Tatum Wynalda has carved out her own soccer legacy at Westlake High

Tim Ward felt the weight of the gift and immediately asked if it was a rock.

Opening the 50th birthday present from his niece, the Pepperdine University women’s soccer coach read the words “I would be honored to be a Wave” painted on the rock.

Tatum Wynalda then revealed the Pepperdine soccer T-shirt she had been wearing.

“It was a very special moment and extremely emotional for all of us,” Wynalda said of her college commitment, which took place during a family vacation in November.

The Westlake High senior has inherited a passion for soccer from both sides of her family.

Her father is U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer Eric Wynalda, the Westlake High graduate who scored the first goal in Major League Soccer history and retired with the most goals in U.S. men’s national team history.

Her mother Amy Ward won four CIF-Southern Section championships at Agoura High, before playing at San Diego State and Cal Lutheran University.

Her uncle Tim Ward, Amy’s twin brother, has been the head coach at Pepperdine since 1998.

“I’ve grown up on the Pepperdine campus,” Wynalda said. “I feel like I know the campus almost like the back of my hand. I know every nook and cranny. I know all the traditions.”

Growing up, Wynalda would play her own game, and then head to Malibu to root for the Waves. After the game, she’d head onto the field and have the players autograph her program.

Former Pepperdine star Lynn Williams, now a forward for the U.S. national team, remains her favorite player.

“The whole experience,” Wynalda said. “They treated the girls like they were important because they were.”

'What dreams are made of'

Wynalda missed her first two seasons at Westlake High because members of U.S. Soccer’s Development Academy were not allowed to play high school soccer.

She calls the shuttering of the program in 2020, which allowed her to join her high school team, “one of the happiest days of my life.”

“It was something I wanted so, so bad,” said Wynalda, who was named an all-star by the Elite Clubs National League, the competition which replaced the Development Academy, while playing for LAFC SoCal Youth Soccer in November.

Since being unleashed on high school soccer over the past year, Wynalda has lived up to her famous surname. As a junior, the Marmonte League Offensive Player of the Year led Ventura County with 20 goals and 11 assists in 15 games.

Her goal last spring lifted the Warriors to a 1-0 win over Santa Barbara in their postseason opener.

“It’s probably been the greatest year of my life and high school soccer has had an impact on that,” Wynalda said.

Wynalda has continued her high-scoring form as a senior. She has 22 goals and five assists in just 11 matches while leading the unbeaten Warriors (11-0).

“We want her on the ball as much as possible,” Westlake coach Frank Marino said. “She’s a difference-maker for our team.”

She had a goal and an assist Tuesday as Westlake grabbed sole possession of first place in the Marmonte League with a 2-1 win over previously undefeated Oaks Christian.

“We didn’t play our best, but our big player stepped up,” Marino said of the win over Oaks Christian. “You count on players like Tatum to help you win that game.”

Westlake trailed 1-0 late in the first half when Wynalda put freshman Layla Simon through for the equalizing goal. She followed with the game-winning goal in the 65th minute, running onto Calista Banihashemi’s ball forward and finishing neatly on the break.

“That’s what dreams are made of,” Wynalda said. “I will never forget that moment, scoring that goal and turning around and seeing my teammates.”

It was a big night for the family, as well, considering Wynalda’s cousin, freshman forward Charlotte Ward, started for Oaks Christian.

“There was a lot of built-up pressure,” Wynalda said. “There were so many different things going into that game.”

And there is so much more to do with the rest of her high school career. Westlake is ranked No. 2 in Division 2.

The senior leader is focused on the top spot.

“We want to go all the way,” Wynalda said. “I really think this team and this group of girls have the ability to go all the way.

“I think we can be CIF-SS Division 2 champions. We have to keep working hard and pushing ourselves, pushing each other.”

Staying home

Coach Ward had encouraged her to “spread her wings” and find the right school for her.

Her father’s input was similar. He didn’t push his alma mater, San Diego State, although it was one of the first programs to recruit her.

“I’m constantly compared to my dad,” Wynalda said. “I wanted to walk my own path.”

She had been recruited by USC, Texas, Long Beach State and the University of Portland. Although the pandemic kept her from taking any official visits, she took a trip with her sister Brooke, who attended Seattle University, to visit schools in the Pacific Northwest, like Washington and Gonzaga.

“That opened my eyes to those kinds of schools,” Wynalda said. “I always had a feeling that I wanted to stay on the West Coast. It’s important for me to have my family close. For them to be able to watch me is very important to me.”

Meanwhile, Pepperdine assistant coaches Max Rooke and Ariana Martinez worked to bring her to Malibu.

“I genuinely didn’t think I was going to end up at Pepperdine,” Wynalda said. “After a year and a half of looking at school and talking to schools, that’s when I realized Pepperdine is where I’m meant to be.”

Wynalda knows playing for her uncle could bring added pressure during a season, or complication relationships with her teammates.

“Making the decision to go to Pepperdine, that’s going to be something that people talk about,” Wynalda said. “I just have to take that into consideration. … I think it’s worth it. There’s so much more to Pepperdine than my uncle.”

Ultimately, she chose the school she has known all her life.

“A lot of people liked to place their input in my decision, a lot of it I did not take,” Wynalda said. “I was going to make the best decision for me and my career.

“I wanted to stay local. I love where I live. I love Pepperdine and everything about California.”

Joe Curley covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. Follow him @vcsjoecurley on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Tatum Wynalda has carved out her own soccer legacy at Westlake High