The arrival of Pedersen to Master’s began the upswing of the TMU Women’s Soccer program.

After a two-win season as a freshman, her goal scoring ability led the Mustangs to average 15 wins a season over the next three years, winning the 2009 National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) national title and making the program’s first-ever NAIA National Tournament appearance in 2010.

Pedersen scored 44 goals and accrued 100 points during her TMU career, which both rank second in program history.

“You have to want to put the ball in the back of the net,” Pedersen said on what it takes to score goals consistently. “You have to be on a team with people who know how to get you the ball in the right way. I played with girls who were much better ballhandlers than me.

“A large part of being at Master’s was figuring out where my weaknesses were and where my strengths were. Your team then has to know how to utilize those strengths and then you have to improve your weaknesses.”

As a senior in 2010 she became the first Mustang to earn two separate honors, Golden State Athletic Conference Player of the Year and NAIA First Team All-American, capping off an impressive four-year transition for TMU Women’s Soccer.

“In the back of my mind, I knew it wasn’t just the end of soccer at Master’s, but it was the end of soccer (for me). I think I had a pretty good idea that I wouldn’t be playing after, so I wanted it to be very special.

“At that point, we knew we were finally good enough to be there with the best.”