MALIBU, California – The Pepperdine women’s soccer team is back at their home pitch on Saturday to host PCH Cup rival Loyola Marymount.
GAME #16 — Saturday (Oct. 29) at Tari Frahm Rokus Field in Malibu, CA: Pepperdine (8-3-4, 2-2-2 WCC) vs. LMU (3-5-6, 1-5-0 WCC). 12 o’clock
WATCH ONLINE – The game will be broadcast on the WCC Network. For links to live stats and the stream, visit PepperdineWaves.com.
TICKET — Tickets for all Pepperdine women’s soccer games in 2022 are available ONLY via e-ticket. Patrons must purchase tickets for each event before arriving on campus. Persons without event tickets are not permitted to enter the campus. Pepperdine faculty, staff, and students must present a Pepperdine badge for entry—no ticket purchase required. To purchase e-tickets and read the viewer policies, visit: https://gowav.es/WavesTix. Ongoing construction projects have a significant impact on the availability of parking spaces at our sports facilities. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to find parking and make their way to the venue. Please park in the Firestone Fieldhouse car park or RHO car park.
SEATS — Grandstand seating at Tari Frahm Rokus Field is limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Fans are encouraged to bring their own chairs to sit on the street above the field.
PCH CUP — Entering its 14th season, the PCH Cup is an annual all-sports competition between two local rivals separated by just 31km of scenic coastline. Pepperdine has won 11 of the 13 years this competition has been held with LMU.
OPPONENT – Pepperdine is 17-8-5 all-time against LMU and has won five straight games, all by a goal, except last season when the Waves visited the Lions and came away 4-0.
LAST WEEK – The Waves hosted #19 BYU on Wednesday, falling 4-3 at Tari Frahm Rokus Field. Pepperdine almost made a comeback from a 3-0 deficit in the first half but came out hot in the second half. Tatum Wynalda scored two goals and earned a penalty for a third in which Carlee Giammona successfully switched. Pepperdine beat Pacific 3-0 in Stockton on Saturday. Harlee Head made four big saves and garnered her first career solo shutout in her college debut. Giammona screwed on a goal in the first half, followed by one Shelby Little goal 11 minutes later. Giammona also scored the third goal in the last eight minutes of the game.
WCC STATISTICS — The Waves rank second in the WCC for shutouts (eight), second for goals per game (2.27), and third for goals versus average (1.00)… Carlee Giammona ranks third in goals per game (0.53) and fourth in points per game (1.27)… Tatum Wynalda is also third in goals per game (.53) and sixth in points per game (.53)… Trinity Watson ranks fifth in assists per game (.40)… Ellie Sommers ranks fourth in solo shutouts (five), sixth in save percentage (.764) and goals versus average (1.14)… Tabitha LaParl ranks sixth in assists per game (.38) and 13th in points per game (.88)… Leyla McFarland and Thor Waldeck both tied for 14th in goals per game (0.33)… Waldeck is also 11th for points per game (0.92).
RANKINGS – Pepperdine entered the 2022 season ranked 17th in the United Soccer Coaches poll. The Waves were ranked for the first seven weeks of the season and peaked at No. 9 this season.
HONORS — Tabitha LaParl won the first weekly WCC award for the Waves that season when she was named Offensive Player of the Week after scoring the deciding goal in the 3-0 win over UCSB and had an assist for the lone goal against Cal ( 9/5)… Leyla McFarland earned a spot on College Soccer News’ Women’s National Team of the Week after scoring three goals in two games against CSUN and UC San Diego. McFarland scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over the Tritons (8/22).
Three members of The Waves have been included in the prestigious MAC Hermann Trophy watchlist: Carlee Giammona, Thor Waldeck and Trinity Watson … Pepperdine also had three members who received a notification of the United Soccer Coaches pre-season players to watch lists: Watson (defender), Giammona (midfielder) and Waldeck (forward) … Watson was placed in top drawer Soccer’s Preseason Best XI Third called team…Watson (26) and Waldeck (47) were ranked in the top 50 of the Top Drawer Soccer Preseason NCAA DI Preseason Player Rankings…Waldeck and Watson were also included in the All-WCC roster chosen for the preseason.
CHECKOUT NUMBERS – The Waves 30-player roster breakdown consists of three redshirt seniors, three seniors, one redshirt junior, seven juniors, one redshirt sophomore, four sophomores, one redshirt freshman and 10 true freshmen. Pepperdine has eight returning starters and 19 letter winners back. three waves — Kelsey Hill, Leyla McFarland and Trinity Watson – are back for an extra season after using COVID-19 redshirt years.
WCC — The Waves have been selected for third place in the WCC preseason coaches’ poll for the second year in a row. The order was as follows: BYU, Santa Clara, PepperdineGonzaga, Portland, Saint Mary’s, San Francisco, Pacific, Loyola Marymount, San Diego.
LAST SEASON – The Waves had one of their best seasons in program history, finishing with an overall record of 17-4-1 and a third-place finish in the WCC. Pepperdine reached the NCAA tournament for the 12th time in program history. The Waves reached the round of 16 for the fourth time. Thor Waldeck won All-WCC First Team honors for the first time. Other returnees honored by the league included two second-team players (Carlee Giammona and Trinity Watson) and two WCC All-Freshman team receivers (Tabitha LaParl and Came Pickett).
WAVES IN THE PROS — Several Waves have made their names professionally. Lynne Williams is a three-time NWSL champion (2016 Western New York Flash, 2018 and 2019 North Carolina Courage). She was also the 2016 NWSL MVP and Golden Boot winner. As a member of the US national team, she has 43 caps and scored 14 goals. She won a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Bri Visalliwho was part of the USA U-23 team, played a few seasons in England before joining the NWSL’s Houston Dash in 2020. In January 2019, the Waves had two NWSL draft picks for the first time Hailey Harrison (first round to North Carolina) and Michelle Maemone (third round to Utah). Rylee Baisden was named Player of the Year in the Australian NPLW in 2019 and joined the North Carolina Courage in 2020. The Waves have produced two Olympians (Williams and Roxanne BarkerSouth Africa, 2012 and 2016) and a competitor at the Women’s World Cup (Anisa GuajardoMexico, 2015). Anna Picarelli played for Italy and Kristi DeVert was the first wave to join the USWNT. In January 2022, Joelle Anderson signed a two-year professional contract with the Houston Dash.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY — Pepperdine has a unique athletic department with unparalleled success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men’s sports — one of only 20 schools to have accomplished the feat — and 10 overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment, is the only school without football, and is the only university not affiliated with a “big” conference. The Waves have won a total of 26 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also received the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success and given three times (most recently in 2021-22) to the top non-football school. Located in picturesque Malibu, California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the university’s campus and athletic facilities are consistently voted among the most beautiful in the country. Pepperdine, affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks 55th overall on US News and World Report’s list of the best colleges.
