Pepperdine鈥檚 Women's Soccer Team Earns Place in NCAA Tournament
The 黑料爆料 women鈥檚 soccer team will play the UCLA Bruins on Saturday, November 15, in the first round of the NCAA national championships.
The Waves secured this postseason berth by going 8-2-1 in West Coast Conference (WCC) play to achieve a . Their strong finish to the season opened the door for what is now the program鈥檚 . These historic accomplishments highlight the momentum head coach Tim Ward and the women鈥檚 soccer team are currently enjoying, but the success of the 2025 season was not easily won.
A stacked nonconference schedule combined with close, nail-biting losses propelled the women鈥檚 soccer team to a losing record midway through the year. With their backs against the wall, the Waves were forced to find their consistent winning ways throughout conference competitions鈥攁 formidable task that demanded unity, hard work, and faith in God to achieve.
鈥淚'm proud of and grateful for the fact that our season has not been an easy one,鈥� says Ward. 鈥淚 love how God used this journey to help grow our faith.鈥�
At the Foot of the Cross
On Saturday, September 20, at 5:45 AM, the Pepperdine women鈥檚 soccer team climbed a rocky trail through the Santa Monica Mountains. The sun had not yet risen. The clouds had not cleared. And the Waves had not played a soccer match since losing by one goal to San Diego State on September 11. That morning the team hiked the hills above the Malibu campus with a losing record (3-4-1) and conference matchups looming just four days away.
The women's soccer team's hike to the cross was a turning point in their season
Something needed to change, and quickly.
鈥淲e felt we needed a perspective shift,鈥� says Ward. 鈥淲e needed to recognize that everything that was happening to us was actually happening for us. We needed to believe that the setbacks we initially faced were really a setup for something later.鈥�
As they reached the peak of Pepperdine鈥檚 iconic Hike to the Cross more than 1,000 feet above the Malibu campus, the Waves huddled around the massive cross overlooking the University and held a team meeting, or what Ward described as a 鈥渃ome-to-Jesus talk.鈥� They discussed the symbolism of the early morning hike鈥攚hat it meant to scale the mountain, to break through the marine layer and find a new perspective on the world. They discussed their theme for the year鈥攁 phoenix rising from the ashes.
鈥淛ust being around during the [Palisades} fire this year struck a nerve,鈥� says Tabitha LaParl, a redshirt senior competing in her final season for the Waves. 鈥淸We鈥檙e] playing the season for those who have been struggling and the Pepperdine community as a whole. That鈥檚 why our theme has resonated with us. It鈥檚 helped us connect with our core values.鈥�
To remember, reconnect, and recommit to this focus for the season, the women carried
ashes with them during the climb. At the foot of the cross, they spread the burnt
remnants to symbolically shed their 鈥渂roken dreams, shame, anxiety, fear, doubt, and
darkness.鈥� Up there, in the clouds, the Waves team started to remember that soccer
is just soccer, a game they get to play.
鈥淭he setting was majestic and beautiful, and it reinforced that [life] is bigger than
soccer,鈥� says Kyra Murphy, a redshirt junior. 鈥淚t helped us remember our greater purpose鈥攚hat
we do and why we do it. It made us realize this is an opportunity, and we are blessed
to wake up every day and play a sport.鈥�
A New Hope
Tabitha LaParl and her fellow upperclass student-athletes helped lead the Waves team
After the trip to the mountaintop, the women鈥檚 soccer team embarked on its 2025 WCC campaign鈥�11 straight matches. Playing with renewed purpose, the Waves notched six wins in a row, including four shutouts. The dramatic turnaround gave new life to Pepperdine鈥檚 championship aspirations.
鈥淭hat winning streak laid the foundation for the WCC championship,鈥� says Ward. 鈥淭his team just got better and better and better.鈥�
Ward observed that this transformation occurred during the team鈥檚 experience at the cross and continued over time in practice. He reports that most of his athletes show up to training sessions almost an hour early to earn extra reps. This team discipline stems from the 10 upperclass student-athletes competing for the Waves.
鈥淚 always try to lead by example,鈥� says LaParl, 鈥淚 tell myself before every practice, 鈥楯ust try to shine God's light.鈥欌��
鈥淲hat's fun about our team is that we have so many different people who lead in different ways,鈥� adds Murphy. 鈥淵ou have some people who will get on you, but personally, I want to be someone that people look at and say, 鈥榮he worked so hard every day, every practice, and she was just a light.鈥欌��
With seniors and juniors like LaParl and Murphy leading the way, Ward watched the commitment of his team grow. 鈥淚ntegrity is one of our core values,鈥� he explains. 鈥淲e define it as doing what's right, not what's easy. This group鈥攖hey show up every day.鈥�
All the Waves鈥� hard work on and off the field built to their final game against the University of San Francisco on Saturday, November 8. The team needed a decisive win to give themselves a chance at back-to-back WCC titles, but a number of scenarios could unfold, handing the ultimate prize to another of the conference鈥檚 top teams.
Focusing on what they could control, the women鈥檚 soccer team took to the pitch and won 3-1. They then waited for the results from their league opponents to stream in. When the dust settled, the Waves had sole control of the WCC championship, sitting atop the standings with 25 season points to 24 points for Saint Mary鈥檚.
The 2025 WCC champions
Following their topsy-turvy start, the Waves went 8-2-1 in their final 11 games. In the process, they punched their ticket to postseason play.
The Big Dance
The NCAA women鈥檚 national soccer tournament accepts the top 64 teams out of a pool of 351 possible competitors. By earning their third consecutive appearance in the 鈥渂ig dance,鈥� Pepperdine鈥檚 program has distinguished itself as one of the top soccer programs in intercollegiate play. Yet, to continue their season, the Waves will have to compete against one of the nation鈥檚 strongest defenses and a Southern California rival.
UCLA, Pepperdine鈥檚 first-round opponent, enters the tournament as a number four seed. The Bruins boast stalwart goal protection, ranking second in the nation with their goals against average (0.42). Of the 19 games they鈥檝e played this season, 12 of them have been shutouts.
Facing this formidable opponent, the Waves will have to rely on their battle-tested grit in the heat of competition. Now, the adversity they faced early in the season is an asset. Now, their faith in each other and God fuels their performance.
鈥淲hatever happens, it's going to be great,鈥� says Ward. 鈥淕od's gonna take care of it. And that's how I want them to play鈥攆ree, fierce, focused.鈥�
鈥淲e've gotten here, and we have nothing to lose,鈥� echoed Murphy. 鈥淕od has a plan for us, and we just have to play our role in it.鈥�