DU Women’s Soccer Falls Just Short Against Pepperdine

Wednesday, October 7

Denver, Colo.

7 p.m. MT

University of Denver

2-7-2, 1-2-0

Pepperdine

7-3-2, 3-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Pepperdine	3	0	3
Denver	1	1	2

Highlights

Photo by: Carter Schwent/Denver Athletics

DU Women’s Soccer Falls Just Short Against Pepperdine

10/7/2026 10:15:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score Highlights

Denver pushes defending WCC champion on Wednesday in 2-3 loss on Wednesday

DENVER – The University of Denver women's soccer team (2-7-2, 1-2-0 WCC) rallied from an early mistake to put two goals on the board but ultimately fell, 2-3, to Pepperdine on Wednesday night at University of Denver Soccer Stadium.

A Denver own goal in the 13^th minute gave the Waves a 1-0 early lead, but sophomore Annie Philbin equalized off a corner kick for DU in the 23^rd. Pepperdine answered with their own goal from a corner to retake the lead less than three minute later and extended the lead to two in the 31^st.

Denver again mounted a comeback with freshman Caitlin Staats finding her first career goal to cut the Pepperdine lead back to one, but the Waves held on for the one-goal win.

SCORING SUMMARY:
12:05 (PEP): Keirra Venson (own goal)
22:51 (DEN): Annie Philbin (Kroska)
25:41 (PEP): Julia Quinonez (Salvador)
30:01 (PEP): Sarah Spears (Murphy)
71:16 (DEN): Caitlin Staats (Mooney, M. Morgan)

SIGNIFICANT STATS:

Philbin and Staats became the sixth and seventh different Pioneers to score a goal so far in 2026.
- Philbin's was her first of the year and the second of her career, both coming off corner kicks.
- Philbin also joined senior Kera Nguyen and sophomore Olivia Kroska in scoring an equalizer in 2026.
- Staats' was her first collegiate goal.
Junior Kit Mooney had the secondary assist on Staats' goal, tying her with Staats for the team lead with two assists each.
Freshman Maeve Morgan registered her third point in DU's last three matches with her assist on Staats' goal – the first assist of her collegiate career.
Kroska also hit a career milestone with her first NCAA assist with the corner service on Philbin's first-half equalizer.
- She also played the full 90 minutes for the second time this season.
The Pioneers' seven points earned were its most in a single match this season so far.
Senior Jaidin Kinch reset her career best for saves in a match with six on Wednesday, topping her previous record set four days ago with five at Santa Clara.
- It was the second most saves for Denver on the year.
Sophomore Camila Palacios equaled her career best with three shot attempts, the most by a Pioneer in Wednesday's match.
Both Denver goals were scored off headers: Philbin's on a corner kick and Staats' off a cross into the box.
Two of Denver's three shots on goal found the back of the net.
Though Denver fell to Pepperdine on Wednesday, it was the closest of the four meetings between the teams since their first match against each other, also decided by a single goal (2-1 Pepperdine win on November 6, 1998).
- DU's two goals against the Waves doubled Denver's goal tally against Pepperdine all-time with the Pioneers having only scored once previously against PU.

KEY MOMENTS:
13' | Kinch made an initial save off a Waves' attack, but a misplaced ball off the foot of freshman Keirra Venson ended up in the back of the net, giving Pepperdine the lead off a DU own goal.

14' | A nice ball from sixth-year Samantha Dreiling up through midfield found freshman Reese Morgan, who carried it toward the net and took a shot from just outside the 18, only to see it curl wide left.

23' | On Denver's second corner of the night, Kroska served a sharp ball toward the edge of the six-yard box, finding Philbin for a perfectly-placed header over the keeper's hands and under the crossbar for the Denver equalizer.

26' | The Waves answered with their own set-piece goal, getting a lucky redirection off Julia Quinonez's hip off a corner service that snuck past Kinch.

31' | Pepperdine's Sarah Spears doubled the Waves lead at 3-1, scoring from outside the box. The goal was reviewed for a possible offside call, but the video review confirmed Spears was onside, allowing the goal to stand.

59' | Kinch made a quality save deep in her box, ending a Pepperdine attack through the midfield.

72' | Some tricky footwork from Mooney set up Denver down the right side of the pitch. M. Morgan continued the progression, sending a cross into the box and finding an open Staats near the far post for a header that arched up and ducked under the crossbar and into the back of the net.

77' | Staats went looking for another goal but set a shot just over the cross bar from the edge of the 18.

WHAT'S NEXT:
The University of Denver women's soccer team heads on the road for its second match of the week, making the trip to San Diego on Sunday, October 11, at 1 p.m. PT/2 p.m. MT.

TICKETS
Tickets for the 2026 season are on sale now, available for purchase online or by visiting the Ritchie Center Box Office.

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