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LOS ANGELES, Calif. \u2013 Pepperdine women’s soccer (11-6-2, 8-2-1 WCC) head down to Westwood to play the No. 17 UCLA Bruins (11-5-3, 6-2-3 Big Ten) in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. \u00a0
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\n“The whole essence of the NCAA tourney is playing in big-time matches against big-time opponents,” Head Coach Tim Ward<\/a> said. “We are excited to see how our team can continue to grow and shine on this NCAA stage.”
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\n\tThe Waves beat San Francisco 3-1 on the road to clinch back-to-back WCC titles for just the second time in program history.
\n\tJulia Quinonez<\/a> notched her third brace of the season, as well as her second match-winning goal of the season.
\n\tTatum Wynalda<\/a> opened the scoring in the 21st minute to give Pepperdine the initial lead.
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\nGAME NOTES<\/p>\n
\n\tPepperdine is second in the conference with 41 goals scored by 14 different players.
\n\tQuinonez leads the squad with 11 goals, while Wynalda leads the team and conference with 10 assists.
\n\tAriana Markey<\/a>, Alex Pendleton<\/a>, Layla Simon<\/a>, Sarah Spears<\/a> and Lily Stewart<\/a> have all scored their first collegiate goals this season.
\n\tThrough the regular season, Quinonez leads the team in points with 26, scoring 11 goals and notching four assists.
\n\tSurpassing her stats from two seasons ago where she was the WCC Freshman of the Year, the junior is second in the West Coast Conference in goals with 11 and second in points with 26.
\n\tAs one of the captains leading the team through 18 matches, Kyra Murphy<\/a> cemented her name in the record books with five straight matches with a goal or assist\u00a0 (9\/7 – 10\/4), tying for third in program history.
\n\tWith 19 starts and six goals throughout her collegiate career entering this season, Murphy has over doubled her career points, with 13 so far this season.
\n\tWith 10 assists on the season, Wynalda sits at 18th in the nation for assists per match at .53.
\n\tLeading the team with 10 assists, Wynalda has had a hand in over one-third of the Waves goals with five herself.
\n\tWynalda is tied with Tabitha LaParl<\/a>, Peyton Leonard<\/a>, and Quinonez to lead Pepperdine with two match-winning goals, both coming in conference matchups against Seattle and Pacific.
\n\tWynalda becomes just the 13th Wave in history to have two or more multi-assist games in a single season after the two at San Diego, currently just one match behind the top spot of three matches.
\n\tStarting in every game, Jillian Medvecky<\/a> has collected 78 saves this season with seven shutouts, averaging just over four saves a match.
\n\tMedvecky earned her first start freshman year against #3 UCLA and she has not lost the spot since making seven saves in the 1-0 upset win.
\n\tFor just the second time in program history, Pepperdine clinched back-to-back conference titles.
\n\tThe last time the Waves went back-to-back in 2017, they tied the program record for the longest run in the NCAA Tournament, making it to the sweet 16.
\n\tThe Waves had eight players honored across four different teams, including four on the first team for the first time ever.
\n\tOn top of being on First Team, Tabitha LaParl<\/a> also earned WCC Midfielder of the Year, an award Karina Gonzalez<\/a> was awarded a season ago.
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\nSERIES HISTORY<\/p>\n
\n\tAll time, the Waves are 4-22-4 against the Bruins, including 2-11-1 in Westwood.
\n\tLast season, the Waves beat UCLA when they were ranked no. 3 in the nation 1-0 in Malibu for head coach Tim Ward<\/a>‘s 300th career win.
\n\tPepperdine last played in Westwood two seasons ago in 2023, losing 0-2.
\n\tThe last win on the road against UCLA came in 2010 with a shutout 1-0 victory.
\n\tWith just two wins on the road, the only other result breaking the Waves’ way was in the first matchup between the two squads in 1993.
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\nSCOUTING THE BRUINS<\/p>\n
\n\tRanked eighth in the nation and second in the Big Ten, goalkeeper Daphne Nakfoor sports a GAA of .502, allowing just eight goals through 18 matches.
\n\tLeading the squad, Bella Winn has scored seven goals, while Emma Egizii leads the team in assists with six.
\n\tLast time out, UCLA in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament 1-2 to Michigan State in overtime.
\n\tSaturday’s match will be the Bruins first in nine days.
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\nWith a scheduled kickoff for 6 p.m., the match will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required) and live stats will be available at www.pepperdinewaves.com<\/a>
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\nABOUT PEPPERDINE WOMEN’S SOCCER
\nPepperdine women’s soccer has been competitive since season one in 1993. As just the third head coach in the program’s history, Tim Ward<\/a> 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 23 winning seasons, Ward has proven he can lead consistently with excellence, garnering an overall record of 320-157-78.
\nTICKETS
\nFor more information and to purchase tickets to upcoming home events, visit here<\/a>.
\nFOLLOW
\nTo stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine women’s soccer news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineWSOC.
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