FORT WORTH, Texas — The Pepperdine women's soccer team (0-0) , who received votes in the preseason top 25 poll,opens the 2025 season on the road against the top-10 ranked Horned Frogs of TCU (0-0).
 
MATCH #1 — Thursday (Aug. 14) at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas. The Waves start the season under the lights as kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. PT. 
 
ONLINE — Thursday's match can be found on ESPN+ (subscription required). Links to live stats can be found at PepperdineWaves.com.
 
SERIES HISTORY — With a small sample size, the Waves are a perfect 3-0 against the Horned Frogs. The last matchup was in Fort Worth in 2021 when Pepperdine came back to Malibu victorious, shutting the home team out 1-0. This will be the Waves' third trip to Fort Worth, dating back to the first trip in 2005. As the season opener for both teams, it is the first time the two have competed with a 0-0 record.
 
STACKED COMPETITION — Only eight games in non-conference play leaves little room for error, or bye games. Slated as one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country, Pepperdine intends to capitalize on the opportunity to grow. According to the preseason polls, the first week of the season has two top-10 opponents waiting in #9 TCU and #5 USC. The schedule also includes Cal, a NCAA tournament rematch, leaving the Waves an opportunity to redeem themselves after the 0-1 loss in double overtime to end the 2024 campaign. 
 
REIGNING CHAMPS — The Waves were picked to finish second in this year's West Coast Conference preseason poll. Last year, Pepperdine was slated to finish third, eventually splitting the championship with Santa Clara, the Waves fifth title in program history. The 2024 season ended with a gut-wrenching first round loss to Cal, Berkeley at home in double overtime in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
 
PLAYERS TO WATCH — With two players on the United Soccer Coaches players to watch list, graduate Tabitha LaParl and senior Karina Gonzalez were named as the top midfielders to watch in the country. Gonzalez was also named in the Top Drawer Soccer top 100 players for the preseason, landing in the top half at 41. Senior Tatum Wynalda joins Gonzalez and LaParl on the WCC preseason team, representing Pepperdine as the only school with multiple players on the 11-person squad. Returning All-WCC members, on top of Wynalda, Gonzalez, and LaParl, include graduate Megan Edelman, junior Peyton Leonard, redshirt junior Kyra Murphy, sophomore Jillian Medvecky, sophomore Elle Quinn, sophomore Ariana Salvador.
 
ROSTER NUMBERS — The Waves' 29-player roster breakdown is two graduates, four seniors, three redshirt juniors, two juniors, one redshirt sophomores, six sophomores, three redshirt freshmen and eight true freshmen. Pepperdine has 21 returners, including nine postseason starters.
 
SCOUTING THE HORNED FROGS — Ranked #9 in the United Soccer Coaches poll and #16 in Top Drawer Soccer, the Horned Frogs have caught national attention early. Last season, TCU finished the year 17-4-2, including a first place regular season finish in the Big 12 and a second round exit in the NCAA Tournament. Tabbed to finish first in the conference, the Horned Frogs garnered three players on the 27-person preseason team. Of those returning for the Texas-based team, the two to keep an eye out for offensively are forwards Bella Diorio and Seven Castain. Diorio finished her sophomore season as a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist and a second team All-American, earning the conference's Forward of the Year award while Castain is entering her senior season after leading both her team and her conference in goals with 13.