Saturday, November 7
Moraga, CA
1:00 p.m. PT
Pepperdine University
10-4-4, 6-1-2
2
at
1
Saint Mary's
10-4-5, 4-4-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pepperdine | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Saint Mary's (CA) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
11/7/2026 7:13:00 PM | Women's Soccer
MORAGA, Calif. – Pepperdine women's soccer (10-4-4, 6-1-2 WCC) beat Saint Mary's (10-4-5, 4-4-1 WCC) in Moraga Saturday afternoon to secure the third straight regular season title, a feat never done before.
"I thought we were excellent today," head coach Tim Ward said. "From the opening whistle, we played brilliantly. Just so proud of this group, [this is] a scene and a moment I will never forget."
"I want to thank Pepperdine University, obviously, they support us in such an amazing way. Our girls and our staff make up a really special group," Ward said.
Coming into the day in a three way tie for first, the Waves knew a win would clinch them at least a share of the WCC title. Looking to do so for the first time ever in three consecutive years, Pepperdine was on a mission.
Jumping on offense from the opening whistle, the Waves immediately started to threaten the Gaels' backline. The first registered shot came in the 10th minute by Julia Quinonez, quickly followed by Kyra Murphy and Chloe Brown who would find their attempts blocked.
Fouling in the box in just the 13th minute, Saint Mary's gave up a penalty kick early in the match. Putting away her 14th goal of the year, Julia Quinonez gave the Waves an early 1-0 lead.
On their heels early, the Gaels found an offensive rhythm as the first half was coming to a close. Equalizing on a corner kick in the 45th minute, the Waves found themselves dead even 1-1 at the break. Outshot 7-5 by Saint Mary's, Pepperdine would look to reenergize the attacking third to start the second half.
Lily Stewart would have the first shot for Pepperdine in the second half in the 54th minute, forcing Kate Plachy to make her second save of the afternoon. Surviving a flurry of shots from the Gaels in the 71st minute, time was slowly running out for the Waves to find a goal to break the deadlock.
Nine shots in a nine-minute span proved Pepperdine was on the doorstep. The sixth corner kick from the Waves proved to be the changing of the tides. A ball from Alex Pendleton was touched out by the Gaels goalie, placing it at the feet of Peyton Leonard who volleyed it into the back of the net for her first of the year, securing her and all of the Waves a place in history with a 2-1 victory at Saint Mary's Stadium.
The 2026 team is the first to ever win three consecutive WCC regular season titles. With the addition of a conference championship this year, Pepperdine will have to win two more matches to earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, looking for the program's eighth tournament berth in 10 years.
"The girls made a little bit of history today but as we like to say, it's more about His story: for our lives and for our team. We're going to remain humble and hungry," Ward said.
"We're really looking forward to the WCC Tournament."
Securing the two seed in the inaugural WCC Championship Tournament, the Waves will play the three-seeded Seattle Redhawks Wednesday night at 6 p.m. at Sullivan Field, hosted by LMU. Earlier this season, Pepperdine defeated the Redhawks 3-1 in Malibu. The match will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required) with live stats available at www.pepperdinewaves.com.
GAME NOTES
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 15 NCAA tournament appearances, winning the West Coast Conference six 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
"I thought we were excellent today," head coach Tim Ward said. "From the opening whistle, we played brilliantly. Just so proud of this group, [this is] a scene and a moment I will never forget."
"I want to thank Pepperdine University, obviously, they support us in such an amazing way. Our girls and our staff make up a really special group," Ward said.
Coming into the day in a three way tie for first, the Waves knew a win would clinch them at least a share of the WCC title. Looking to do so for the first time ever in three consecutive years, Pepperdine was on a mission.
Jumping on offense from the opening whistle, the Waves immediately started to threaten the Gaels' backline. The first registered shot came in the 10th minute by Julia Quinonez, quickly followed by Kyra Murphy and Chloe Brown who would find their attempts blocked.
Fouling in the box in just the 13th minute, Saint Mary's gave up a penalty kick early in the match. Putting away her 14th goal of the year, Julia Quinonez gave the Waves an early 1-0 lead.
On their heels early, the Gaels found an offensive rhythm as the first half was coming to a close. Equalizing on a corner kick in the 45th minute, the Waves found themselves dead even 1-1 at the break. Outshot 7-5 by Saint Mary's, Pepperdine would look to reenergize the attacking third to start the second half.
Lily Stewart would have the first shot for Pepperdine in the second half in the 54th minute, forcing Kate Plachy to make her second save of the afternoon. Surviving a flurry of shots from the Gaels in the 71st minute, time was slowly running out for the Waves to find a goal to break the deadlock.
Nine shots in a nine-minute span proved Pepperdine was on the doorstep. The sixth corner kick from the Waves proved to be the changing of the tides. A ball from Alex Pendleton was touched out by the Gaels goalie, placing it at the feet of Peyton Leonard who volleyed it into the back of the net for her first of the year, securing her and all of the Waves a place in history with a 2-1 victory at Saint Mary's Stadium.
The 2026 team is the first to ever win three consecutive WCC regular season titles. With the addition of a conference championship this year, Pepperdine will have to win two more matches to earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, looking for the program's eighth tournament berth in 10 years.
"The girls made a little bit of history today but as we like to say, it's more about His story: for our lives and for our team. We're going to remain humble and hungry," Ward said.
"We're really looking forward to the WCC Tournament."
Securing the two seed in the inaugural WCC Championship Tournament, the Waves will play the three-seeded Seattle Redhawks Wednesday night at 6 p.m. at Sullivan Field, hosted by LMU. Earlier this season, Pepperdine defeated the Redhawks 3-1 in Malibu. The match will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required) with live stats available at www.pepperdinewaves.com.
GAME NOTES
- Winning the WCC Conference Title, it is Pepperdine's seventh in program history.
- Julia Quinonez scored her 14th of the season this afternoon, bringing her collegiate tally to 32, placing her fifth all-time in Pepperdine history.
- For goals in a single season, Quinonez is currently tied for second all-time.
- Alex Pendleton now leads the team with seven assists on the season.
- Peyton Leonard scored her first of the year, doubling as her first match-winner to bring her collegiate total up to 10.
- Jillian Medvecky logged a season-high five saves in goal this afternoon.
- This is Tim Ward's 20th season reaching at least 10 wins.
- The Waves secure their first win over Saint Mary's in Moraga since 2020.
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 15 NCAA tournament appearances, winning the West Coast Conference six 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
F
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's SoccerTeam Stats
PEP
SMC
Goals
2
1
Shots
17
15
Shots on Goal
6
6
Saves
5
4
Corners
6
4
Fouls
11
8
Scoring Plays
Julia Quinonez (13)
PEP Julia Quinonez PENALTY KICK GOAL.
12:05
Brooke Fairbanks (2)
Assisted By: Brooklyn Smith
GOAL by SMC Fairbanks, Brooke Assist by Smith, Brooklyn.
44:33
Peyton Leonard (1)
Assisted By: Alex Pendleton
GOAL by PEP Leonard, Peyton Assist by Pendleton, Alex.
86:43
Game Leaders
Shots
6
SOG
3
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
def
Shots
2
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
