Oct. 12, 2008

Box Score

Stockton, Calif. Behind a three goal second half scoring binge, the Pacific soccer team picked up an all important Big West Conference victory, routing UC Riverside 4-1 on Sunday, October 12. The victory moved the Tigers to 8-5-0 overall and 3-1-0 in conference play while the Highlanders dropped to 5-8-2 on the year and 0-3-1 in the Big West.

Immediately on the attack from the opening whistle, the Tigers posted their first tally of the game just 16 minutes into the run of play as Pacific's leading scorer, freshman Kristina Wavomba (Encinitas, Calif.) netted what would be the first of two goals on the day. Playing the ball out of the corner on the Tigers' second corner kick of the contest, sophomore Kim Hargrave (La Palma, Calif.) made the Tigers' free opportunity count, playing a long ball through the Highlanders' box which found the feet of Wavomba. Doing what she has done best all season, Wavomba placed her shot past Brittany Goetz in goal to give the Tigers the early 1-0 lead.

Just :50 seconds later, the Tigers saw their one goal lead put into jeopardy when the Highlanders were awarded a penalty kick after a Pacific foul inside of the 18. With the lead and the momentum on the line, redshirt freshman Amanda McNab (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) came up with the biggest save of her young career, denying Tessa Lennala the chance to tie the game with a diving stop. For the game, McNab was forced to make just two saves, with none being larger than her first half penalty kick stop.

Energized from the defensive effort, the Tigers continued their push, firing off nine shots in the first half of play while the Highlanders took five. Out of the break, the Tigers went back on the offensive, scoring in the 58th minute of play to secure a two goal lead. After assisting on the first goal of the contest, Hargrave put her name on the score sheet in the scorer's column for the Tigers, tapping in a goal from just in front of the net for her first career goal. Hargrave found her scoring opportunity after a long ball was played into the box by freshman Alex Topp (San Diego, Calif.) who sent a free kick into the box that fell in front of Goetz and at the feet of Hargrave. The assist was Topp's first career assist.

After taking the two goal lead just 12 minutes into the new half, the Tigers saw their advantage cut in half just under one minute later when Lennala found the back of the net for the Highlanders. Lennala got her scoring chance after the Tigers cleared a ball directly to Denise Thomas of UC Riverside. Thomas promptly played the ball back towards goal, forcing McNab to make a diving deflection, allowing Lennala an open look at an open net.

Despite seeing their cleansheet dirtied, Pacific pressed on, dominating the half to the tune of an 8-to-3 shot advantage. With the ball primarily in the offensive third, the Tigers underclassmen went to work, stringing together passes which resulted in a pair of goals in the final 10 minutes of the game to give the Tigers their largest scoring outburst of the season and since scoring six goals against Mount St. Mary's at the start of the 2007 season.

In the 83rd minute, Wavomba struck for the second time in the contest, slotting home her team and conference-leading seventh goal of the season. Despite being the player who ended up with the goal, it was the play of freshman Angelica Figueroa (Linden, Calif.) and Sammi Teramae (Kapolei, Hawaii) which set up the easy strike for Wavomba.

After receiving a long ball in the box from Topp off of a free kick, Figueroa initiated the scoring chance for Pacific, playing a give-and-go game with Teramae that freed Figueroa behind the Highlander defense on the left side of the goal. Free to make a clean pass, Figueroa threaded her feed to the feet of Wavomba who had made a run towards the front of the goal where she tapped in the Tigers' third strike of the contest.

Not finished with their second half scoring binge, the Tigers netted for the fourth time in the contest just four minutes later, this time reversing the play with Figueroa scoring off of a Wavomba pass. For the second time, it was a give-and-go that sprung Figueroa with Figueroa finishing the play for her third goal of the season.

The pair of wins over the weekend for the Tigers marked the first time since the 2005 season in which Pacific took a pair of conference contests in the same weekend. The win also marked the fifth win in six contests for the Tigers.

Pacific will be back in action on Friday, October 17 as the Tigers travel to UC Santa Barbara to take on the Gauchos in Big West Conference play. The game is scheduled for 7:00 pm.