MALIBU, Calif. – The #14 Pepperdine women's soccer team will be back on its home turf for a pair of games against LSU of the SEC and San Diego State of the Mountain West. The Waves have started the season 2-0 with two shutouts for the second straight year.
MATCH #3 — Thursday (Aug. 25) at Tari Frahm Rokus Field in Malibu, California: #14 Pepperdine (2-0-0) vs. LSU (1-0-1) at 3 p.m.
MATCH #4 — Sunday (Aug. 28) at Tari Frahm Rokus Field in Malibu, California: #14 Pepperdine (2-0-0) vs. San Diego State (2-0-0, plays at Long Beach State on Thursday) at 1 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 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 — Both matches can be watched online via the WCC Network. Links to broadcasts and live stats can be found at PepperdineWaves.com.
LSU — Pepperdine and LSU have only met once, which was during the 2011 season. The Waves traveled to Louisiana and tied the Tigers 1-1 after going to an overtime period.
SAN DIEGO STATE — Pepperdine is 8-3-0 all-time against San Diego State. The Waves have won the last four games. The Waves and Aztecs met last season on SDSU's home turf and Pepperdine came away with a 3-0 victory.
LAST WEEK — The Waves opened the season with two shutout victories, first against CSUN 8-0 during the home opener and then a 1-0 road win at UC San Diego.
Carlee Giammona,
Melina Livadas and
Leyla McFarland each scored two goals against the Matadors, while
Trinity Watson scored on a PK and
Tatum Wynalda scored the Waves eighth goal. In addition to Watson's goal, she had three assists, which tied the single-game record and Giammona also had two assists and a six-point game. McFarland also scored the lone goal against the Tritons.
Taylor Rath and
Ellie Sommers split the shutout victory over CSUN, with Rath having one save. Rath notched her first solo shutout in a Waves' uniform against UC San Diego making two saves.
ROSTER NUMBERS — The Waves' 30-player roster breakdown is three redshirt seniors, three seniors, one redshirt junior, seven juniors, one redshirt sophomore, four sophomores, one redshirt freshman 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 were named to the prestigious MAC Hermann Trophy watch list:
Carlee Giammona, Tori Waldeck and
Trinity Watson ... Pepperdine also had three members receive notice on the United Soccer Coaches' preseason players to watch lists: Watson (defender), Giammona (midfield) and Waldeck (forward) ... Watson was named to Top Drawer Soccer's preseason Best XI third team ... Watson (26) and Waldeck (47) are ranked in the top 50 on the Top Drawer Soccer preseason NCAA DI preseason player rankings ... 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.
