Waves Soccer Players Earn WCC Honors

The Pepperdine Waves soccer team’s defense spent the entire 2018 season making it difficult for opposing teams to put points on the board. 

This month, a trio of the Waves’ defensive players seized three of the West Coast Conference’s five top individual awards because of their defensive prowess. 

Redshirt senior Brielle Preece was named the conference’s goalkeeper of the year, her classmate Hailey Harbison was tapped as the WCC defender of the year and first-year Wave Isabel Nelson was named the WCC freshman of the year. 

The Waves, who finished the season with an 11-6-2 record including a 6-1-2 record in the WCC, boasted the conference’s best defense. Pepperdine had a 0.82 goals-against overall and had five shutouts in its nine WCC games. Combined, the WCC’s nine other teams only managed four goals against the Waves in 2018.

Preece and Harbison won the honors for the second consecutive year.

Preece also made the All-WCC first team for the second straight season. She led the conference in goals-against average overall—0.84—and in WCC-play—0.42. Preece’s nine overall shutouts were top in the conference along with her five in-WCC shutouts. 

Harbison, also an All-WCC first teamer for the second consecutive season, is the first WCC player ever to will the conference’s top defensive award for two straight seasons. During her Waves career, the preseason MAC Hermann Trophy watch list member was tapped for the conference’s second team once and was an honorable mention. Harbison had one goal and two assists for Pepperdine in 2018. She also started every contest. 

Nelson, a central defender, was picked for the conference’s second team and All-Freshman team. She recorded two goals, including a game-winner against BYU and started Pepperdine’s last 16 games.

Preece, Harbison and Nelson weren’t the only Waves to receive WCC recognition. 

Sophomore forward Joelle Anderson was named to the All-WCC second team for the second straight season. She led Pepperdine with five goals and 13 points. All five of Anderson’s goals were match-winners, tied for second in the conference; additionally, her three assists were tied for first on the Waves roster.

Senior midfielder Christina Settles was named to the All-WCC honorable mention team for the second time in her career. The one-time All-WCC second teamer started 13 of 16 games in which she appeared and tallied two assists.

Defender Laura Ishikawa, a redshirt freshman, was named to the conference’s All-Freshman team after starting in 11 of the 14 games in which she played.