{"id":491669,"date":"2026-10-10T15:34:29","date_gmt":"2026-10-10T15:34:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/491669\/"},"modified":"2026-10-10T15:34:29","modified_gmt":"2026-10-10T15:34:29","slug":"womens-soccer-hosts-san-francisco-in-first-of-home-stretch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/491669\/","title":{"rendered":"Women\u2019s Soccer Hosts San Francisco in First of Home Stretch"},"content":{"rendered":"

MALIBU, Calif. \u2013 Pepperdine women’s soccer (7-3-2, 3-0 WCC) welcome the San Francisco Dons (3-6-1, 0-3 WCC) to Malibu in the first of a home stretch as the Waves stay home for four of the next five matches.
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\n
\n\tThe Waves went to Denver for the first time ever, coming home with a 3-2 victory.
\n\tJulia Quinonez<\/a> notched her ninth goal of the season while Sarah Spears<\/a> scored the match-winner, her second collegiate goal of her career. <\/p>\n

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\nGAME NOTES<\/p>\n


\n\tUnanimous among the WCC coaches poll, Pepperdine was picked to finish first in the conference this year.
\n\tThe trio of seniors: Peyton Leonard<\/a>, Kyra Murphy<\/a>, and Julia Quinonez<\/a> were selected to the preseason all-conference team, the third year in a row the Waves have had three honorees make the squad.
\n\tOn 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.
\n\tIn 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.
\n\tWinning the title outright, it is the sixth conference championship for the Waves.
\n\tThe Waves have only won back-to-back titles one other time in 2016 and 2017, never doing so in three consecutive years.
\n\tOver Tim Ward<\/a>‘s 28 years of coaching, he has garnered over 300 wins and five WCC Coach of the Year awards, most recently in 2017.
\n\tThroughout Ward’s tenure, Pepperdine has earned six WCC titles with four NCAA Sweet 16 appearances and a total of 10 national team players.
\n\tReturning for her senior year, Peyton Leonard<\/a> is one of the most well-rounded players on the 2026 roster for the Waves.
\n\tA steady presence on defense, the Ladera Ranch, Calif. native is also a threat on offense, tallying four goals and three assists last season.\u00a0
\n\tNamed to the Top Drawer Soccer Top 100 Players across the NCAA, the centerback came in at No. 60.
\n\tLeading the team for the second consecutive season, Julia Quinonez<\/a> has notched nine goals so far this year, bringing her collegiate total to 28 and placing her seventh all-time amongst Pepperdine goal scorers.
\n\tAs the WCC’s top returning goal-scorer, Julia Quinonez<\/a> buried 11 in the back of the net last season, tacking on four assists.
\n\tMost recently, Quinonez notched her third offensive player of the week for the conference as she currently leads the nation in shot accuracy at .800.
\n\tAs a fifth year, Kyra Murphy<\/a> brings the most experience to the Waves this season with 70 matches played, including 41 starts.
\n\tTotalling 12 goals and 12 assists, the Riverside, Calif. native is a key piece to the midfield for Pepperdine on an underclassmen-heavy squad.
\n\tReturning in goal for the Waves, junior Jillian Medvecky<\/a> has started all but one match for the Waves throughout her two seasons, garnering a goals against average of 1.24, tallying 157 saves.
\n\tWith two returning on the backline as well, the Waves will have experience in the defensive third of the field.
\n\tSenior Peyton Leonard<\/a> and junior Lily Stewart<\/a> have 83 starts between the two of them along with 10 goals.
\n\tAll tied for our second highest scorer, freshman Kate Ryan<\/a>, Sam Hosford<\/a>, and Fiona McCormick<\/a> have all tallied two goals so far this season.
\n\tThree freshmen have earned the start in the last two matches, with Ryan and Hosford joining defender Emjae Soriano<\/a>.
\n\tWith a 7-3-2 record, all three Pepperdine losses have come to teams in the top 60, with two of the three teams in the top 20 RPI.
\n\tPosting a 4-0-1 record in Malibu, the Waves remain undefeated at home heading into the conference season. <\/p>\n

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\nSERIES HISTORY WITH SAN FRANCISCO<\/p>\n


\n\tAll time, the Waves hold the series advantage over the Dons 20-10-3.
\n\tThe past two seasons, Pepperdine has beat San Francisco 3-0 in 2024 and 3-1 in 2025 to win the West Coast Conference.
\n\tIn Malibu, the Waves are 11-2-3 with the last tie coming in 2022 and the last loss occurring in 1998.
\n\tLast season, Julia Quinonez<\/a> secured a brace in the victory including the match-winner to send the Waves to the NCAA Tournament in the final year without a conference tournament to decide the automatic qualifier. <\/p>\n

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\n\u00a0
\nSCOUTING THE DONS<\/p>\n


\n\tSitting at 3-6-1, San Francisco most recently lost 2-1 at home to Portland.
\n\tSo far in WCC play, the Dons have lost to Portland, Saint Mary’s and Seattle.
\n\tWith six different goal-scorers, Alicia Osegueda leads the pack with three, followed by Olivia Lukrofka with two.
\n\tIn goal most recently is Tyra Bengtsson-Stenseth who has a career goals-against-average of 1.75 through 26 matches played.
\n\tOutscored 9-18 so far this season, the Dons average a .470 on-goal percentage. <\/p>\n

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\n\u00a0
\nThe match, set to kickoff at 12 p.m. pst, will be available on ESPN+ (subscription required) with live stats available at www.pepperdinewaves.com<\/a>.\u00a0
\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 24 winning seasons, Ward has proven he can lead consistently with excellence, garnering an overall record of 323-160-80.
\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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