Pepperdine player making most of her return after sitting because of back injury this past spring
Soccer player Tatum Wynalda has a knack for scoring goals.
The Thousand Oaks native scored 48 goals in two years as a member of the Westlake High girls soccer team. During her senior season, Wynalda scored the fastest goal in school history — 16 seconds into a match. Her three consecutive hat tricks (scoring three goals in a match) are also a Westlake High record. Three years ago, as a member of the LAFC SoCal Youth team, Wynalda was the sixth-leading scorer in the nation with 14 goals in 17 games.
She tallied eight goals last year as a freshman midfielder on the Pepperdine Waves women’s soccer team. However, during the Waves’ spring season earlier this year, Wynalda make the field at all because of dual stress fractures in her back.
All the 18-year-old could do was watch.
It was difficult for Wynalda to feel involved with the Waves while being on the sidelines, but her teammates always made her feel integral to the squad.
“They were there to always pick me up and reminded me why I am here,” she said.“They are my best friends.”
Wynalda made up for lost scoring time in the Waves’ first two games this season. She scored Pepperdine’s lone goal in their 1-1 tie with Georgetown on Aug. 17.
Two days later, the sophomore scored Pepperdine’s second goal in their 2-2 draw with Michigan. Wynalda’s return to her scoring ways led to her earning the WCC Offensive Player of the Week honor on Aug. 21.
Receiving the weekly recognition for the first time was confidence booster since she is bouncing back from an injury.
“It was just a dream start to the season for me,” Wynalda said. “I am really, really grateful. It is super exciting, but it is just the start. I still have a lot of work to do.”
Wynalda’s score against Georgetown came with three minutes left in the contest and the Waves down 1-0. Pepperdine sophomore Kendall Campbell headed the ball in Wynalda’s direction. Wynalda hit the ball with her noggin also. The ball hit the left post, then bounced over the line to tie the match.
Michigan led the Pepperdine 2-1 in the 57th minute when Wynalda tallied her second goal of the season. Off a free kick, Waves freshman Ava Verplancke headed the ball, and Wynalda kicked the ball with her right foot into the back of the net.
Wynalda tries to “always stay alive and alert in the box,” the area right in front the goal.
“Be ready to pounce on the loose ball is what I try to do and what I was able to do,” she said. “I just do my job. If that means scoring goals, that is what I do. I don’t care how ugly it is or how it gets in the goal. As long as it gets in the net, that is the most important part.”
She took three shots against Georgetown and two shots against Michigan. Wynalda took two shots in Pepperdine’s 1-1 draw with San Diego State on Aug. 24. She didn’t take any shots in the Waves’ 2-0 victory over CSUN three days later.
Wynalda has played soccer since she was a tyke. It could be said the sport runs in her blood. Her father is American soccer legend Eric Wynalda and her mother Amy Ward played college soccer at San Diego State. Pepperdine women’s soccer head coach Tim Ward is the younger Wynalda’s uncle.
Wynalda knew soccer was her passion at an early age.
“I wanted to pour all my energy and time into it because I have such a love for it,” she said. “I didn’t want anything else to interfere. I kept my head down and kept working.”
She made the trip through the canyon to watch Pepperdine home games all throughout her childhood. Her favorite Pepperdine player was All-American Bri Visalli, who is one of the top players in school history and was The Malibu Times’ Athlete of the Year in 2017.
Visalli and Wynalda are similar in size. Visalli, now a pro soccer player, is 5’2” and Wynalda is 5’5”. Both play at a level beyond their size.
“Everyone would always say, ‘Tatum plays big,’” Wynalda recalled. “That’s what you have to do. I really looked up to Bri. Growing up, I was always the smallest on the team.”
Wynalda was the Ventura County Star and L.A. Daily News Player of the Year as a high school soccer player in 2022. She was also the Marmonte League MVP.
Wynalda was the Marmonte League Offensive MVP, All-CIF Southern Section first teamer, and All-Area first teamer the year before. She also had dual stress fractures for the first time. The player was a twice named to the All-Marmonte League first team. In addition to racking up nearly 50 goals in high school, Wynalda also had 20 assists.
The Waves finished last season with a 9-4-5 record.
Wynalda was the second-leading scorer on the team. She played in all the team’s games and started eight. The kicked two goals in matchup against BYU last October. She was also named to the 2022 All-West Coast Conference second team.
Wynalda’s back aliment returned after her freshman season ended last winter. The soccer player was in a brace for over a month and wasn’t able to do any running until May.
Rehabbing from the injury, Wynalda said, was a mental and physical challenge.
“Not going from zero to 100 was the hardest part,” she remembered. “It was a slow process, a frustrating process, but I got through it. Being able to come back and provide for my team is the best feeling in the world. I am grateful to be back.”
The Waves are aiming to show fans and opponents how good of a squad they are, Wynalda said.
“Our style of soccer and program doesn’t just thrive from winning and doing all these things,” she said. “We want people to know or see how much we love each other through the way we play.”
Pepperdine plays at Fresno State on Friday and hosts Harvard on Sunday at 1 p.m. The team travels to Louisiana to play LSU on Sept. 7.
Wynalda hopes more WCC honors are in her future.
“Hopefully, it’s one of many,” she said. “The grind doesn’t stop.”