The Pepperdine women's soccer team closed out the Outrigger Kickoff tournament with a 2-1 win over Georgia Southern.
The Waves came back with a vengeance Sunday afternoon. After dropping the season opener Thursday night to Utah State, Pepperdine was looking for redemption.The first half was a battle of possession with only five shots being rattled off between the two teams.
The second half was a different story. All six of the Waves' corner kicks came in the latter 45 minutes of the match. Graduate Tori Waldeck (Newhall, Calif.) broke through for the offense after multiple shots on goal by the Waves, scoring the first goal of the season, giving Pepperdine a 1-0 lead with approximately 35 minutes to go.
Not long after, reigning West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year sophomore Julia Quinonez (Torrance, Calif.) followed Waldeck's lead, placing a goal in the same side of the goal to give Pepperdine a 2-0 lead.
Within the same minute, the Eagles retaliated and cut the Waves lead 2-1 on an unassisted goal.
Despite best efforts by the opposition, the defense was able to hold strong and feed off the offensive momentum, keeping the Eagles off the scoreboard for the remainder of the match.
Pepperdine leaves Hawai'i 1-1 after a 2-1 win over Georgia Southern,
"The girls played beautifully today and took all that we learned from our Thursday match and took a massive step forward with today's performance," Head coach
Tim Ward said. "Really proud of all the young ladies and the energy they brought in support of their team."
GOALS
56' : Waldeck scored off her right foot into the left side of the net with an assist from graduate Victoria Romero (Claremont, Calif.).
63' : Quinonez scored in the same way Waldeck did with a left-handed side goal off her right foot with an assist from junior Tabitha LaParl (Sanger, Calif.).
63' : An unassisted left-footed goal by Georgia Southern's Smith Cathey
STATS
Shots: Pepperdine 14, Georgia Southern 6
Shots on Goal: Pepperdine 8, Georgia Southern 3
Saves: Taylor Rath (Pepperdine) 2, Katie Oakley (Georgia Southern) 6
Corner Kicks: Pepperdine 6, Georgia Southern 3
Fouls: Pepperdine 7, Georgia Southern 5
Offsides: Pepperdine 1, Georgia Southern 3
OUTRIGGER KICKOFF ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Kylie Olsen, Utah State
Alex Day, Utah State
Kaitlyn Richins, Utah State
Bizzy Arevalo, Utah State
Shay Kercher-Pratt, Utah State
Nalani Damacion, Hawaii
Jacey Jicha, Hawaii
Alice Davidson, Hawaii
Tori Waldeck, Pepperdine
Lily Stewart, Pepperdine
Smith Cathey, Georgia Southern
UP NEXT
The Waves stay a little closer to home, traveling to UC San Diego to take on the Tritons Thursday. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
