SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Pepperdine women's soccer team notched its fifth consecutive win in a dominant fashion with a 7-0 victory over the University of San Diego on Friday night.
Six different Waves contributed to Pepperdine's (8-3-5, 5-1 WCC) win over the Toreros (1-14-2, 0-6-1 WCC) in the former's biggest offensive output of the year. The team's seven goals were its most since the 2022 season opener, when Pepperdine shut out Cal State Northridge 8-0. In total, the Waves out-shot the Toreros 29-9, with 20 shots on goal to San Diego's 5. Pepperdine goalkeepers Taylor Rath (Las Vegas, Nev./Palo Verde HS) and Harlee Head (Castle Rock, Colo./Douglas County HS) combined for five saves in the shutout.
"I'm super proud of the team tonight as the girls played with real passion and purpose," Pepperdine head coach Tim Ward said. "We're excited about the opportunities in front of us and we are focusing on one day at a time, but again, it was so fun to see all of the women contribute tonight as there were some really special moments and goals out there."
A myriad of contributors had a hand in Pepperdine's win. Sophomore Tatum Wynalda (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Westlake HS) led the Waves with a brace and an assist. Senior Tori Waldeck (Newhall, Calif./Hart HS) notched her ninth goal of the season in the first half, Julia Quinonez (Torrance, Calif./Torrance HS) scored her sixth goal to open the second half and Taylor Bloom (Huntington Beach, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS) netted a header late in the second half gave the sophomore her second goal of the season. Kendall Campbell (Palmdale, Calif./Paraclete HS) and Caroline Coleman (Mission Hills, Kans./Shawnee Mission East HS) chipped in goals late in the second half to put the Toreros away, while freshman Ava Verplancke (Irvine, Calif./Portola HS) came off the bench to assist on three goals.
After controlling possession for the first 30 minutes, Pepperdine got on the board with Tatum Wynalda's first of two goals of the night. On the break, senior Skylar Enge (Cardiff, Calif./Pacific Ridge School) seamed a pass between two Toreros to a streaking Wynalda, whose right-footed shot got past San Diego goalkeeper Sophine Kevorkian. Then in the 32nd minute, Quinonez found Waldeck on the break with a no-look-pass just outside the box to set up Waldeck's ninth goal of the season.
Playing with a 2-0 lead in the first half, Pepperdine added to its lead when Wynalda found Quinonez for a goal in the 51st minute. After Julianna Duckett (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga HS) fed Wynalda towards the right side, Wynalda made a break for the corner, then found Quinonez at the last second, who slotted a goal with her right foot towards the far post for a 3-0 Pepperdine lead. Then in the 62nd minute, Wynalda would find the back of the net again when her right-footed shot from just outside the box on the right side gave the Waves a 4-0 advantage.
From there, Pepperdine's subs took over and didn't relent. Head relieved Rath between the posts moments before the Waves took a 5-0 lead off of Bloom's header in the 71st minute, which was set up by Verplancke's rebound off of a Waves corner kick. Pepperdine extended its lead when in the 80th minute, Kyra Murphy (Riverside, Calif./Martin Luther King HS) found Campbell, whose left-footed shot found the back of the net. To top things off, the Waves turned a yellow card from San Diego's Maronne Suzuki in the 85ht minute into a beauty of a free kick from Coleman, who slotted a ball in the top left corner of the net to put the Waves up 7-0. The goal was the first of her career and the season.
San Diego's Sophine Kevorkian notched 13 saves in the loss, which was one short of her career high. The win marked Pepperdine's ninth straight victory over San Diego.
STATS
Shots: Pepperdine 29, San Diego 9
Shots on Goal: Pepperdine 20, San Diego 5
Saves: Taylor Rath (Pepperdine) 4, Harlee Head (Pepperdine) 1, Sophine Kevorkian 13
Corner Kicks: Pepperdine 8, San Diego 1
Fouls: Pepperdine 6, San Diego 5
Offside: Pepperdine 0, San Diego 2
UP NEXT: Pepperdine takes on San Francisco on the road next Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 6 p.m. PT. The penultimate game of the regular season will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
