered with the 20th goal of her standout career and eighth decisive score.

Williams fired a match-high seven shots, five of them on frame. Freshmen Kristen Rodriguez (Inglewood, Calif./Notre Dame Academy) and Colby Carson (Morgan Hill, Calif./Valley Christian HS) each fired a pair of shots for the Waves.

With the victory, the Waves conclude their four-match road trip with a 2-2-0 record.

Pepperdine opens a six-match homestand when it hosts San Diego State Sunday, September 15. Game time against the Aztecs is set for 1:00 p.m. at Tari Frahm Rokus Field in a contest featuring a live video broadcast on PepperdineSports.com via WaveCasts.

NOTES: Pepperdine wins its third straight decision against USC with all victories coming in 1-0 final scores … The Waves defeated the Women of Troy in the opening round of the NCAA Championship in 2001 and 2003 with both postseason matches played at UCLA … Pepperdine improves to 1-0-1 against the Pac-12 this season (1-1 tie vs. No. 18 Cal) … The last regular season match between the two teams came in a 3-0 shutout loss at USC (9/6/98), capping a six-game winning streak in the series … Lynn Williams has scored half of her six goals in road matches against top-25 foes (two at No. 19 Texas A&M; one at No. 23 USC) … Williams shares eighth on the Pepperdine career game-winners chart (8) along with Kate Desmond (1998-01) and is 11th in career goals (20), needing just one to