Washington D.C. — The #20 Pepperdine women's soccer team heads east for another top-25 opponent before heading to Harvard.
MATCH #7 — Thursday (Sept. 5) at Shaw Field against the #23 Hoyas at 1 p.m.
MATCH #8 — Sunday (Sept. 8) at Jordan Field against the Crimson at 10 a.m.
ONLINE — Thursday's match against Georgetown will be streamed on FloSports while Harvard's match will be on ESPN+. Links to live stats can be found at PepperdineWaves.com.
#23 Georgetown — The Waves have only met the Hoyas once before in 2023 with a 1-1 tie in Malibu. Pepperdine soccer has not traveled this far east since 2016 when they visited Maryland and #4 Virginia. So far this season, the Waves are 1-0 against ranked opponents after defeating #3 UCLA 1-0 at home Sept. 1.
Harvard — Pepperdine is 0-0-1 all-time against the Crimson with the only match-up coming at home in 2023. Harvard advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament last year, falling to Michigan State after defeating Maine 3-0. A team with experience, Harvard returns 11 upperclassmen to their roster.
ROSTER NUMBERS — The Waves' 30-player roster breakdown is three graduates, four seniors, two redshirt juniors, five juniors, three redshirt sophomores, three sophomores, one redshirt freshman and nine true freshmen. Pepperdine has 19 returners, including eight postseason starters. Two Waves — Victoria Romero and Tori Waldeck — are back for an extra season after utilizing COVID-19 redshirt years. Graduate transfer Megan Edelman comes to Pepperdine after winning a 2022 National Championship in her four years at UCLA.
WEST COAST CONFERENCE — The Waves were picked to finish third in the WCC preseason coaches poll for a third consecutive season. The order went as follows: Santa Clara, Washington State, Pepperdine, Portland, Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, San Francisco, Oregon State, Pacific, Loyola Marymount, and San Diego.
LAST SEASON — The Waves finished second in the WCC with their 13th NCAA tournament appearance in 2023. Pepperdine lost in the first round to NCAA national-runner up Stanford. Retuners Taylor Bloom and Tori Waldeck earned spots on the United Soccer Coaches All-West Region Teams. Waldeck also earned WCC Player of the Year while returning sophomore Julia Quinonez recieved WCC Freshman of the Year.
WAVES IN THE PROS — Several Waves have made their marks professionally. Lynn Williams is a four-time NWSL champion (2016 Western New York Flash, 2018 and 2019 North Carolina Courage, and 2023 Gotham FC). In 2016, she was also the NWSL MVP and Golden Boot winner. As a member of the U.S. National Team, she's earned 70 caps and scored 19 goals. She won a gold medal in the most recent 2024 Olympics in Paris as well as a bronze in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Williams made her World Cup debut in 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.
2024 OLYMPICS – In the summer games, Pepperdine alum Lynn Williams ('15) won her first gold medal with the United States Women's National Team and only the second gold for a female Pepperdine graduate. Originally named to the alternate squad, Williams was elevated to the 18-man roster prior to group stage play. Scoring in the USWNT's 4-0 win against Japan, Williams is one of only four USWNT players to score in the entirety of the 2024 Olympics.
SEASON TICKETS: Season tickets are now available for all fall sports, including Women's Soccer. Additionally, Pepperdine is offering a Fall All-Sport Pass, which grants admission to all fall home sports including women's soccer, women's volleyball and men's water polo - a $525 retail value for just $150. Learn more and access those exclusive season ticket offers here: gowav.es/peppszntix2425.
GROUP OPPORTUNITIES: Interested in bringing your group out to a Pepperdine Athletics event? Unique experiences include anthem buddies, national anthem performances, fan tunnels, halftime performances and more. Group tickets (15+ tickets) and experiences are available, beginning at $5 per person for women's volleyball, men's water polo and women's soccer. Those interested in purchasing group tickets can fill out this form or reach out to the ticket office via e-mail wavestix@pepperdine.edu or phone (866) WAVE-TIX.
JR. WAVES: Register your kid(s) to join Pepperdine's official kids club, "Jr. Waves" for the 2024-2025 academic year. Jr. Waves receive an exclusive t-shirt, membership card and a lanyard that grants free general admission to all Pepperdine ticketed sporting events. Memberships start at $100 per kid.
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, four times (most recently in 2022-23). 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 #76 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.
