Women’s Soccer Closes Road Swing at Fresno State

FRESNO, Calif. – Pepperdine women's soccer (2-2-2) finishes their longest road swing of the season at Fresno State (1-4-1) Thursday night against the Bulldogs at 7 p.m.

The Waves were shutout for the first time this season at No. 18 UCLA 0-3 Friday night.
With just four shots registered last weekend, Chloe Brown, Julia Quinonez and Sam Hosford were the only three to register shots on goal during the match.

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.
Starting the season in a sprint, Julia Quinonez has already notched four goals through six matches, earning herself the WCC offensive player of the week award in the opening week.
As the WCC's top returning goal-scorer, Julia Quinonez buried 11 in the back of the net last season, tacking on four assists.
Making the MAC Hermann Trophy Watchlist, the senior is one of 65 across the NCAA and just one of two in the West Coast Conference as the only Wave.
As a fifth year, Kyra Murphy brings the most experience to the Waves this season with 70 matches played, including 41 starts.
Totalling 11 goals and 10 assists, the Riverside, Calif. native is a key piece to the midfield for Pepperdine on an underclassmen-heavy squad.
Returning in goal for the Waves, junior Jillian Medvecky has started all but one match for the Waves throughout her two seasons, garnering a goals against average of 1.23, tallying 123 saves.
With two returning on the backline as well, 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.
Starting in three matches with appearances in all six this year, freshman Kate Ryan is the second leading scorer on the squad with two goals.
With a .750 on goal percentage, Ryan has proved to be an offensive threat whenever she is on the field.
With one of the hardest nonconference schedules in the NCAA, Pepperdine stacked the front end of the 2026 slate.
Gearing up for the year, the Waves want to be battle-tested by the time it is time for West Coast Conference play.

SERIES HISTORY WITH FRESNO STATE

Overall, the Waves are 6-1-1 against the Bulldogs.
Pepperdine last met Fresno State in 2024 resulting in a 5-0 win at home.
The one and only time the Waves lost to Fresno State was on the road in the first meetup between the two programs in 2000.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS

Sitting at 1-4-1, Fresno State is most recently coming off their first win of the year, at 2-0 result at home against Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
Hayden Crotty-romero is the sole Bulldog with multiple goals on the year with two.
Fresno State has been outscored 15-3 so far this season.

Thursday night's match will be the Waves' fourth night match in a row, set to kickoff at 7 p.m. pst. The match streamed on Youtube 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 322-160-80.
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Players Mentioned

Chloe Brown

Sam Hosford

Peyton Leonard

Jillian Medvecky

Kyra Murphy

Julia Quinonez

Kate Ryan

Lily Stewart

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