MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine women's soccer team will hit the road for the first time this season visiting San Diego State and CSUN.
MATCH #3 — Thursday (Aug. 24) at SDSU Sports Deck in San Diego, Calif.: Pepperdine (0-0-2) at San Diego State (2-0-0) at 7 p.m.
MATCH #4 — Sunday (Aug. 27) at Matador Soccer Field in Northridge, Calif.: Pepperdine (0-0-2) at CSUN (0-0-0, visits LMU on Thursday) at 7 p.m.
WATCH/ONLINE — The match against SDSU will be streamed on the Mountain West Network while the game against CSUN will be live on ESPN+. Links to live stats and the stream can be found at PepperdineWaves.com.
SAN DIEGO STATE — Pepperdine is 9-3-0 all-time against San Diego State. The Waves have won the last five meetings between the two schools including last season's 4-0 home win over the Aztecs.
CSUN — The Waves are 10-1-3 all-time against the Matadors. Pepperdine and CSUN last met during the 2022 season, when the Waves collected an 8-0 victory at Tari Frahm Rokus Field. Pepperdine's only loss to CSUN was in the 2010 season, falling 2-1 on the Matadors' home turf.
LAST WEEK — The Waves opened up the 2023 season playing host to then ranked #16 Georgetown and Michigan, and collected two ties. On Thursday, against Georgetown, both squads were tied 0-0 for the first 66 minutes until the Hoyas took a 1-0 lead, but
Tatum Wynalda scored the equalizer with three minutes left in the match. On Saturday, the Waves dominated the first half over the Wolverines, outshooting Michigan 8-2 and
Skylar Enge converted a penalty-kick to take an early 1-0 lead. The Wolverines answered in the second half putting pressure on the Waves and went ahead 2-1. Pepperdine did not back down and Wynalda scored the equalizer four minutes after Michigan's second goal and held them the rest of the game.
ROSTER NUMBERS — The Waves' 27-player roster breakdown is five seniors, two redshirt juniors, four juniors, two redshirt sophomores, six sophomores, three redshirt freshmen and five true freshmen. Pepperdine has six returning starters and 18 letterwinners back.
HONORS —
Tatum Wynalda notched the first WCC weekly accolade for the Waves this season, as she was named Offensive Player of the Week after scoring both game-tying goals in the match against #16 Georgetown (8/17) and Michigan (8/19).
AWARDS —
Tatum Wynalda of the Waves received notice on the United Soccer Coaches' preseason forwards to watch list. Additionally,
Tori Waldeck and Wynalda 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: Santa Clara, Portland,
Pepperdine, Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, San Francisco, Pacific, Loyola Marymount, San Diego.
LAST SEASON — The Waves finished the 2022 season with a 9-4-5 overall record and tied for fifth place in the WCC at 3-3-3.
Tatum Wynalda earned All-WCC second team honors and WCC All-Freshman team. Other returning players honored by the league were
Taylor Bloom and
Kam Pickett, who earned All-WCC honorable mention.
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. Williams made her World Cup debut in the summer of 2023.
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. In June 2023,
Kelsey Hill signed with Angel City FC as a national team replacement player.
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 20 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, five times (most recently in back-to-back years during the 2022-23 and 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 #55 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.
