All In The Family

Sometimes you’ll catch Pepperdine women’s soccer sophomore Tatum Wynalda doing “The Wynalda” as her family endears it. “The Wynalda” refers to a habit that her father, Eric Wynalda, started on the soccer field by standing on one foot with his hands on his hips if he needed to catch a breather. 

The movement is one of many similarities that Tatum shares with her dad, the former United States Men’s Soccer National Team prominent standout. 

Tatum is aware of the notoriety that her last name brings. She is proud of her family lineage, but she also wants to create her own identity.

“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to realize how big of a deal it is, how people perceive me,” she said. “I’m just Tatum. I’m a completely different person than my dad, and sometimes that can get tricky when people almost attribute my success to my dad. I want to sustain my own identity. I can’t change my name. I wear it proudly, but also with caution.”

Seeking her own identity is important to Tatum, but so is the strong bond the father-daughter tandem share. 

Although Tatum doesn’t view her father as a “coach,” they’re always watching film of each other’s games and discussing soccer in general together. 

“I really look up to my dad in a lot of aspects that people don’t get to see,” Tatum said. “He’s played at all the top levels, and that’s what I want to do. We talk a lot about the game, myself, my team. Soccer has made us really close, and I’m really grateful for that. He’s a big presence in my life for that reason. He says he sees a lot of himself in me, and I obviously take that as a compliment.”

Pepperdine runs deep in the Wynalda family tree. Prior to Tatum’s arrival, her aunt, Shelby Ward, played soccer at Pepperdine, her stepmom, Amanda Wynalda, is a Pepperdine alum and she has a cousin, Nate Ward, who currently attends Pepperdine. 

The family lineage extends further on the Waves’ soccer team, specifically, as Tatum’s head coach, Tim Ward, is also her uncle. 

With so much family history associated with the school, one would think a decision to commit to Pepperdine was a given for Tatum. However, she kept all her options open for the best fit. 

“I really didn’t think I would end up at Pepperdine,” Tatum said. “It was on the back burner for most of my recruiting process. After a year and a half, I kept comparing every school I looked at to Pepperdine. At the end of the day, I figured, God’s trying to tell me that there’s something more there. I’m very happy things turned out the way they did.”

There was no pressure put on by Ward for his niece to stay close to home. He wanted her to take her own path during her recruiting process. He told Tatum that he didn’t want her to come to Pepperdine because the head coach is her uncle. He wanted her to choose Pepperdine if she felt it was the best option to receive a college education and develop her soccer. 

Still, there’s no doubt Ward was pleased when he found out she chose the Waves. 

“She just knows what to do with the ball,” Ward said. “I’m not sure if it’s taught or if it’s who she is. You can only teach players so much, but she can just sniff out a big moment during a game before others do. There are elements of greatness in her instincts. She has a beautiful knack for scoring goals. It’s just what she’s done her whole life.”

Ward was happy to have Tatum on the field last week when she scored against both No. 19 Georgetown and Michigan. Her goal against Georgetown allowed the Waves to secure a tie against a nationally-ranked top-20 squad. Her efforts in the opening week of the season earned her University Credit Union WCC Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week accolades. 

Tatum doesn’t receive any special treatment from her uncle, but that’s because Ward considers all the Waves he coaches to be like family. 

“I love the fact that I get to watch Tatum grow and develop, but it’s not just because we’re related,” Ward said. “After 30 years on the job, I feel like all of the girls I coach are part-family to me. I’m really proud of all of them.”

The family traditions continue with Pepperdine’s game tonight at San Diego State. Eric and Tatum’s mother, Amy, are Aztec alums. While Tatum said Eric’s favorite team he ever played for was SDSU, she also knows he’s one of her biggest supporters and wants to see her do well – even against his alma mater. 

Tatum is building off her momentum from a strong freshman campaign when she picked up All-WCC Second Team honors after finishing second on her squad with 17 points and eight goals. She knows the next step for her team is clear – a return to the NCAA Tournament.

Since Ward took the helm as head coach, the Waves have competed in 12 NCAA Tournaments, including four trips to the Round of 16, and they hope to add to that total this season. 

“We have a lot of unfinished business,” Tatum said. “We just had a really tough go last year. We had so much talent and so much potential. We were so disappointed that we didn’t get a chance to showcase that. This season, our goal hasn’t changed. We really want to come out and perform, get into the postseason and go further than any Pepperdine team has in the past.”