The #22 Pepperdine women's soccer team clinched a share of the West Coast Conference title with a 3-0 win over San Francisco Saturday afternoon.
The Waves (12-3-5, 6-1-3) are WCC champions for the fifth time in program history and the first time since 2017. After losing the title game on home turf last season, team 32 relished in the moment.
Scoring in the fifth minute, Pepperdine led for the majority of the match. The Dons (5-11-2, 1-7-2) were only able to put four shots up all game, including one on goal.
Starting in her first game since October 19, redshirt junior
Tabitha LaParl (Lakewood, Calif.) got the offense going early. In a free kick right outside the Dons' 18-yard box, LaParl curved the ball in for a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute. This is LaParl's sixth of the year, sitting just behind graduate
Tori Waldeck (Newhall, Calif.) for the most goals this season.
Without another goal for the remainder of the half from either side, Pepperdine was hungry for more in the last 45 minutes. Nearly doubling shots from the first half, the Waves were living in the attacking third. Of the 13 shots rattled off, eight were on target, giving San Francisco plenty of defensive tests.
As is routine, the Waves like to score within the first 15 of the whistle blowing for either half. In the 58th minute, redshirt sophomore
Kyra Murphy (Riverside, Calif.) added her fourth goal of the season, doing so unassisted. Doubling the Pepperdine lead, team 32 was just over 30 minutes away from the first conference title in seven years.
Not satisfied with just two goals, junior
Tatum Wynalda (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) took matters into her own hands in the 78th minute, sending a screecher into the upper 90 of the goal for the nail in the coffin and a 3-0 lead.
Pepperdine shares the title with Santa Clara, who won the autobid to the NCAA tournament on goal differential in conference matchups.
The Waves await the NCAA selection show to know their opponent and location of the first round. The show will begin at 1 p.m. Monday on NCAA.com
GOALS
5' | LaParl scored unassisted on a free kick, curving the ball into the right-hand side of the goal.
58' | Murphy sinks her fourth of the year unassisted into the left-hand side of the net.
78'| Wynalda rockets the ball into the upper righthand corner for her fourth of the year as well.
STATS
Shots: Pepperdine 20, San Francisco 4
Shots on Goal: Pepperdine 9, San Francisco 1
Saves:
Jillian Medvecky (Pepperdine) 1, Kira Ybarra (San Francisco) 6
Corner Kicks: Pepperdine 6, San Francisco 0
Fouls: Pepperdine 9, San Francisco 14
Offsides: Pepperdine 2, San Francisco 0
UP NEXT
The #22 Pepperdine soccer team awaits their fate to be announced on the NCAA selection show Monday at 1 p.m. on NCAA.com
