After two national training camps, the rising junior sheds hesitation, embraces risk, and returns to the Waves
Pepperdine Waves women’s soccer player Julia Quinonez, 20, previously a cautious forward on the pitch, was encouraged to take more risks when the soccer ball is between her cleats during her two recent stints at U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team Training Camps.
The rising junior initially hesitated to make mistakes in front of Team USA coaches, but she quickly booted that mindset off the field.
“Honestly, that is the whole point of these camps, making sure you do make mistakes,” Quinonez explained. “What do you do after you make mistakes? Do you win the ball back? Do you put your head down and forget that it ever happened? Take chances you get, like taking shots on goal — whether it is a good one or bad one — be brave in front of the goal.”
Quinonez was one of 23 players from across the U.S. who participated in the American U-20 team’s May 25 to June 1 training camp in Fayetteville, Georgia. The weeklong camp, led by Seattle Reign FC assistant coach Kate Norton, gave top players with aspirations of joining the U-23 or the senior national teams an opportunity to continue developing within the U.S. Soccer program.
USC’s Faith George and Alyssa Gonzalez, Stanford’s Shae Harvey and Charlotte Kohler, Wake Forest’s Sierra Sythe, and Quinonez were the Californians participating in the camp.
Quinonez was also one of the 23 players at the March 31 – April 7 U-20 camp in Kansas City, Mo.
She was nervous before her first training camp but settled once play began.
“I got comfortable with the ball, I realized how fast the pace was, and the girls were super, super nice,” Quinonez said. “I shook all the nerves off and played my best.”
Pepperdine Waves head coach Ward said the first camp was a positive experience for Quinonez, and he and his coaching staff “saw her turn corners with both performance and confidence following that camp.”
“The only advice I gave her going into this second camp was to enjoy the moment and be confident in who God made you to be,” Ward said. “In other words, just be the best version of yourself, and good things will surely follow.”
Quinonez, a Torrance native, was the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year in 2023. In her first two seasons as a Wave, she kicked eight goals — including one game winner — and five assists. Quinonez was called up by the U20 Mexican National Team after her freshman season and scored a goal on the U.S. U-20 squad in a friendly.
Quinonez played more like a midfielder during this year’s U.S. U-20 camps. She adapted to the faster pace and made quicker decisions under pressure.
“I learned how to shape my angle and how aggressive and fast you can go to press the ball,” Quinonez noted. “When you get the ball, you don’t have much time to fool around and think, so it’s learning how to open up your body and scan quickly because of the press.”
She also accepted critiques of her soccer game.
“I learned to be open to feedback — whether it is high or negative,” she said.
Ward said Quinonez’s involvement in the national program reflects the strength of Pepperdine’s soccer culture.
“We’re proud that she got invited into camp,” he said. “She deserves it.”
Quinonez is playing in the Women’s Premier Soccer League, an amateur professional league, before Pepperdine begins preseason training next month.
She hopes to bring her U-20 experience into the Waves’ upcoming season.
“If you don’t make any mistakes or you are not having fun, you’re not showing how good you are,” Quinonez said.