Women’s Soccer honors their three seniors alongside their families Sept. 13 at Tari Frahm Rokus Field. The Waves secured a 2-0 win over the University of Arizona to add to the celebration. Photo courtesy of Pepperdine Athletics
Pepperdine Women’s Soccer honored their 2026 senior trio Sept. 13 with a matchup against the University of Arizona. The Waves celebrated with a 2-0 triumph, bringing their season tally to 4-2-2.
Pepperdine opened up the day by recognizing its senior class: defender Peyton Leonard, midfielder Kyra Murphy and forward Julia Quinonez. Each senior Wave has risen to the occasion and become key team leaders, each leading in different ways, said Head Coach Tim Ward.
“Peyton is this rock solid, stalwart woman in the back row,” Ward said. “Kyra is this Energizer Bunny, her mobility and her ability to get up and down, over and over again. And Julia Quinonez has always been an incredible striker, but she’s just on another level right now.”
Going into the game, Quinonez said she tried her best to treat the match like any other, despite it being senior day at Tari Frahm Rokus Field.
“My emotions are super high, but at the same time, I try not to think about it and I try to think about it as another game that we have to take care of,” Quinonez said. “We have to keep going forward and put in all our energy, so I try to keep my emotions balanced. But at the same time, seeing my family was super sweet in the beginning.”
The Waves asserted their dominance early on, with Quinonez scoring only two minutes into the match with the help from junior midfielder Alex Pendleton.
“From the get-go, the very first shot of the game, you have a senior that’s just scoring an absolute world-class goal, so that was rad,” Ward said.
Coming off a successful first collegiate start in goal in her last game against California State University, Fresno, redshirt freshman goalkeeper Ava Hartstein stood tall in goal to begin the game. In the 18th minute, Hartstein bumped heads and collided with the Wildcats shortly after making her first and only save of the game.
“I was ecstatic about it, I felt like I knew that I was going to save it,” Hartstein said. “Then after, I knew they were a team that played crosses a lot, so I was trying to be really aggressive in the first couple minutes because I wanted to deter them from wanting to play that ball, which after that, it helped kind of stop playing crosses in.”
In the 29th minute, Quinonez scored her second and final goal of the game for the Waves, matching her season high, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
“I wouldn’t have gotten those balls if they didn’t play me the ball or if I didn’t get that ricochet from Kate [Ryan],” Quinonez said. “So, my success is just a testament to my team, and how well we play together, and how we just keep going and our energy is all together,” Quinonez said.
Sophomore defender Ariana Markey guards against the University of Arizona on Sept. 13 at Tari Frahm Rokus Field. Markey played a total of 41 minutes on the pitch, according to Pepperdine Athletics. Photo by Griffin Pilcher
Heading into halftime, the Waves outshot the Wildcats 7-2, but the Wildcats held a 4-1 lead in corner kicks.
Junior goalkeeper Jillian Medvecky entered the game and played the second half in the net. Ward said the backline was strong and contributed to the match victory.
“I was really proud of our goalkeeping duo,” Ward said. “Jill’s been an exceptional goalkeeper for the last two and a half years for us, but Ava Hartstein has been training really, really well, so for both of them to play huge roles in today’s shutout, I was really proud of it.”
The match finished with Pepperdine dominating 12-8 in shots, while Arizona led 14-9 in fouls and 10-4 in corner kicks.
Following the match, the focus shifted from the final score to the seniors who have helped shape the program throughout their time at Pepperdine.
“They’ve poured so much into this program and we’re coming off back-to-back WCC championships — none of that’s possible without those three women,” Ward said. “Their legacy is going to be strong and we’ll be talking about them for many, many years, at least as long as I’m here.”
Quinonez entered her senior season being named to the Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy Watch List, along with Leonard, who is ranked the No. 60 player in the nation, according to Top Drawer Soccer.
The trio has not only made an influence on the program as a whole, but especially on the young athletes part of this year’s squad.
“Obviously they are great soccer players, but more than that, they’re better people,” Hartstein said. “Their kindness, and the way they work and hold themselves is super impressive. You can tell they have a vibe about them that I hope to someday have.”
Alongside the senior day celebrations, the match also featured mental health awareness programming to bring attention to the importance of mental well-being among student-athletes and as an opportunity to promote available resources.
“As an athlete, you need to be really strong mentally,” Harstein said. “During the game, after the game, regardless of what’s happening, it’s really important to advocate for that because sometimes people don’t know that they have resources and if you can promote that form of health, then it can help so many people.”
Next, Pepperdine headed to San Diego State University, where the Waves fell 2-0 to the Aztecs on Sept. 17. The Waves will open up West Coast Conference play and travel to Portland, Ore. to face the University of Portland on Sept. 26.
This story was copy edited by Lila Rendel.
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Contact Madison Chavez via email: madison.chavez@pepperdine.edu