Gonzaga Women's Soccer Falls in Physical 1-0 Match to Pepperdine

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Kylie Jones loads up to take a shot. Credit: Gonzaga Athletics/Instagram [/caption]

In a defensive battle between Gonzaga women’s soccer (5-8, 3-2) and WCC rival Pepperdine, a first-half replay review proved to be the difference.

In the 31st minute, the Waves’ Julia Quinonez took the down ball the left side and into the box. Trailing her was Taylor Gentry, who extended her arm into the back of Quinonez, causing her to fall and lose control of the ball, with Kylie Jones clearing it. Gentry did tap the ball away, so initially a foul wasn’t called, and officials let play continue for about 45 seconds as Pepperdine fired a shot wide left of the post.

But Waves head coach Jim Ward urged referees to look at the play again, and after a two-minute delay, the no-call was overturned and a penalty kick ensued. Ariana Salvador assumed the PK for Pepperdine and took a measured run-up towards the ball. Zags keeper Michaela McCollum waited for as long as she could before committing to a direction, but guessed the wrong way as Salvador softly tapped the ball just inside the left post.

This sequence was the lone blink by either squad in a remarkable defensive performance on both sides. The Waves led possession at 54 percent, weighted by their control of the ball in the first 30 minutes of the match. The two sides didn’t have much trouble getting it into their opponents’ attacking third, but both backlines really tightened up as the field was compressed. A fair number of shots were deflected by defenders jumping into the shooting lane, and strikers were consistently deterred from clear lanes to fire.

But when shots were on target from the Bulldogs, Pepperdine’s keeper Jillian Medvecky was on her A game, logging eight saves in her second straight shutout. McCollum’s two saves don’t do her performance justice, as she was active in the net throughout the day, with the allowed penalty kick being her only blemish.

It was a physical matchup, as there were 16 fouls committed in the contest – nine by Gonzaga. Including the preliminary held whistle on the Quinonez play, there was plenty of displeasure from each sideline on the allowed contact from the officials. With about 20 minutes to go, things came to a head when Lauren Chin was assessed a yellow card for a push in the back, her second of the season.

Salvador’s score seemed to give Gonzaga a sense of urgency as the Zags took all eight of their shots on frame from that point on. Both teams took at least 12 shots on goal, with the Waves leading the way with 15. Kylie Jones and Amelia Severn tied for the Gonzaga lead with three shots, along with two shots on goal apiece.

Typically in late-game scenarios, the team that is winning attempts to play as much ‘keep-away’ with the ball as possible to limit their opponents’ probability of tying it up. But Pepperdine couldn’t execute this, and the Zags had several chances in Waves territory to even the score at one, including several corner kicks and a set piece in addition to a couple of fast break opportunities. The final stand by the Pepperdine defense in the final 15 minutes was a true anecdote for how the game ensued as a valiant effort by Gonzaga couldn’t be completed.

The Zags will regroup as they will head up the road to Pullman on Saturday, October 18, to face Washington State (4-5-4, 2-2-1) at 7 PM PT.