MALIBU, California — The #19 Pepperdine women's soccer team, a #4 national seed, has advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in 12 tournaments. The Waves next face North Carolina State in Tallahassee, Florida, on Friday, looking to make the round of 16 for the fourth time.
MATCH #21 — Friday (Nov. 19) at the Seminole Soccer Complex in Tallahassee, Florida: #19 Pepperdine (16-3-1) vs. North Carolina State (9-8-2) at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT.
NEXT — The Pepperdine-NC State winner will face either Florida State (the overall #1 national seed) or SMU on Sunday (Nov. 21) at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT.
WATCH/ONLINE — Friday's match will be streamed online via the ACC Network. Links to broadcasts and live stats can be found at PepperdineWaves.com.
OPPONENT — Pepperdine is 1-1 all-time against North Carolina State. The Waves won 1-0 in overtime in 2015 in a match played in San Diego. The Wolfpack were victorious in the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament, 1-0, in a match hosted by Stanford. NC State defeated South Florida 2-0 in the first round.
NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES — Pepperdine has earned a spot in the NCAA postseason for the 12th time. There was a five-year run from 2001-05 and then six more trips in the last decade. The Waves have made it as far as the Sweet 16 in 2002, 2005 and 2014. The Waves have an all-time postseason record of 9-10-3 (.477) and have advanced out of the first round eight out of 12 times. This is the fifth time that Pepperdine has earned a national seed (2002, 2005, 2011, 2014, 2021).
Pepperdine has a 3-4 record in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
During the regular season, the Waves faced five teams that ended up making the NCAA Tournament (and went 3-2 in those games, including wins over fellow national seeds TCU and USC). Seven current Waves played in the 2019 NCAA Tournament game vs. Texas Tech, while
Calista Reyes played in both the 2017 and 2019 tournaments.
NCAA FIRST ROUND — The Waves turned in their highest-scoring game in the program's NCAA Tournament history, routing South Dakota State 7-1 in Saturday's first-round match at Tari Frahm Rokus Field. Pepperdine's previous high in an NCAA game was four goals. It tied the third-highest scoring output in any game in program history.
Calista Reyes scored twice,
Tori Waldeck had a goal and three assists and
Joelle Anderson had a goal and two assists. Anderson posted the game-winning goal, which tied the school record with the 15th of her career.
SEASON NOTABLES — Sixteen wins have tied the second-most in program history (18 wins in 2002 and 16 wins in 2014) ... Pepperdine's 12 shutouts this season are the second-most in program history (the record is 14 in 2017) ... The Waves have set school records for best start (13 wins after 14 games), winning streak (11) and shutout streak (seven) this season ... The Waves went 701 minutes without giving up a goal between Sept. 9 and Oct. 20 ... The Waves won their first seven road games to start a season for the first time in program history (and are now 10-2 on the road) ... Pepperdine's win at #5 TCU was the program's third-ever against a top-five team on the road (following #3 Portland in 2002 and #4 Stanford in 2004) ...
Carlee Giammona tied a school record with three assists against Vanderbilt, and
Tori Waldeck did the same in the NCAA Tournament match against South Dakota State.
ALL-WCC AWARDS — Seven Waves received WCC postseason honors.
Joelle Anderson and
Tori Waldeck made the All-WCC first team. It was Anderson's fifth All-WCC nod, and her third straight on the first team. Waldeck received her second All-WCC honor and her first on the first team.
Carlee Giammona and
Trinity Watson were on the second team. This was Watson's third All-WCC honor and Giammona's first.
Zoe Clevely was All-WCC honorable mention for the first time.
Tabitha LaParl and
Kam Pickett made the WCC All-Freshman team.
NATIONAL STATS — Pepperdine ranks eighth in the nation in shutout percentage (.600) and is 14th in goals-against average (0.59) and 14th in goals per game (2.60) ... Individually,
Zoe Clevely ranks tied for fourth in shutouts (11) and 14th in goals-against average (0.60) ...
Joelle Anderson is tied for 16th in game-winning goals (five).
WCC STATS — The Waves rank first in goals against average (0.59) and second in goals per game (2.60) ...
Joelle Anderson is fourth in goals per game (0.50), sixth in points per game (1.35) and tied for eighth in assists per game (0.35) ...
Tori Waldeck is tied for second in assists per game (0.47), tied for fourth in points per game (1.42) and tied for fifth in goals per game (0.47) ...
Carlee Giammona is fourth in assists per game (0.40) and tied for 10th in points per game (1.00) ...
Zoe Clevely is first in shutouts (11), first in goals against average (0.60), first in save percentage (.833) and seventh in saves per game (3.00) ... Pepperdine was picked to finish third in the WCC, and did place third.
RANKINGS — The Waves tied the best ranking in program history (2011) when they reached #3 on Oct. 19. They began the year receiving votes in the preseason United Soccer Coaches poll but have been ranked every week since.
MORE 2021 HONORS — Joelle Anderson has been named to the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list for the second straight season, and she's also one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS award.
The Waves have had two National Players of the Week courtesy of Top Drawer Soccer in Anderson (Sept. 7) and
Tori Waldeck (Sept. 21) ... Anderson also received the WCC Offensive Player of the Week award (Sept. 6) after scoring a golden goal at Lipscomb and recording a goal and assist at Vanderbilt ... Anderson received her second WCC Offensive Player of the Week award in a row on September 13 after a goal against UCSD and a goal and an assist against UCSB ... Waldeck also earned the WCC Offensive Player of the Week award (Sept. 20) after scoring the game-winning goal at #5 TCU and assisting on the winner at Texas A&M.
Pepperdine had six WCC Player of the Week awards this season. In addition to Anderson (twice) and Waldeck, the Waves had three Defensive Player of the Week winners.
Zoe Clevely now has claimed the award four times in her career after winning it on August 23 after the season-opening shutouts against #14 USC and SDSU, and again on October 11 after shutouts against San Diego and Loyola Marymount.
Kelsey Hill got it on October 18 after scoring a goal and contributing to the shutout win against Gonzaga.
Trinity Watson has been named to the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week twice. The first one came on August 24 after the two opening shutouts and scoring a goal on a penalty kick. The second was on September 14 after she had two assists against UCSD and a goal against UCSB.
Carlee Giammona received it on October 5 after notching a goal and an assist against Portland. Waldeck earned it on November 16 after her one-goal, three-assist game against South Dakota State.
ANDERSON — Back in January,
Joelle Anderson was picked in the third round of the 2021 NWSL Draft by the Houston Dash. But she decided to stick around Malibu for a little while longer before she joins the pros. The four-time All-WCC pick (twice on the first team) and three-time All-West Region honoree is utilizing a COVID-19 redshirt year to play a fifth season at Pepperdine. All-time at Pepperdine, she is tied for first in game-winning goals (15), third in goals (34), third in points (91) and tied for third in assists (23). Anderson scored a goal in four consecutive games this season, one shy of the school record. She's one of only three players in program history with at least 30 goals and 20 assists.
REYES — She has had the benefit of an extra season, but
Calista Reyes has set the Pepperdine record for all-time games played. Reyes passed Bri Visalli, who played in 83 games from 2014-17, and has now appeared in 89 games.
CLEVELY — Goalkeeper
Zoe Clevely is also leaving her mark on the Waves' record book. On the career charts, she's second in goals-against average (0.73), fifth in solo shutouts (17) and tied for fifth in wins (23). She's had 11 solo shutouts this season, second-most in program single-season history.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY — Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men's sports — one of just 18 schools to have accomplished this feat — and 10 overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment, is the only school without football and is the only university that has not been affiliated with a "major" conference. The Waves have won a total of 26 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that's given to the top non-football school, three times (most recently in 2011-12). Located in scenic Malibu, California, the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation's most beautiful. Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks #49 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.