0-0 final

1-0-1 roadtrip to California.

A&M has to feel they let one get away today, hitting the post three times and dominating the second half and OT. But you have to finish your chances, which is why we won the opener in a game we had no business winning. Today was the reverse, we deserved to win but didn't. I was relieved at the bounce back performance today though because Thursday night was rough and it looked bleak in the midfield. The game started out a bit shaky with Pepperdine controlling possession for the first 20 minutes or so and A&M unable to string any passes together. Then the connections began with Kolb on the right side and things opened up for Watt's first chance that hit the post. The second half possession was very good and A&M was able to move the ball through the midfield and to the outside, eventually setting up opportunities. It's true there was too much playing around the edges of the box, especially on Lopez's side of the field and we need to start taking on some defenders and force them to make a play or foul us. A few of the chances on goal should have been finished with traffic in front the GK. I thought A&M would eventually break through late, but it just didn't happen.

• Watt may have found her permanent playing partner in Russell because she brings so much hustle and fight to the opponent and forces them to play Watt honest at times. I'd like to see Ali get off some shots though when she has an opening in the box.
• Watt does need to just slot the ball past a GK on 1v1 situations because goalposts are usually not your friend. The second hit post was off a touch from a cross by Lopez and it was just unlucky.
• It looks like Taylor Ziemer has found her home in the midfield because of the desperate need for help there. Once she and McCain develop some chemistry it will really help A&M to keep possession in the middle of the field. Her shot in the second half that hit the post was a rocket and also unlucky not to bounce in for the goal. She had 4 shots today.
• Lopez had a lot of possession today, but her play bogged down a lot on the left flank near the box. She needs to make a move and go forward instead of stopping and moving backwards against defenders. But she is going to be a key player going forward.
• The back line was better today with Sample and Hill shutting down attacking players most of the day. Alston only played a half. Walton is reliable and steady on the other side. The biggest issue right now with the group is trying to get cute with the ball and pass out of the back instead of quickly clearing out of danger. The reliance on backwards passing is really frustrating and almost resulted in a couple of goals for the Waves.
• Hutton is playing well for a true freshman and had a spectacular save early in the match to keep A&M in the game. She also did a better job coming off her line to close down attacks.
• Rheagan Smith continues to play well and set up a few chances today. Her game is developing and she is better on the ball than her first two seasons.
• I'd really like to see Daria Britton get some extended minutes because she seems to be well positioned when out there and connects passes accurately.

Overall I'm okay with the 1-0-1 weekend because we got away with one against Santa Clara and had some improved play today against the Waves, although they were clearly a step down from the Broncos' roster. There's a lot to work on, especially in the final third connecting that final pass and taking more shots on goal. I'm not sure we will learn how much the team has improved over the next couple of weeks with some poor opponents (outside of Ohio State) at home, but the road game at BYU will be the next big test. Finally, the playing surface was pretty embarrassing and at times looked like there were patches of sand on the field. Seriously, come on Pepperdine, this is major D1 soccer.

redd38 said:

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In the preseason thread I said this will be a rebuilding year, and that's what these games looked like. We have players but we don't have a team. So I think later in the season we'll get some things worked out, figure out a lineup that works, find some unity in the offense and settle down more on defense.

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I find your definition of rebuilding interesting. We only lost 3 consistent starters (Emily Bates (M), Kendall Ritchie (D), and Morche (GK)) and 2 other contributors (Crabtree (F) and Hajdu (M)). We returned 8 starters and 80% of our offense based on statistics. To this point it looks like we've added three strong pieces in Hutton, Russell, and Ziemer to the lineup to replace the losses. I would agree the rhythm and timing need to improve quickly, but the vast majority of this team returns unchanged and should be able to hit the ground running so to speak. A&M has one of the best players in the country on its roster in Watt. A&M was also picked by coaches as the SEC favorite. All these data points combined usually doesn't equate to a rebuilding year. The fans should have expected a strong season. However, right now I'm not sure what has happened to the midfield because we've only lost basically one starter there and the core group returned. It's the coaches' job to put the pieces together and get the team playing well together on the field.

As far as your fitness comment, I'm not sure I agree. The last 15 minutes of regulation was absolutely dominated by A&M. To me that shows a solid fitness level.

I definitely saw some lazy and sloppy passing though and that needs to get cleaned up very quickly.