Beavers Host Waves in First Matchup Since 2003

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State women's soccer will look to shake off a Wednesday night setback this weekend, welcoming the No. 20 Pepperdine Waves to Paul Lorenz Field on Saturday.

Oregon State Beavers vs No. 20 Pepperdine
Date: Saturday, Oct. 26
Time: 12 p.m. PT
Location: Paul Lorenz Field
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast

SCOUTING THE WAVES:
Pepperdine enters this week of action ranked No. 20 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, having been ranked at No. 13 in the previous week. With a 10-3-3 record the Waves are at No. 25 in the Ratings Power Index (RPI) thanks to a 10-3-3 record that includes wins over then-ranked No. 23 Georgetown, Washington State and, most recently, the Portland Pilots. Tori Waldeck (six goals, one assist) and Tabitha LaParl (five goals, one assist) lead the Wave offense while defender Karina Gonzalez leads the team in minutes played.

A Six-Pointer:
With four games to go in the 2024 regular season, Oregon State sits in a three-way tie for second place in the WCC standings thanks to a 4-1-1 record that is good for 13 points; Pepperdine is one of the other two teams sitting in second with 13 points, making Saturday's matchup a must-win for the Beavers in maintaining their spot near the top of the WCC.

(AND COUNTING):
So much has already been written about the career of McKenna Martinez, and Oregon State's senior forward officially etched her name in history once more against LMU on Wednesday. Entering the game with 264 career shot attempts, Martinez finished with eight shots (three on goal) to surpass Jodie Taylor's program record of 269, setting a new standard for creating chances in the Oregon State offense with 272 and counting.

Martinez, who put a direct free kick attempt off the woodwork mid-way through the first half, scored in the 83^rd minute, making it 33 in her career and bringing her within one goal of tying Val Williams (1994-95) for second on the program's all-time scoring list.

HELPING OUT:
Since making her first start out wide against Seattle U on Sept. 8, Paola Figueroa has started every single game and played a key part in the Oregon State offense thanks to her ability to find open teammates. Against LMU on Wednesday, that showed up once again, as she redirected a cross with her head into the path of Martinez who scored, making it four assists this season which leads the team. Every single one has come during conference play, which puts her in a tie for first place among all players for assists against WCC opponents.

EXPANDED ROLE -> EXPANDED PRODUCTION:
Valerie Tobias was responsible for the ball into the box that Figueroa redirected, bumping her season assist total up to three and setting a new personal best for points in a single season with seven. The Fillmore, Calif., native has scored twice this season which ties a previous single season career high, while her third assist set a new career best mark for a single fall campaign.

Tobias had never started more than 11 games in a season prior to 2024 and enters Saturday's game with 14 starts in 14 games this season, playing 1,209 total minutes – some 260 more than her previous high in one year, 2022, when she played 949 minutes across 19 appearances.

A SEASON TO REMEMBER:
The strong junior season for Oregon State's shot-stopping junior Mya Sanchez continued Wednesday against LMU. Across 24 shots faced, the Turlock, Calif., native finished with six saves, which was the eighth time this season that she has stopped at least six shots in a single game. Her 72 total saves this season leads all goalkeepers in the conference while sitting in the top-50 nationally, and, if the season ended today, her save percentage of 76.6 would be the highest since Bridgette Skiba stopped 78.2% of the shots she faced during the 2019 season (minimum two appearances).

FINISH:
Oregon State finished the 2023 season with 16 goals in 19 games, averaging 0.84 per game. Through 13 contests in 2024, the Beavers have already surpassed that total, scoring 18 goals and averaging 1.38 per contest despite the season still having five games to play. Total shots are up from 12.3 per game to 12.8 and shots are hitting the target at a 3.5% higher clip (38.5% compared to 41.9%), but the key to this uptick in goal is better finishing; the 2024 Beavers are converting 10.8% of their shots into goals compared to 6.8% in 2023.

MULTI-FACETED:
A key part of OSU's improved goal scoring has been its ability to get production from several different players. Through 14 games, five different Beavers have found the back of the net at least twice, led by Martinez's five; she is joined by Carraher (three), Valerie Tobias (two), Megin Turi (two) and Hayden Wilson (two).

The last time Oregon State had five or more score at least two goals in a season was 2021, when OSU scored 38 total goals and averaged 2.0 per game.

WHAT'S NEXT:
The Beavers' three-game homestand continues next Saturday, hosting No. 10 Santa Clara at Paul Lorenz Field. Kickoff against the Broncos is scheduled for 12 p.m.

OUR MISSION:
Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).

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Players Mentioned

Paola Figueroa

McKenna Martinez

Mya Sanchez

Valerie Tobias

Megin Turi

Hayden Wilson