Oct. 30, 2009
Box Score
Riverside, Calif. - The Pacific women's soccer team kept its post-season hopes alive by knocking off UC Riverside, 2-1 in Southern California on Friday, Oct. 30. With the victory, the Tigers currently are tied for fourth-place in the Big West Conference with UC Irvine. The top four teams at the end of the regular season advance to the Big West Tournament, and Pacific could seal a trip to the post-season with at least a tie in the final conference game of 2009.
With the victory over UC Riverside, Pacific moved to 10-5-3 overall and 4-2-1 in conference. The Highlanders remain undefeated and fell to 5-9-4 and 0-6-1 in Big West action.
"Everybody played really well tonight," head coach Keith Coleman said. "We out-played [UC Riverside] in nearly every category and it finally paid off for us."
Despite recent scoring droughts, Pacific jumped on the board 27 minutes into the first half, when sophomore Kristina Wavomba (Encinitas, Calif.) seized a missed clearance opportunity by the Highlander defense after a throw-in from freshman Lauren Olvera (Whittier, Calif.). With no immediate pressure, Wavomba dribbled the ball from the left side of the pitch and around the defense, then drilled it into the back of the net from 17 yards out to the right side of the goal. The sophomore gave the Tigers an early 1-0 lead. The payoff came just in time for Pacific, who hadn't rattled off a shot over five minutes prior to the goal.
Pacific then worked efficiently, netting what would prove to be the difference-maker in the Tigers' next shot.
Wavomba had her hand in Pacific's second goal as she and sophomore Laura Hogan (Poway, Calif.) teamed up on UC Riverside's defense from within the penalty box at 30:17. Five yards in front of the goal, Wavomba tapped to Hogan who netted Pacific's game-winning goal and kept the Tigers alive in their hopes for post-season play.
The goal proved especially important eight minutes later, when the Highlander landed their rebuttal at 38:07. After a Tiger foul, Denise Thomas was awarded a free kick from 30 yards out and struck Pacific's defensive wall in front of the goal. However, Thomas responded by serving the ball up into the top corner over junior goalie Jill Medigovich's (San Diego, Calif.) head as UC Riverside cut the deficit in half, 2-1.
Both teams went quietly in the second half, attempting a combined six shots (four from Pacific and two from UC Riverside).
UC Riverside did not go down without trying early on, however, as back-to-back headers from Thomas and Ebie Harris resulted in saves for Medigovich in the first four minutes of the second half. But the Highlanders never mounted a serious threat, as those were the only two shots UC Riverside attempted and Pacific went back on the offensive, controlling the ball for the majority of the second half.
In the 65th minute, Wavomba tried for another insurance goal, but her shot was blocked by a UC Riverside defender. Immediately after the missed shot, Pacific tried to mount another attack but was whistled for three-consecutive offsides calls.
Wavomba led all players in the match with six shots, three of which were on goal. Hogan, sophomore Angelica Figueroa (Linden, Calif.) and junior Sammi Teramae (Kapolei, Hawaii) each finished with three shots apiece.
As they have been in the past contests, Pacific once again out-played its opponent and finally was rewarded on the scoreboard. The Tigers out-shot the Highlanders 17 to seven, with six and three shots on goal, respectively.
Medigovich wrapped up the game with two saves and is limiting the opponents to a 0.82 goals against average on the season. UC Riverside's goalie, Jessica White, finished the night with four saves, but let two past her to earn the loss.
Pacific's final regulation game takes place at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1 at Cal State Fullerton. A tie would put Pacific in sole possession of fourth place in the Big West Conference and out outright victory would be good enough for a third-place finish.
The 2009 Big West Tournament runs from Thursday, Nov. 5 to Sunday, Nov. 8, and will be hosted by the No. 1 and 2 seeds at the end of regulation play. Only the top four teams in conference advance to the post-season tournament.
