Thursday, August 19
Los Angeles, Calif.
3:00 p.m. PT
Pepperdine University
at
USC
Zoe Clevely
Photo by: Jeff Golden
Waves Begin Fall Season at USC, SDSU
8/17/2021 11:38:00 AM | Women's Soccer
MALIBU, California — The Pepperdine women's soccer team begins its 29th season in search of its 12th NCAA Tournament appearance. An extremely tough non-conference schedule begins with road matches at USC and San Diego State.
MATCH #1 — Thursday (Aug. 19) at Soni McAlister Field in Los Angeles, California: Pepperdine (0-0-0) at #14 USC (0-0-0) at 3 p.m.
MATCH #2 — Sunday (Aug. 22) at the SDSU Sports Deck in San Diego, California: Pepperdine at San Diego State (0-0-0, hosts Army on Thursday) at 7 p.m.
WATCH/ONLINE — This week's two matches will be streamed online at Pac-12.com and the Mountain West Network, respectively. Links to broadcasts and live stats can be found at PepperdineWaves.com.
USC — Pepperdine is 6-8-1 all-time against USC. The Trojans have won each of the last two meetings (2016 and 2018), but the Waves have won in each of their last two trips into L.A. (2013 and 2014). This past spring, USC went 7-3-4 and made it to the NCAA Tournament's second round.
SAN DIEGO STATE — Pepperdine is 7-3-0 all-time against San Diego State. The Waves have won the last three games in the series, with the last meeting coming in 2019. Pepperdine is 3-2 in San Diego. The Aztecs went 8-3 in the spring, playing only Mountain West Conference competition.
ROSTER NUMBERS — The Waves' 28-player roster breakdown is one graduate transfer, seven seniors, four juniors, eight sophomores, two redshirt freshmen and six true freshmen. Pepperdine has seven returning starters and 19 letterwinners back. Returning players accounted for 76% of last season's goals (19/25) and 59% of the assists (10/17). The Waves will be rebuilding their defense, as three starting backs and a defensive midfielder graduated. Three Waves — Joelle Anderson, Devyn Gilfoy and Calista Reyes — are back for a fifth season after utilizing COVID-19 redshirt years.
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. She's utilizing a COVID-10 redshirt year to play a fifth season at Pepperdine. The four-time All-WCC pick (twice on the first team) and three-time All-West Region honoree has accumulated 24 goals (eighth all-time at Pepperdine), 10 game-winning goals (sixth), 16 assists and 64 points (eighth) in her career.
SCHEDULE — All six of Pepperdine's 10 non-conference opponents that saw action in spring 2021 posted winning records, and four of them went to the NCAA Tournament (the four Big West teams opted out of the 2020-21 season). The combined winning percentage of the six teams was .698 (55-21-10). Only three of Pepperdine's 10 non-conference games will be at home, and just seven of 19 overall.
WCC — The Waves were picked to finish third in the WCC preseason coaches poll. The order went as follows: Santa Clara, BYU, Pepperdine, Gonzaga, Portland, Saint Mary's, San Francisco, Loyola Marymount, San Diego and Pacific ... Joelle Anderson and Trinity Watson, who have both the All-WCC first team each of the last two seasons, were picked to the preseason All-WCC team again.
LAST SEASON — The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the fall 2020 season to spring 2021. An abbreviated schedule saw Pepperdine go 6-5-1 overall and finish fourth in the WCC. Four of the five losses came against ranked opponents. Joelle Anderson and Trinity Watson repeated on the All-WCC first team. Other returning players honored by the league were two second teamers (Leyla McFarland and Tori Waldeck) and a league-high three WCC All-Freshman team recipients (Waldeck, Julianna Duckett and Victoria Romero).
WAVES IN THE PROS — Several Waves have made their marks professionally. Lynn Williams is a three-time NWSL champion (2016 Western New York Flash, 2018 and 2019 North Carolina Courage). In 2016, she was also the NWSL MVP and Golden Boot winner. As a member of the U.S. National Team, she's earned 40 caps and scored 12 goals. She won a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Bri Visalli, who has been part of the U.S. U-23 team, played in England for a couple of seasons before joining the NWSL's Houston Dash in 2020. In January 2019, the Waves had two NWSL Draft selections for the first time in Hailey Harbison (first round to North Carolina) and Michelle Maemone (third round to Utah). Rylee Baisden was named the 2019 Player of the Year in Australia's NPLW and joined the North Carolina Courage in 2020. The Waves have produced two Olympians (Williams and Roxanne Barker, South Africa, 2012 and 2016) and a Women's World Cup participant (Anisa Guajardo, Mexico, 2015). Anna Picarelli played for Italy and Kristi DeVert was the first Wave to suit up with the USWNT.
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.
MATCH #1 — Thursday (Aug. 19) at Soni McAlister Field in Los Angeles, California: Pepperdine (0-0-0) at #14 USC (0-0-0) at 3 p.m.
MATCH #2 — Sunday (Aug. 22) at the SDSU Sports Deck in San Diego, California: Pepperdine at San Diego State (0-0-0, hosts Army on Thursday) at 7 p.m.
WATCH/ONLINE — This week's two matches will be streamed online at Pac-12.com and the Mountain West Network, respectively. Links to broadcasts and live stats can be found at PepperdineWaves.com.
USC — Pepperdine is 6-8-1 all-time against USC. The Trojans have won each of the last two meetings (2016 and 2018), but the Waves have won in each of their last two trips into L.A. (2013 and 2014). This past spring, USC went 7-3-4 and made it to the NCAA Tournament's second round.
SAN DIEGO STATE — Pepperdine is 7-3-0 all-time against San Diego State. The Waves have won the last three games in the series, with the last meeting coming in 2019. Pepperdine is 3-2 in San Diego. The Aztecs went 8-3 in the spring, playing only Mountain West Conference competition.
ROSTER NUMBERS — The Waves' 28-player roster breakdown is one graduate transfer, seven seniors, four juniors, eight sophomores, two redshirt freshmen and six true freshmen. Pepperdine has seven returning starters and 19 letterwinners back. Returning players accounted for 76% of last season's goals (19/25) and 59% of the assists (10/17). The Waves will be rebuilding their defense, as three starting backs and a defensive midfielder graduated. Three Waves — Joelle Anderson, Devyn Gilfoy and Calista Reyes — are back for a fifth season after utilizing COVID-19 redshirt years.
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. She's utilizing a COVID-10 redshirt year to play a fifth season at Pepperdine. The four-time All-WCC pick (twice on the first team) and three-time All-West Region honoree has accumulated 24 goals (eighth all-time at Pepperdine), 10 game-winning goals (sixth), 16 assists and 64 points (eighth) in her career.
SCHEDULE — All six of Pepperdine's 10 non-conference opponents that saw action in spring 2021 posted winning records, and four of them went to the NCAA Tournament (the four Big West teams opted out of the 2020-21 season). The combined winning percentage of the six teams was .698 (55-21-10). Only three of Pepperdine's 10 non-conference games will be at home, and just seven of 19 overall.
WCC — The Waves were picked to finish third in the WCC preseason coaches poll. The order went as follows: Santa Clara, BYU, Pepperdine, Gonzaga, Portland, Saint Mary's, San Francisco, Loyola Marymount, San Diego and Pacific ... Joelle Anderson and Trinity Watson, who have both the All-WCC first team each of the last two seasons, were picked to the preseason All-WCC team again.
LAST SEASON — The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the fall 2020 season to spring 2021. An abbreviated schedule saw Pepperdine go 6-5-1 overall and finish fourth in the WCC. Four of the five losses came against ranked opponents. Joelle Anderson and Trinity Watson repeated on the All-WCC first team. Other returning players honored by the league were two second teamers (Leyla McFarland and Tori Waldeck) and a league-high three WCC All-Freshman team recipients (Waldeck, Julianna Duckett and Victoria Romero).
WAVES IN THE PROS — Several Waves have made their marks professionally. Lynn Williams is a three-time NWSL champion (2016 Western New York Flash, 2018 and 2019 North Carolina Courage). In 2016, she was also the NWSL MVP and Golden Boot winner. As a member of the U.S. National Team, she's earned 40 caps and scored 12 goals. She won a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Bri Visalli, who has been part of the U.S. U-23 team, played in England for a couple of seasons before joining the NWSL's Houston Dash in 2020. In January 2019, the Waves had two NWSL Draft selections for the first time in Hailey Harbison (first round to North Carolina) and Michelle Maemone (third round to Utah). Rylee Baisden was named the 2019 Player of the Year in Australia's NPLW and joined the North Carolina Courage in 2020. The Waves have produced two Olympians (Williams and Roxanne Barker, South Africa, 2012 and 2016) and a Women's World Cup participant (Anisa Guajardo, Mexico, 2015). Anna Picarelli played for Italy and Kristi DeVert was the first Wave to suit up with the USWNT.
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.
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