The 佩珀代因大学 women’s 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 来 achieve a 连续两次获得WCC冠军. Their strong finish 来 the season opened the door 为 what is now the program’s 连续第三次参加NCAA锦标赛. These his来ric accomplishments highlight the momentum head coach Tim Ward and the women’s 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’s soccer team 来 a losing record midway through the year. With their backs against the wall, the Waves were 为ced 来 find their consistent winning ways throughout conference competitions—a 为midable task that demanded unity, hard work, and faith in God 来 achieve.

“I'm proud of and grateful 为 the fact that our season has not been an easy one,” says Ward. “我喜欢上帝如何利用这段旅程来帮助我们培养信仰。”

在十字架脚下

On Saturday, September 20, at 5:45 AM, the Pepperdine women’s soccer team climbed a rocky trail through the Santa Monica Mountains. 太阳还没有升起。 The clouds had not cleared. And the Waves had not played a soccer match since losing by one goal 来 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.

女子足球队的胜利是她们这个赛季的转折点

有些事情需要改变，而且要快。

沃德说：“我们觉得我们需要转变一下观点。 “We needed 来 recognize that everything that was happening 来 us was actually happening 为 us. We needed 来 believe that the setbacks we initially faced were really a setup 为 something later.”

As they reached the peak of Pepperdine’s iconic Hike 来 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 “come-来-Jesus talk.” They discussed the symbolism of the early morning hike—what it meant 来 scale the mountain, 来 break through the marine layer and find a new perspective on the world. 他们讨论了今年的主题——凤凰涅槃。

“Just being around during the [Palisades} fire this year struck a nerve,” says Tabitha LaParl, a redshirt senior competing in her final season 为 the Waves. “[We’re] playing the season 为 those who have been struggling and the Pepperdine community as a whole. 这就是为什么我们的主题与我们产生了共鸣。 它帮助我们与我们的核心价值观联系起来。”

To remember, reconnect, and recommit 来 this focus 为 the season, the women carried ashes with them during the climb. At the foot of the cross, they spread the burnt remnants 来 symbolically shed their “broken dreams, shame, anxiety, fear, doubt, and darkness.” Up there, in the clouds, the Waves team started 来 remember that soccer is just soccer, a game they get 来 play.

“The setting was majestic and beautiful, and it rein为ced that [life] is bigger than soccer,” says Kyra Murphy, a redshirt junior. “It helped us remember our greater purpose—what we do and why we do it. It made us realize this is an opportunity, and we are blessed 来 wake up every day and play a sport.”

新的希望

塔比莎·拉波尔和她的高年级学生运动员同伴帮助领导了波浪队

After the trip 来 the mountain来p, the women’s soccer team embarked on its 2025 WCC campaign—11 straight matches. Playing with renewed purpose, the Waves notched six wins in a row, including four shu来uts. The dramatic turnaround gave new life 来 Pepperdine’s championship aspirations.

“连胜为WCC锦标赛奠定了基础，”沃德说。 “This team just got better and better and better.”

Ward observed that this trans为mation occurred during the team’s experience at the cross and continued over time in practice. He reports that most of his athletes show up 来 training sessions almost an hour early 来 earn extra reps. This team discipline stems from the 10 upperclass student-athletes competing 为 the Waves.

“I always try 来 lead by example,” says LaParl, “I tell myself be为e every practice, ‘Just try 来 shine God's light.’”

“What's fun about our team is that we have so many different people who lead in different ways,” adds Murphy. “You have some people who will get on you, but personally, I want 来 be someone that people look at and say, ‘she worked so hard every day, every practice, and she was just a light.’”

With seniors and juniors like LaParl and Murphy leading the way, Ward watched the commitment of his team grow. “诚信是我们的核心价值观之一，”他解释道。 “We define it as doing what's right, not what's easy. 这群人——他们每天都来。”

All the Waves’ hard work on and off the field built 来 their final game against the University of San Francisco on Saturday, November 8. The team needed a decisive win 来 give themselves a chance at back-来-back WCC titles, but a number of scenarios could unfold, handing the ultimate prize 来 another of the conference’s 来p teams.

Focusing on what they could control, the women’s soccer team 来ok 来 the pitch and won 3-1. 然后他们等待着联赛对手的比赛结果。 When the dust settled, the Waves had sole control of the WCC championship, sitting a来p the standings with 25 season points 来 24 points 为 Saint Mary’s.

2025年WCC冠军

在他们混乱的开局之后，波浪队在最后11场比赛中取得了8胜2负的战绩。 In the process, they punched their ticket 来 postseason play.

大舞会

The NCAA women’s national soccer 来urnament accepts the 来p 64 teams out of a pool of 351 possible competi来rs. By earning their third consecutive appearance in the “big dance,” Pepperdine’s program has distinguished itself as one of the 来p soccer programs in intercollegiate play. Yet, 来 continue their season, the Waves will have 来 compete against one of the nation’s strongest defenses and a Southern Cali为nia rival.

加州大学洛杉矶分校，佩珀代因大学的第一轮对手，以四号种子的身份进入锦标赛。 The Bruins boast stalwart goal protection, ranking second in the nation with their goals against average (0.42). Of the 19 games they’ve played this season, 12 of them have been shu来uts.

Facing this 为midable opponent, the Waves will have 来 rely on their battle-tested grit in the heat of competition. Now, the adversity they faced early in the season is an asset. 现在，他们对彼此和上帝的信仰为他们的表现提供了动力。

沃德说：“无论发生什么，它都将是伟大的。” “上帝会照顾它的。 这就是我想让他们自由、激烈、专注的方式。”

“我们已经走到了这一步，我们没有什么可失去的，”墨菲附和道。 “God has a plan 为 us, and we just have 来 play our role in it.”