MALIBU, Calif. – After a historic 2021 season which included making it to the NCAA Round of 16, the #17 Pepperdine women's soccer team begins its 30th season in search of another trip to the NCAA Tournament. A strongly set up non-conference schedule begins at Tari Frahm Rokus Field, by hosting CSUN and then hitting the road south to UC San Diego.
MATCH #1 — Thursday (Aug. 18) at Tari Frahm Rokus Field in Malibu, California: #17 Pepperdine (0-0-0) vs. CSUN (0-0-0) at 3 p.m.
MATCH #2 — Sunday (Aug. 21) at Triton Soccer Stadium in La Jolla, California: #17 Pepperdine (0-0-0) at UC San Diego (0-0-0, hosts Idaho on Thursday) at 2 p.m.
TICKETS — Tickets to all Pepperdine home women's soccer matches in 2022 will be available via e-ticket ONLY. Patrons must purchase tickets to any event prior to arriving on campus. Individuals without tickets to an event will not be allowed on campus. Pepperdine faculty, staff and students must show a Pepperdine ID card for entry — no ticket purchase is required. To purchase e-tickets and read the spectator guidelines, visit:
https://gowav.es/WavesTix. Ongoing construction projects are significantly affecting parking availability at our athletic venues. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to find parking and make your way to the venue. Please park in the Firestone Fieldhouse parking lot or the RHO parking lot.
WATCH/ONLINE — The Waves will stream Thursday's match on the WCC Network, while Sunday's game will be on ESPN+. Links to broadcasts and live stats can be found at PepperdineWaves.com.
CSUN — Pepperdine is 9-1-3 all-time against CSUN. The Waves and Matadors last met in the 2019 season, when Pepperdine took home the 1-0 victory at Matador Soccer Field. Pepperdine's only loss to CSUN was in the 2010 season, falling 2-1 on the Matadors' home turf.
UC SAN DIEGO — This will be the second meeting between Pepperdine and UC San Diego. The Waves and Tritons met for the first time last season, when Pepperdine defeated UCSD 4-1 at Tari Frahm Rokus Field.
ROSTER NUMBERS — The Waves' 30-player roster breakdown is three redshirt seniors, three seniors, one redshirt junior, eight juniors, one redshirt sophomore, four sophomores and 10 true freshmen. Pepperdine has eight returning starters and 19 letterwinners back. Three Waves —
Kelsey Hill,
Leyla McFarland and
Trinity Watson — are back for an extra season after utilizing COVID-19 redshirt years.
RANKINGS — After spending the entire 2021 campaign in the top-25 in at least one of the major polls, Pepperdine continues the streak and heads into the 2022 season ranked #17 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll.
AWARDS —Three members of the Waves received notice on the United Soccer Coaches' preseason players to watch lists:
Trinity Watson (defender),
Carlee Giammona (midfield) and
Tori Waldeck (forward) ... Watson was named to Top Drawer Soccer's preseason Best XI third team ... Waldeck and Watson were also voted to the preseason All-WCC squad.
WCC — The Waves were picked to finish third in the WCC preseason coaches poll for a second consecutive season. The order went as follows: BYU, Santa Clara, Pepperdine, Gonzaga, Portland, Saint Mary's, San Francisco, Pacific, Loyola Marymount, San Diego.
LAST SEASON — The Waves had one of its best seasons in program history finishing with an overall record of 17-4-1 and a third-place finish in the WCC. Pepperdine reached the NCAA Tournament for the 12th time in program history. The Waves made it to the round of 16 for the fourth time.
Tori Waldeck earned All-WCC first team honors for the first time. Other returning players honored by the league were two second teamers (
Carlee Giammona and
Trinity Watson) and two WCC All-Freshman team recipients (
Tabitha LaParl and
Kam Pickett).
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 43 caps and scored 14 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. In January 2022,
Joelle Anderson signed a two-year professional contract with the Houston Dash.
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 2021-22). 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.
