Waves pound 49ers

By Ana Tintocalis, On-Line Forty-Niner

Monday, September 21, 1998

The Pepperdine Waves came crashing down on the Long Beach State men's club soccer team on Saturday as they defeated the 49ers 1-0 in The Beach's third home game of the season.

Both teams came out strong in the first half, but were unable to put the ball in the net.

Pepperdine's strong offensive pressure kept the 49ers on their toes, but The Beach's solid defense denied the Waves' chances at scoring.

Long Beach State had several shots on goal, yet lacked the ball control needed to completely dominate the game.

"Our trapping was horrible today," Long Beach State Head Coach Sanjit Toor said. "That cost us more than anything. We'd get into decent position, but then there was a bad pass here and a bad trap there, it just cost us."

Although Long Beach State's ball control was not at its best, the 49ers continued to pressure the Waves into the second half.

The Beach outmaneuvered Pepperdine's defense with some quick passing combinations and took some threatening shots on goal.

The closest opportunity to score came when midfielder Nick Phelps fired a rolling shot toward the left corner of the goal, but missed it by several inches.

The first and only goal of the game came deep into the second half when a Waves' forward took a shot off a ball ricocheted

"It was an unfortunate goal," center halfback Jordan Nedeff said. "We played tough, we played with a lot of heart. To give up a goal like that is a little tough, especially at the end. It was a silly goal and it shouldn't have happened."

"They tested us even down to the end of the game," Pepperdine Head Coach Francis Chmielewski said.

The 49ers' record is 1-2 for the season. The Long Beach State men's soccer club will return to action when they travel to Los Angeles and battle USC.