Chris Coduto/Arizona Daily Wildcat Sophomore midfielder Amanda Urtuzuastegui and Missouri's Elyse Nikonchuk get tangled up while going for a header during the home opener for the Arizona soccer team. No. 18 Arizona defeated Mizzou 2-0 behind two goals from senior Mallory Miller, but lost to Pepperdine yesterday after taking a 1-0 lead into halftime.

Cats defeat Missouri, lose to Pepperdine after first-half lead

The No. 18 UA soccer team struck first against Pepperdine yesterday but couldn't hold down their lead, falling 3-1 in Malibu, Calif.

"We certainly did a good job for the first 20 minutes, but for whatever reason we just didn't play well after that first 20 minutes," said Arizona head coach Dan Tobias.

Freshman forward London King scored her first goal in a Wildcat uniform in the seventh minute. King put in a rebound off a Jennifer Klein shot that clanged off the post.

The Wildcats (1-1) held that lead into halftime and for much of the second half. In the 71st minute, Pepperdine (2-0) got on the board when junior Lindsey Redlin headed a ball past Arizona sophomore goalkeeper McCall Smith.

Tobias said the goal appeared to be as a result of a Pepperdine player being in an offside position, but no call was made.

The Wildcats were less than six minutes from getting out of Malibu with a tie when Waves senior forward Megan Woods put in the game-winner off a Redlin cross at the 84:37 mark.

Pepperdine's third goal of the day came from the duo of Woods and Redlin again when Redlin scored off a pass from Woods with just over 90 seconds remaining.

Chris Coduto/Arizona Daily Wildcat Seniors Mallory Miller, right, and Nikki David celebrate after Miller scored her first of two goals Friday. Sophomore goaltender McCall Smith notched her 12th career shutout in the win.

Numerous Wildcats were pushing forward to score with the clock winding down. Almost no one remained in the backfield.

"I wasn't too pleased with how we played after we scored. It's like we stopped supporting each other," Tobias said. "It's disappointing, but it's just one game, and we have a lot of soccer left."

On Friday night, senior midfielder Mallory Miller scored two goals in less than a minute to give the Wildcats a 2-0 win over Missouri in their 2005 home opener. The Wildcats have won six straight at home dating back to last season.

Miller received a through ball from senior midfielder Nikki David, who had just come into the game.

Miller's sliding shot crossed from one end of the 18-yard box to the other and into the far corner for the goal in the 33rd minute.

Fifty-four seconds later, Miller again put herself in the right place at the right time, and poked a ball in past Missouri goalkeeper Laura Buehrig after a scramble by Wildcat and Tiger players in front of the Missouri goal. Junior midfielder Erin Bevacqua got the assist.

I kind of pulled my run off, scrambled around, and thankfully I was able to get my toe on it. - Mallory Miller, senior midfielder

"I kind of pulled my run off, scrambled around, and thankfully I was able to get my toe on it," Miller said of her second goal.

Smith notched her first shutout of the season in goal, her 12th overall at Arizona.

The Wildcats play again Sunday, when they will be on the road again to face Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.