Coach gained milestone 300th victory Sept. 1 over then third-ranked UCLA
Redshirt junior Tabitha LaParl was one of 10 Pepperdine Waves women’s soccer players recognized before their senior day victory over Cornell University at Pepperdine’s Tari Frahm Rokus Field on Sept. 22.
LaParl, a midfielder and forward, got a bit more than the flowers she and the other Waves’ fourth-season players received before their 3-0 win.
LaParl booted in her first goal of the season.
“It was super exciting,” she said. “I was hoping for it, obviously, but you never know. I was happy to be out there and play with everyone.”
LaParl’s score came from a corner kick in the 22nd minute of the first half. The ball dropped into goal after Cornell’sgoalkeeper bobbled it.
She wasn’t the lone Wave recognized during the Senior Day festivities to score. In the contest’s opening minute, graduate student Megan Edelman, a defender and forward, kicked the ball from the right side of the field to the left side of the goal to score Pepperdine’s first point of the match.
Redshirt sophomore Kyra Murphy kicked the Waves’ third goal in the contest’s 63rd minute.
Defender and forward Victoria Romero, a graduate student, who played 82 of 90 minutes in the contest, said notching a win on senior day in front of Waves’ supporters was great.
“Having family and friends come out and having that support is always nice,” she said. “We played really well as a team.”
Romero, LaParl, and Edelman, along with graduate student Tori Waldeck, redshirt junior Taylor Rath, junior Karina Gonzalez, and seniors Sophia Prudholme, Ashlyn Siriani, Caroline Coleman, and Kelsey Adams were the players honored.
Romero said the group wants not only help Waves soccer have a successful present, but also future.
“We have talked a lot about our legacy and how we want to plant seeds that we won’t necessarily see grow,” she said.“We passing down what we learn and making sure everyone has the field they need to grow — making sure it’s an environment that is welcoming and supportive.”
Pepperdine head coach Tim Ward called the honored group amazing women.
“Every single one of them is extraordinary,” he said. “They are world-class on so many different levels. I feel privileged and honored to coach them.”
The Waves had 18 scoring attempts compared to Cornell’s eight. The Waves kicked eight shots on goal — four more than the visiting team.
Waves freshman goalkeeper Jillian Medvecky had three saves, while Rath registered one.
The win gave Pepperdine a 6-2-2 record heading into their Oct. 2 home match against Washington State.
The Waves defeated Fresno State 5-0 two days before downing Cornell. Coleman, Murphy, junior defender Erin Zeile, sophomore defender Peyton Leonard, and sophomore forward Julia Quinonez scored in the victory.
The five goals was the most the team registered in a contest this season, but perhaps not their biggest win. That was three games earlier when the Waves, currently ranked 19th in national polls, beat then third-ranked UCLA 1-0. The Sept. 1 victory was the 300th win of Ward’s coaching career.
After claiming his 303rd win, Ward joked that garnering the milestone coaching victory made him feel old but was honored to have garnered each win at Pepperdine.
“This is an amazing place,” he said. “Its not about me. It is about all the women and men who have poured into this program over the last 32 years from athletic directors, to trainers, to coaches, to strength coaches, to players and alumniwho helped build this program up. I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Ward has been a Pepperdine coach for 31 of the program’s 32 seasons. This is his 27th season as the head coach. Recently, Pepperdine honored his 300th win by giving him a ball from the contest autographed by all the Waves’players.
Ward listed several standout wins that he will always treasure, including the Waves’ victory over a top-ranked Stanford team that featured some of the best players in women’s soccer. He also recalled wins from the early aughts.
“There have been some historic wins along the way,” Ward said.
LaParl said being part of this historic win for Ward was fun.
“We went into the game with nothing to lose,” she said. “We showed up to play. Getting that outcome and being able to celebrate with him was amazing.”
Romero said Ward didn’t mention that defeating UCLA would give him his 300th victory until the day of the game. She called Ward unique.
“He is very caring,” Romero explained. “He pushes you, which is good. He not only wants to develop you as a player,but as a person.”
The match against Washington State is Pepperdine’s first of nine against West Coast Conference opponents this season. The squad fell one game short of winning the WCC title in 2023.
Romero said that is a motivating factor for their 2024 campaign.
“We have a fire in our belly,” she said. “Ever since spring, we have been working toward getting better.”
Their conference schedule also includes games against Gonzaga, Santa Clara, Pacific, LMU, Portland, Oregon State, San Diego, Saint Mary’s, and San Francisco.
LaParl said the best is yet to come for she and her teammates this season.
“We are always looking to grow,” she said. “We are slowly breaking through and that is one of our themes — reaching that big breakthrough and redemption. We are getting to that level where we are going to explode even more.”
Ward said Pepperdine wants to be successful in the WCC and go deep into the NCAA Tournament.
“We feel like we are well prepared,” he said. “We are staying humble and hungry and getting after it.”