MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine women's soccer (1-2-1), who received votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll, hosts Ivy League opponent Columbia (0-2) in the second-to-last home game of the non-conference slate.
 
"Columbia is going to be a fantastic opponent," Head Coach Tim Ward said. "We're excited about being on our home field. Who knows what the final result will be, but I can guarantee you our performance is going to be strong."
 
LAST TIME OUT

• The Waves secured their first win at Cal 1-0 Sunday afternoon. 
• Lily Stewart recorded her first collegiate goal for the match-winner.
• Tabitha LaParl tallied her second assist of the season, finding Stewart's head on a free kick in the 85th minute.

 
GAME NOTES
 

• Four games into the season, Wynalda leads the Waves with three points, garnering an assist at TCU and a goal against Hawai'i. 
• Wynalda played in all 21 matches last year, making 17 starts.
• As the leading returning offensive producer for the Waves, Tabitha LaParl tabbed six goals and two assists last season.        

• Through her career, the LaParl has amassed 10 goals and 10 assists.
• Wynalda has scored 18 goals with eight assists to date with the Waves.
• The Waves are coming off a 2024 season which saw the program's fifth WCC Championship after finishing (6-1-3) in the conference. The title was split with Santa Clara who posted the same mark in the WCC.
• Pepperdine returns nine of the starting 11 from last season.
• The last time the program won back-to-back conference titles was 2016 & 2017 as Pepperdine looks to win the WCC outright for just the second time ever.
• Pepperdine has scored six goals this season, all by different individuals.

 
 
SERIES HISTORY

•  The Waves have only faced off against the Lions twice, posting a perfect 2-0 record.
• The last matchup came in 2017 in Malibu where Pepperdine shut out Columbia 2-0.
• With both matches resulting in shutouts, the Lions have never scored a goal on the Waves.

 
SCOUTING THE LIONS

• Columbia has started the year 0-2, dropping two close matchups to Hofstra and Villanova.
• Most recently, the Lions come off a 0-1 loss at Big East opponent Villanova.
•  Evelyn Javers has scored the lone goal for Columbia this season.

 
The game Thursday is slated for a 3 p.m. kickoff. It is a white out game and the first 100 fans in attendance will get a throwback Waves tshirt, inspired by a design coach Ward crafted himself. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required) and live stats will be available at www.pepperdinewaves.com
 
ABOUT PEPPERDINE WOMEN'S SOCCER
Pepperdine women's soccer has been competitive since season one in 1993. As just the third head coach in the program's history, Tim Ward has led the Waves to 14 NCAA tournament appearances, winning the West Coast Conference five separate times and taking his squad to the round of 16 four times, most recently in 2021. With 23 winning seasons, Ward has proven he can lead consistently with excellence, garnering an overall record of 309-152-77.
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