Women’s Soccer Starts Final Home Stretch Against Santa Clara

MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine women's soccer (9-4-2, 5-1 WCC) hosts the first of the final two home matches of the regular season against Santa Clara (7-2-7, 3-0-3 WCC) Wednesday at 3 p.m.

The Waves got back in the win column Saturday night at Pacific in a 1-0 win.
With Julia Quinonez scoring the match winner, her season total in goals is now up to 12, with a conference-leading five being match-winners.
Pepperdine is now narrowly atop the conference standings with three matches remaining.

GAME NOTES

Unanimous among the WCC coaches poll, Pepperdine was picked to finish first in the conference this year.
The trio of seniors: Peyton Leonard, Kyra Murphy, and Julia Quinonez were selected to the preseason all-conference team, the third year in a row the Waves have had three honorees make the squad.
On their respective MAC Hermann Trophy positional players to watch, Leonard and Quinonez were recognized as returners who made the United Soccer Coaches All-West Region First Team last season.
In the final year with no postseason tournament for the West Coast Conference, Pepperdine secured the title of conference champions for the second year in a row.
Winning the title outright, it is the sixth conference championship for the Waves.
The Waves have only won back-to-back titles one other time in 2016 and 2017, never doing so in three consecutive years.
Over Tim Ward's 28 years of coaching, he has garnered over 300 wins and five WCC Coach of the Year awards, most recently in 2017.
Throughout Ward's tenure, Pepperdine has earned six WCC titles with four NCAA Sweet 16 appearances and a total of 10 national team players.
Returning for her senior year, Peyton Leonard is one of the most well-rounded players on the 2026 roster for the Waves.
A steady presence on defense, the Ladera Ranch, Calif. native is also a threat on offense, tallying four goals and three assists last season.
Named to the Top Drawer Soccer Top 100 Players across the NCAA, the centerback came in at No. 60.
Leading the team for the second consecutive season, Julia Quinonez has notched 12 goals so far this year, bringing her collegiate total to 31, sixth all-time in Pepperdine record books.
The senior currently leads the nation in shot accuracy at .769 and is 17th in the nation in points per game at 1.80.
Quinonez leads the conference in points, live-action goals, shot accuracy, and game-winners with five.
As a fifth year, Kyra Murphy brings the most experience to the Waves this season with 83 matches played, including 54 starts.
Totalling 12 goals and 14 assists, Murphy is currently second in the conference with six assists on the season, the most in one year in her collegiate career.
Returning in goal for the Waves, junior Jillian Medvecky has started all but three matches for the Waves, garnering a goals against average of 1.20, tallying 163 saves.
With two returning on the backline, the Waves will have experience in the defensive third of the field.
Senior Peyton Leonard and junior Lily Stewart have 83 starts between the two of them along with 10 goals.
Four freshmen make up eight goals for the Waves this season, led by Sam Hosford who is second on the team in goals with three.
Four freshmen have rotated in and out of the starting XI with Kate Ryan, Fiona McCormick, and Emjae Soriano joining Hosford as first-year impact players.
With a 9-4-2 record, Pepperdine owns half of the conference's top-100 RPI wins.
Posting a 5-1-1 record in Malibu, the Waves look to close out the regular season protecting Tari Frahm Rokus Field against Santa Clara and San Diego Oct. 28 and 30, respectively.

SERIES HISTORY WITH SANTA CLARA

All time, the Waves trail the Broncos 12-19-1.
In Malibu, Pepperdine holds the advantage 10-5-1.
The one tie at Tari Frahm came in a 1-1 match two seasons ago in 2024.
Ariana Salvador scored against the Broncos as a freshman two years ago.
The Waves are looking to tie their longest unbeaten streak against Santa Clara, coming in 2016-2018.

SCOUTING THE BRONCOS

Sitting at 7-2-7, Santa Clara is coming off a 1-1 tie at home to Saint Mary's.
The Broncos have tied three in a row, looking for their first win since Oct. 7.
Kennedy Schoennauer is the main offense for Santa Clara, producing 13 of the team's 24 goals.
Litsy Alcocer has tallied the most assists so far this year with five, followed closely by Hildi Beneddiktsdottir who has four.
In the net for Santa Clara, Ally Harrison has collected 44 saves for a GAA of .91.

Kicking off Wednesday at 3 p.m., it is faculty & staff appreciation day for the Waves. Hot dogs and sodas will be provided for free to the first faculty/staff members. It is also a pink out, so fans are encouraged to wear pink to support the fight against breast cancer. The match will be available to stream on ESPN+ (subscription required) with live stats 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 24 winning seasons, Ward has proven he can lead consistently with excellence, garnering an overall record of 323-160-80.
TICKETS
For more information and to purchase tickets to upcoming home events, visit here.
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine women's soccer news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineWSOC.

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Players Mentioned

Sam Hosford

Peyton Leonard

Fiona McCormick

Jillian Medvecky

Kyra Murphy

Julia Quinonez

Kate Ryan

Ariana Salvador

Emjae Soriano

Lily Stewart

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