Wednesday, October 7
Denver, CO
6:00 p.m. PT
Pepperdine University
7-3-2, 3-0-0
3
at
2
University of Denver
2-7-2, 1-2-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pepperdine | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Denver | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Women’s Soccer Picks Up a 3-2 Win at Denver
10/7/2026 9:41:00 PM | Women's Soccer
DENVER, Colo. – Pepperdine women's soccer (7-3-2, 3-0 WCC) came out of the first ever trip to the Denver Pioneers (2-7-2, 1-2 WCC) with a 3-2 victory Wednesday night.
"That was the first time our program has ever played at the University of Denver and we are so proud of that performance and result," Head coach Tim Ward said. "There were just some excellent plays by our Wave women, full of quality and composure. We scored some awesome goals and madam some brilliant defensive plays!"
Dominating possession in the opening minutes of the match, Pepperdine was threatening to score from the first whistle. Ariana Markey recorded the second official shot of the night in the 13th minute. Attempting to clear the ball after Markey's shot, Denver scored an own-goal to give the Waves a 1-0 advantage.
Flipping the script, Denver was pressing the ball in their offensive third of the field heavily, looking for the equalizer. Earning a corner in the 23rd minute, the Pioneers leveled the score 1-1.
Just as quickly as Denver scored, Pepperdine took the lead right back. On an Ariana Salvador corner just three minutes later, Julia Quinonez found the ball in the box to poke it into the back of the net for her ninth goal this season. Taking a 2-1 lead, the Waves were not satisfied. Pushing for another goal, Kyra Murphy found Sarah Spears in stride and without skipping a beat, Spears was able to put it away for her second collegiate goal and the first of her junior campaign. With just half an hour gone in the match, four goals had been scored as Pepperdine held the 3-1 advantage.
Scoring slowed in the second half hour of the match. The Waves rattled off four shots before the 70th minute mark as a shot by Quinonez was blocked and one of Ariana Markey's two shots down the stretch forced a Pioneer save.
Attempting a comeback, Denver scored on a header in the 72nd minute to cut the Waves lead to one. As the Waves locked down on defense and put a final push onto the offensive half of the field, time ran out for the Pioneers. Pepperdine comes out of the mile-high city with a 3-2 victory in their first ever trip to the University of Denver Soccer Stadium.
"I'm excited to build on this as we head into the weekend," Ward said.
GAME NOTES
Home for four of the next five matches, Pepperdine hosts San Francisco at Tari Frahm Rokus Field Saturday. The match, slated to kick off at 12 p.m. pacific time, will be streamed on ESPN+ 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 324-160-79.
TICKETS
For more information and to purchase season and single game 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.
"That was the first time our program has ever played at the University of Denver and we are so proud of that performance and result," Head coach Tim Ward said. "There were just some excellent plays by our Wave women, full of quality and composure. We scored some awesome goals and madam some brilliant defensive plays!"
Dominating possession in the opening minutes of the match, Pepperdine was threatening to score from the first whistle. Ariana Markey recorded the second official shot of the night in the 13th minute. Attempting to clear the ball after Markey's shot, Denver scored an own-goal to give the Waves a 1-0 advantage.
Flipping the script, Denver was pressing the ball in their offensive third of the field heavily, looking for the equalizer. Earning a corner in the 23rd minute, the Pioneers leveled the score 1-1.
Just as quickly as Denver scored, Pepperdine took the lead right back. On an Ariana Salvador corner just three minutes later, Julia Quinonez found the ball in the box to poke it into the back of the net for her ninth goal this season. Taking a 2-1 lead, the Waves were not satisfied. Pushing for another goal, Kyra Murphy found Sarah Spears in stride and without skipping a beat, Spears was able to put it away for her second collegiate goal and the first of her junior campaign. With just half an hour gone in the match, four goals had been scored as Pepperdine held the 3-1 advantage.
Scoring slowed in the second half hour of the match. The Waves rattled off four shots before the 70th minute mark as a shot by Quinonez was blocked and one of Ariana Markey's two shots down the stretch forced a Pioneer save.
Attempting a comeback, Denver scored on a header in the 72nd minute to cut the Waves lead to one. As the Waves locked down on defense and put a final push onto the offensive half of the field, time ran out for the Pioneers. Pepperdine comes out of the mile-high city with a 3-2 victory in their first ever trip to the University of Denver Soccer Stadium.
"I'm excited to build on this as we head into the weekend," Ward said.
GAME NOTES
- Sarah Spears netted her first goal of the season and second of her collegiate career.
- Julia Quinonez notched her ninth goal this season, moving her into seventh all-time in Waves history with 28 collegiate goals.
- Ariana Salvador assisted Quinonez's goal, her second assist this year.
- Kyra Murphy takes sole possession of assist-leader on the squad with her one tonight bringing her to four on the season.
- Quinonez led the squad in shots with six, placing four on frame.
- The Waves narrowly outshot the Pioneers 13-11, including 8-3 on goal.
- Jillian Medvecky moves to 5-3-2 this season.
- The Waves led for all but 15 minutes tonight, never trailing.
Home for four of the next five matches, Pepperdine hosts San Francisco at Tari Frahm Rokus Field Saturday. The match, slated to kick off at 12 p.m. pacific time, will be streamed on ESPN+ 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 324-160-79.
TICKETS
For more information and to purchase season and single game 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.
Players Mentioned
D
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
M/F
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's SoccerTeam Stats
PEP
DEN
Goals
3
2
Shots
13
11
Shots on Goal
8
3
Saves
1
6
Corners
7
4
Fouls
7
11
Scoring Plays
0
Own goal
12:05
Annie Philbin (1)
Assisted By: Olivia Kroska
GOAL by DEN Philbin, Annie Assist by Kroska, Olivia.
22:51
Julia Quinonez (9)
Assisted By: Ariana Salvador
GOAL by PEP Quinonez, Julia Assist by Salvador, Ariana.
25:41
Sarah Spears (1)
Assisted By: Kyra Murphy
GOAL by PEP Spears, Sarah Assist by Murphy, Kyra.
30:01
Caitlin Staats (1)
Assisted By: Kit Mooney , Maeve Morgan
GOAL by DEN Staats, Caitlin Assist by Mooney, Kit and Morgan, Maeve.
71:16
Game Leaders
Shots
6
SOG
4
Goals
1
Assists
0
mid
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
mid
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
