Senior forward Tatum Wynalda celebrates a goal against Saint Mary’s on Oct. 7, 2023 at Tari Frahm Rokus Field. Wynalda attempted four shots in the Waves’ match against the Gaels on Oct. 25. File photos by Mary Elisabeth (’25)
Pepperdine Women’s Soccer fell 1-0 to Saint Mary’s College of California on Oct. 25 at Tari Frahm Rokus Field. The Waves entered this match ranked No. 49 nationally, according to the NCAA.
Pepperdine falls to 9-5-2 on the season with a 6-1-1 in-conference record. The Waves maintain their first-place spot in the West Coast Conference with 19 points, followed by St. Mary’s with 17, according to the West Coast Conference standings.
“You’ve got to sort of take your hats off to St. Mary’s,” Head Coach Tim Ward said. “They’ve been, I think, the best defensive unit in the WCC.”
The match started hot for the Gaels, pressuring the Waves’ defense off the kick-off before sophomore midfielder Emmie Ennis scored the only goal of the match in the second minute.
Pepperdine struggled on the offensive side of the ball following the goal, turning the ball over two times in the sixth minute during their attacks.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t start out hot,” senior midfielder/forward Tatum Wynalda said. “That came back to bite us in the end.”
Junior Kyra Murphy broke the ice for the Waves, attempting the first shot on goal in the 22nd minute, missing wide right. Pepperdine followed with another attack from junior attacker Julia Quinonez, but the Gaels saved the shot.
Junior forward Julia Quinonez shoots for the goal Oct. 7 2023 at Tari Frahm Rokus Field. Quinonez had one shot on goal and four shot attempts against the Gaels on Oct. 25.
St Mary’s began an attack of their own before junior defender Kendall Campbell made a crucial tackle in the 26th minute to give the Waves another opportunity on offense.
Both teams battled at midfield for possession before Pepperdine managed to break away for an attack in the 35th minute. The Gaels saved a shot from junior defender Peyton Leonard, which Wynalda followed with another shot attempt, missing left.
“We had our moments,” Ward said. “It’s hard against teams like that, and I think that’s an NCAA tournament caliber team.”
The Waves entered the final minutes of the first half with momentum, but they were not able to convert on offense after freshman defender Ariana Markey and freshman forward/defender Bella Larson both failed to score on their shot attempts.
“It just comes down to getting those reps and capitalizing on our opportunities,” Wynalda said. “We need to find that kind of calmness and composure to ultimately put it in the back of the net.”
Pepperdine stayed aggressive in the second period, not letting St. Mary’s gain any tempo on offense. A foul in the 51st minute led to a missed shot from the Gaels, which the Waves capitalized off with a counterattack.
Pepperdine defense holds strong against Saint Mary’s attack Oct. 7 2023 at Tari Frahm Rokus Field. The Waves hold a 15-9-8 all-time record against the Gaels after their defeat Oct. 25.
Freshman midfielder Sarah Spears missed a shot high in the 52nd minute, but the Waves kept possession and followed with another attempt from senior midfielder Tabitha LaParl that sailed over the crossbar.
The Gaels stayed conservative on defense, but LaParl managed to break through the defense and attempt a shot on goal in the 67th minute, which the Gaels saved.
“You don’t get a lot of offensive moments against a good team,” Ward said. “It’s not that easy when they have good defenders, so you’ve got to keep your composure and play with your head up.”
The Waves offense managed to force a corner kick in the 82nd minute, and LaParl crossed it to freshman forward Layla Simon for a score to tie the game, but the referees called Simon offside, negating the goal.
Pepperdine stayed aggressive for the rest of the match, controlling the ball and attempting six shots in the final 15 minutes but ultimately could not convert on offense, falling 1-0.
“We’re getting in the right positions, we just have to put it away,” Wynalda said. “I really am proud of how together and unified we are, win or lose.”
The Waves ended with 16 shot attempts, five shots on goal, two saves, three corners and eight fouls, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
St. Mary’s ended with 13 shot attempts, three shots on goal, five saves, five corners and eleven fouls, including one yellow card.
“Failure is fertilizer for growing,” Ward said. “Today felt like a failure in terms of final result, but I don’t think it was a failure in terms of the performance, so I think this game is going to help us grow a bit.”
Pepperdine’s next match is against Washington State University on Nov. 1 at Lower Soccer Field in Pullman, Wash.
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Email Shane Stephens: shane.stephens@pepperdine.edu
