MALIBU, Calif. - Kylie Dobbs notched her eighth goal of the season,
Jennessa Groves scored a screamer to tally her seventh and
Callan Harrington added a beautifully placed header in LMU's 3-0 defeat of No. 13 Pepperdine on Saturday afternoon in Malibu, Calif.
The Lions applied early pressure and were rewarded quickly as Harrington was brought down in the box in a one-on-one situation with the Waves goalkeeper. After a yellow card warning, Dobbs stepped up to the penalty spot and drilled home giving the Lions confidence and an eighth minute lead.
The constant pressure continued throughout the half with Harrington acting like a pressure valve at the top of the formation. Any time the Lions broke down the Pepperdine offense, they were looking to turn Harrington loose up top.
In the 25th minute, Caitlyn McCulloch won a race to a loose pass from the Waves midfield. She took a touch and found Groves open with some space outside of the penalty area. Groves took a touch, turned around and fired a left-footed effort from well outside the box that floated over the goalkeeper and dipped beneath the crossbar. Groves is now up to 14 career goals in her three seasons with the Lions.
Just four minutes later, the Lions added another. Maci Land drilled one of patented midfield crosses and put the ball on a platter between the center backs. Harrington was left unmarked and headed home for her second goal of the season.
The Lions were treated to another stellar performance from sophomore goalkeeper JJ Hoover. She recorded nine saves in the match but none was more important than a second-half penalty save. She leapt to her right to deny the penalty and an opportunity for the Waves to get back into the game. She recorded another clean sheet, her sixth of the season.
The Lions notch their first ranked win of the
Chris Chamides era and moved into fifth place in the WCC with the win. The Lions have a road to make up points in the standings with matchups remaining against Oregon State, Portland, San Francisco and Gonzaga.
The Lions will be on a road trip to Oregon this week with matchups against Oregon State on Wednesday, October 23, followed by a trip to Portland to face the Pilots on Oct. 26. Both matches will be available on ESPN+.
