Photo by: Jeff Golden
Women's Soccer Q&A: Tori Waldeck
7/25/2022 11:29:00 AM | Women's Soccer, Competing With Purpose Blog
Tori Waldeck is a rising junior forward for the Pepperdine women's soccer team. As a freshman in 2020-21, she was an All-WCC second team selection and tied for the team lead with four goals. As a sophomore last season, she started in 20 of 22 games for the Waves, who reached the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament. Waldeck was second on the team with nine goals and led the team with 10 assists:
Q: In your own words, how would you describe the 2021 season?
A: As a team, we really took a step forward. We got to where our coaches and we want to be. For me personally, I found it as a breakthrough moment. Coming in as a freshman, you have that scary moment of, wow, you're playing in college at a DI level. Last year I didn't feel that kind of pressure, I felt completely myself and could step out there to have fun and play.
Q: What was the biggest difference from last year's group compared to the adjusted 2020-21 COVID season?
A: My freshman year, I think COVID was just in the back of people's minds and added that extra anxiety. But last season, we were able to go out there and have fun. I think that because we had been through it already, we played at such a higher and more fluid level. It helped having roughly the same exact team. We were able to embrace the 2021 season and make it our own.
Q: At what point in the season did you think that this team could make a tournament run?
A: This team traveled a lot last year. We had games in Texas, Tennessee, Florida and all over our conference as well. In the beginning of September, we had big wins against Lipscomb and Vanderbilt — two teams that routinely make the NCAA Tournament. Proving to ourselves that we could play really good on the road was huge. Games like that made us realize that we could make a run, we could maybe even go where no Pepperdine team has gone before.
Q: Joelle Anderson was a player that did so much for the program. Was it special that the team was able to make the run in her final season?
A: I think it was huge for all our seniors, because we had a lot of fifth years come back: Joelle, Zoe (Clevely), Devyn (Gilfoy), Calista (Reyes). They all got what would have been their actual senior season taken away. So being able to play for them and making every game count was so important for the rest of the team. Once you get into the postseason, any game could be your last. And we especially played for Joelle. We knew how much she did for the program in the past. She had an amazing final season and she put the team on her back because she wanted to take this team as far as they could go too.
Q: How did the team feel about finishing with a final ranking of #13 in the country in the United Soccer Coaches poll?
A: Seeing the number is awesome, and we feel a bit better that the team we lost to was the national champion. But for Pepperdine, it tells us that we're finally getting the recognition we deserve. And this offseason our coaches said, 'Look, we finished at 13, but now, we need to take that next step. We need to make it to an Elite 8 because no team has ever done that.' There have been teams that have made it this far in the past but gone backwards. We want to take it to the next level.
Q: Individually, how do you feel your season was?
A: I probably had one of the best seasons of soccer I ever had. And there's definitely more room for me to grow. I think what helped is that I came in and wasn't overly emotional about the game. I was just playing and having fun. Also, Joelle and I had an awesome connection that I haven't had in a while with any player. So it was nice to be able to play with someone of that caliber, along with other girls on our team and building those on-field connections. Overall, I took steps that I didn't know I could.
Q: Personnel-wise, the team is once again bringing back a number of players for a fifth year. How do you think the team will be from a chemistry standpoint?
A: Our chemistry is going to be amazing. Last year, it was awesome and I think we're just going to build off of that. It will be interesting because we have such a big class coming in. But, on the field, our chemistry will definitely be there. Returning this many starters is rare, and a lot of them are more excited than they've been in any offseason. Our coaches tell us it's up to the upperclassmen and our seniors — because if our leaders are close with our freshmen, then the whole team is close-knit.
Q: What are some of the areas the team has addressed this offseason?
A: The personnel always changes. Even though we're bringing back a lot, there are things that are different; every team can look completely different depending on the year. One of those areas would be losing Zoe, our keeper, who was amazing. So our new keepers that are stepping in are better with their feet, which Zoe would admit wasn't necessarily her strong suit. With our new keepers, our defense can play out of the back more and our team has done so well with that this offseason. That will help us this season when things get crazy because it can slow the game down; just giving the ball to our keeper and letting them play with their feet for a while. Also, people are starting to understand what their role on the team is, whether they're playing a lot of minutes or not.
Q: Lastly, who are some players to watch out for this season?
A: Our returning, top-conference players are so strong. One is Trinity Watson. She's going into her fifth and final year and has worked so hard this offseason as she plans to play professionally. I'd also say Kelsey (Hill), our other center back. They've built their connection even further, which is huge. They're ready to leave their final mark as Waves. Also, myself and Carlee Giammona are going to be big parts of the offense this year.
Q: In your own words, how would you describe the 2021 season?
A: As a team, we really took a step forward. We got to where our coaches and we want to be. For me personally, I found it as a breakthrough moment. Coming in as a freshman, you have that scary moment of, wow, you're playing in college at a DI level. Last year I didn't feel that kind of pressure, I felt completely myself and could step out there to have fun and play.
Q: What was the biggest difference from last year's group compared to the adjusted 2020-21 COVID season?
A: My freshman year, I think COVID was just in the back of people's minds and added that extra anxiety. But last season, we were able to go out there and have fun. I think that because we had been through it already, we played at such a higher and more fluid level. It helped having roughly the same exact team. We were able to embrace the 2021 season and make it our own.
Q: At what point in the season did you think that this team could make a tournament run?
A: This team traveled a lot last year. We had games in Texas, Tennessee, Florida and all over our conference as well. In the beginning of September, we had big wins against Lipscomb and Vanderbilt — two teams that routinely make the NCAA Tournament. Proving to ourselves that we could play really good on the road was huge. Games like that made us realize that we could make a run, we could maybe even go where no Pepperdine team has gone before.
Q: Joelle Anderson was a player that did so much for the program. Was it special that the team was able to make the run in her final season?
A: I think it was huge for all our seniors, because we had a lot of fifth years come back: Joelle, Zoe (Clevely), Devyn (Gilfoy), Calista (Reyes). They all got what would have been their actual senior season taken away. So being able to play for them and making every game count was so important for the rest of the team. Once you get into the postseason, any game could be your last. And we especially played for Joelle. We knew how much she did for the program in the past. She had an amazing final season and she put the team on her back because she wanted to take this team as far as they could go too.
Q: How did the team feel about finishing with a final ranking of #13 in the country in the United Soccer Coaches poll?
A: Seeing the number is awesome, and we feel a bit better that the team we lost to was the national champion. But for Pepperdine, it tells us that we're finally getting the recognition we deserve. And this offseason our coaches said, 'Look, we finished at 13, but now, we need to take that next step. We need to make it to an Elite 8 because no team has ever done that.' There have been teams that have made it this far in the past but gone backwards. We want to take it to the next level.
Q: Individually, how do you feel your season was?
A: I probably had one of the best seasons of soccer I ever had. And there's definitely more room for me to grow. I think what helped is that I came in and wasn't overly emotional about the game. I was just playing and having fun. Also, Joelle and I had an awesome connection that I haven't had in a while with any player. So it was nice to be able to play with someone of that caliber, along with other girls on our team and building those on-field connections. Overall, I took steps that I didn't know I could.
Q: Personnel-wise, the team is once again bringing back a number of players for a fifth year. How do you think the team will be from a chemistry standpoint?
A: Our chemistry is going to be amazing. Last year, it was awesome and I think we're just going to build off of that. It will be interesting because we have such a big class coming in. But, on the field, our chemistry will definitely be there. Returning this many starters is rare, and a lot of them are more excited than they've been in any offseason. Our coaches tell us it's up to the upperclassmen and our seniors — because if our leaders are close with our freshmen, then the whole team is close-knit.
Q: What are some of the areas the team has addressed this offseason?
A: The personnel always changes. Even though we're bringing back a lot, there are things that are different; every team can look completely different depending on the year. One of those areas would be losing Zoe, our keeper, who was amazing. So our new keepers that are stepping in are better with their feet, which Zoe would admit wasn't necessarily her strong suit. With our new keepers, our defense can play out of the back more and our team has done so well with that this offseason. That will help us this season when things get crazy because it can slow the game down; just giving the ball to our keeper and letting them play with their feet for a while. Also, people are starting to understand what their role on the team is, whether they're playing a lot of minutes or not.
Q: Lastly, who are some players to watch out for this season?
A: Our returning, top-conference players are so strong. One is Trinity Watson. She's going into her fifth and final year and has worked so hard this offseason as she plans to play professionally. I'd also say Kelsey (Hill), our other center back. They've built their connection even further, which is huge. They're ready to leave their final mark as Waves. Also, myself and Carlee Giammona are going to be big parts of the offense this year.
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