MALIBU, Calif. – The Columbia women's soccer team has flown out to California for a west coast swing featuring road matchups against Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount this weekend.
The Lions will take on the Waves on Thursday at 6 p.m. EST and then will faceoff against the Lions on Sunday at 4 p.m. EST.
HOW TO FOLLOW
All Columbia home games and all Ivy League contests will be streamed via ESPN+. Both of this weekend's games will also be broadcasted on ESPN+ You can find tomorrow's game
HERE. Sunday's game against LMU can be found
HERE.
Live stats for tomorrow's game will be available via statbroadcast,
HERE. Live stats for Sunday's contest against Loyola Marymount can be found
HERE.
Follow @CULionsWSOC on X and Instagram for live updates and results during every match.
LAST TIME OUT
The Lions have opened the season 0-2, dropping the season opener to Hofstra last Thursday, 2-1, and then falling to Villanova in Pennsylvania on Sunday, 1-0.
Against the Pride, Columbia opened the scoring in the 57th minute. After a throw-in, rookie
Krystal Medina found
Angel Akanyirige with a beautiful through ball, who then sent it into the box finding first-year
Evelyn Javers who netted her first career goal. Unfortunately, Hofstra would bounce back and score two unanswered goals to get the win.
Against the Wildcats, Hannah Curtin scored in the 39th minute off an assist from Amalia Cardo to give the Villanova the lead. Curtin's tally was her first of the season and proved to be the game-winner. The Lions held a slight edge in shots (10-7) and corners (3-2), but couldn't find a way to get on the board.
SCOUTING PEPPERDINE
Pepperdine heads into the weekend with a 1-2-1 record through its first four matches of the 2025 campaign. The Waves most recently earned a 1-0 win over California, highlighted by Lily Stewart's game-winning strike in the 85th minute.
The Waves come into 2025 with high expectations, having been ranked second in the WCC preseason coaches poll just behind Santa Clara. Key returning stars include senior midfielder Karina Gonzalez, who was named to the United Soccer Coaches' watch list and ranked No. 41 nationally by Top Drawer Soccer, along with juniors Tabitha LaParl and Tatum Wynalda, both of whom earned preseason All-WCC recognition.
In 2024, Pepperdine finished 12-4-5 overall and went 6-1-3 in conference, sharing the WCC title with Santa Clara. Head Coach Tim Ward leads the program into his 28th season at the helm, having guided the Waves to 14 NCAA tournament berths and five WCC championships.
Offensively, LaParl remains the top returning threat with six goals and two assists from last fall, while Wynalda has amassed 18 goals and seven assists over her career. Through the first four games of 2025, Pepperdine has scored six goals while allowing 11, and the group will look to tighten defensively as tomorrow's match approaches.
SCOUTING LMU
LMU currently sits at 1-1-0 overall, having opened the season with a win over UC Santa Barbara (2–1) before falling at home to Tennessee (0–3).
In 2024, the Lions posted a strong 11-5-2 record overall and went 5-3-2 in WCC action, finishing near the top of the standings. Under head coach Chris Chamides, they return a solid core with expectations to build upon last year's success.
The Lions return a balanced lineup highlighted by junior forward Emily Seymour, who paced the team with seven goals and three assists last fall. Senior midfielder Olivia McAndrews adds creativity in the middle of the park after starting all 18 matches in 2024, while sophomore defender Ana Morales anchors a backline that allowed just 20 goals all of last season. In goal, junior keeper Julia Johnson provides stability after recording 61 saves and five shutouts a year ago.
Through two matches this fall, Seymour and freshman forward Mia Torres have already found the back of the net, giving LMU a blend of proven scoring and new contributors to build around.
ON DECK
Columbia returns to NYC and will take on St. John's in Queens on September 4 at 7 p.m.
The Lions' full 2025 schedule can be found
HERE.
For the latest on the Columbia women's soccer program, follow @CULionsWSOC on X, Instagram, Facebook at Facebook.com/ColumbiaWSoccer and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
