Portland trails for the first time this season, but Christine Sinclair provides equalizer and sets a new NCAA record with a goal scored in 16 consecutive games. Lindsey Huie (pictured) tallies 45th career assist, tying her for second in school history.
MALIBU, Calif. - Portland senior striker Christine Sinclair set a new NCAA record by scoring a goal in 16 consecutive games, but the No. 1 Pilots had to settle for a 1-1 draw with the 10th-ranked Pepperdine Waves in a West Coast Conference soccer match Sunday afternoon at Tari Frahm Rokus Field. The Pilots (14-0-1, 2-0-1 WCC) and Penn State (15-0-0) remain as the only unbeaten teams in the nation, while the Waves (10-2-2, 1-1-1 WCC) became the first team to take a lead against Portland this season.
Sinclair broke the consecutive games with a goal record previously held by Santa Clara’s Brandi Chastain (1990). Current Penn State senior Tiffany Weimer also matched Chastain by scoring in her 15th straight game last Friday. PSU will next play at Michigan on Friday, Oct. 21.
On Sunday, the Pilots controlled the run of play throughout the match, but Pepperdine grabbed the lead in the 31st minute on Lindsey Redlin’s eighth goal of 2005. A thru ball from Samantha Hire sprung Redlin free with Portland junior defender Kari Evans on her hip. Pilot junior keeper Cori Alexander came out and deflected the shot attempt from outside the penalty box, but the ball crossed the goal line for a 1-0 Pepperdine lead.
Each team had four first half shot attempts as the Waves went into the locker room with the lead, but the Pilots would take control thereafter and out-shoot Pepperdine 15-1 in the second half and two overtime periods.
Sinclair tied the score in the 53rd minute, settling a cross from senior midfielder Lindsey Huie and blasting a shot past Pepperdine goalie Anna Picarelli from the six-yard box extended, left to right. It gave Sinclair a career-best 27 goals on the season and 98 for her career. Huie improved her WCC-leading assist total to 11 and now has 45 career assists, tying her for second place on the Portland career charts with Shannon MacMillan.
“I felt we had one of our best team performances of the season today,” Portland coach Garrett Smith said. ‘We had a defensive lapse early which put us in an unfamiliar predicament of trailing, but we maintained our patience and didn’t make any more mistakes after that. We had plenty of chances to win, but it just didn’t go our way today.”
Picarelli came up big on numerous occasions for the Waves and finished the day with seven saves. In the overtime periods, Sinclair had a shot go off the post and another shot cleared off the goal-line by a Pepperdine defender. Sophomore Angie Woznuk also curled an attempt just wide of the right post in the extra period.
“Getting a tie on the road against a highly ranked opponent is nothing to be disappointed about,” noted Smith. “We are still unbeaten, which is ultimately where we want to be at this point.”
Huie now has 99 career points and is set to become the seventh player in school history to reach 100 career points.
Sinclair continues to inch up the school and NCAA scoring charts. She is now two goals away from becoming the sixth player in NCAA history with 100 or more goals and five shy of tying Tiffeny Milbrett atop the UP career list. Milbrett’s 103 career goals are tied for second in NCAA history with Mia Hamm (North Carolina, 1989-90, 92-93), while Danielle Fotopoulos (SMU/Florida, 1994-96, 98) is the all-time record holder at 118 goals.
Portland returns to Merlo Field this weekend to continue WCC play against the No. 5-ranked Santa Clara Broncos and the San Diego Toreros. The Pilots will host rival Santa Clara in a re-match of the 2002 NCAA Championship game on Friday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. The game will be televise and aired on a tape-delayed broadcast on CSTV on Monday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. (PST). Portland will then face San Diego at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 23.
Soccer Game Summary (Final)
2005 Portland Women's Soccer
#1 Portland vs #10 Pepperdine (Oct 16, 2005 at Malibu, Calif.)
Portland (14-0-1, 2-0-1 WCC) vs. Pepperdine (10-2-2, 1-1-1 WCC)
Date: Oct 16, 2005 Attendance: 358
Weather: breezy, cool, scattered showers
Goals by period 1 2 OT O2 Tot
-------------------------------------
Portland............ 0 1 0 0 - 1
Pepperdine.......... 1 0 0 0 - 1
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 30:44 PEP REDLIN, Lindsey (8) (HIRE, Samantha) - from center off of goalie
2. 52:12 POR SINCLAIR, Christine (27) (HUIE, Lindsey) - 10 yards out, right side
Shots: Portland 19, Pepperdine 5
Saves: Portland 2 (ALEXANDER, Cori 2), Pepperdine 8 (PICARELLI, Anna 7; TEAM 1)
