MALIBU, Calif. - Pepperdine women's soccer Head Coach Tim Ward announced the program's 2016 recruiting class this week, adding eight players to the mix for next season.

Here's a look at this year's class:

Lauren Bateman

Height: 5-6 Position: Left Midfielder/Left Back
Hometown: Redmond, Wash.
High School: Woodinville High School
Club: Crossfire Premier

Accolades:
Offensive Player of the Year (2013-14)
Fourth highest scorer in KingCo (King County) League (2013)
2012 U.S. Youth Soccer Championship Cup - Finalist
2013 ECNL Nationals Participant (Richmond, Va.)
2012 US Club National Cup Northwest Regional Champion
2011 U.S. Youth Soccer Championship Cup - Washington State Champion
2011 U.S. Youth Soccer Far West Regional - Quarterfinals
2010 Washington State Championship Cup - Finalist
2010 U.S. Youth Soccer Far West Regional - Semi
Named to the National Honors Society all four years of high school

Intended Major: Sports Medicine

Why she chose Pepperdine: "My criteria for my college experience was a smaller university with a more connected experience with my professors, classmates and coaches. Pepperdine provides an excellent blend of both nationally-acclaimed academic programs and women's soccer. I also look forward to exploring my spirituality in a positive and challenging environment. I'm looking forward to learning how to surf as well."

Head Coach Tim Ward on Lauren: "We are very excited to have Lauren joining our squad in the fall. As a player, she is a very dynamic athlete that possesses a wonderful left foot. Her ability to get up and down the left flank is excellent and she knows what to do with the ball when she gets around goal. In addition, she has a high soccer IQ, having been groomed in a fantastic environment with her Crossfire ECNL team and coached by the very talented Rich Reece. Finally, and perhaps most impressive, is Lauren's character. She's had to work her way back from a serious knee injury and that journey has grown her, and to be fair, will ultimately make her a more mentally complete player when she returns to full fitness. We are super excited about Lauren and what she will do for the Waves soccer program."

Ashley Buck

Height: 5-7 Position: Midfielder
Hometown: Sandy, Utah
High School: Juan Diego Catholic High School
Club: Utah Avalanche

Accolades:
All-State first team and All-Tribune Soccer Team as a junior and senior
Deseret News All-State Team three years
All-State Honorable Mention as a freshman
High school stats: 45 games, 36 goals, 35 assists
Played on the Utah ODP team from 2009-12
2016 Top Drawer Soccer IMG Top 150
Team captain on Avalanche for four years
2012 U.S. National Team training center invite
Club stats: 60 games, 20 goals, 29 assists

Intended Major: Sports Medicine or Pre-Med

Why she chose Pepperdine: "I chose Pepperdine for the great education, campus, facilities and soccer program in a Christian setting. From the first time I stepped on campus it felt like home. I knew this is where I was supposed to be and I could not imagine myself going to school anywhere else other than Pepperdine. Coach Tim, Max, Mary and the players made me feel like part of their family."

Head Coach Tim Ward on Ashley: "Ash comes to us from the great state of Utah having played her club ball for the Utah Avalanche ECNL team while playing her high school soccer for Pepperdine Alum and Juan Diego HS coach Myriah Fankhauser (Stockman). Ashley is also an alumni of the prestigious Malibu Soccer Academy and it's where our staff first saw her. Although relatively quiet by nature, "Buck" possesses loud soccer qualities including a cool head under pressure, an excellent range of passing, a tireless work rate and a wonderful ability to strike the ball. Because of these qualities and because of her versatility, we are excited to see Ashley continue her development here in Malibu."

Anastasia (Natasa) Eleftheriou

Height: 5-8 Position: Defender
Hometown: Rolling Hills, Calif.
High School: Palos Verdes High School
Club: Real So Cal

Accolades:
Named Defender of the Year as a sophomore and junior
Earned All-Bay League first team three-straight years
Junior and Senior Year named team captain
Scored three goals and had four assists in her prep career
Club team won ECNL National Championship
ODP team won National Championship and Region IV Championship in 2015

Intended Major: Sports Medicin, Pre-Med or Business

Why she chose Pepperdine: "Pepperdine is a great school for academics and competitive athletics. The campus is beautiful and felt like home. The coaching staff is amazing, and there is such a welcoming and warm atmosphere. I feel like I will learn and thrive there, in both my academics and soccer."

Head Coach Tim Ward on Anastasia: "We are super excited to be adding Natasa to our Pepperdine Soccer family. Coming from the fertile Real So Cal ECNL training grounds, Natasa possesses a super high soccer IQ. With her versatility as either a center back, left back or potential defensive midfielder, Natasa no doubt has the ability to impact the game on both sides of the ball. As a defender, she is tough, smart, strong in the tackle, good in the air and reads the game incredibly well. The moment she wins the ball, she also has a unique ability to play-make and relieve pressure out of the back. Also known for her consistently dangerous set piece delivery, we have no doubt that Natasa will be a highly useful component of our attack next fall. Finally, we feel that Natasa possesses natural leadership abilities and we're excited to see how those qualities develop over the course of the next four years in Malibu."

Nicole Leggio

Height: 5-5 Position: Midfielder
Hometown: Upland, Calif.
High School: St. Lucy's Priory High School
Club: Slammers FC

Accolades:
San Gabriel Inland Valley All-Area Girls Soccer Team as a junior
First-Team All-League as a freshman and junior
Named Team MVP as a junior
Named Most Inspirational as a sophomore
Earned the Coaches Award as a freshman
Led the team in scoring as a freshman, junior and senior
Named TopDrawer Club Player of the Week
Won an ECNL National Championship with Arsenal in 2012
Prep Scholar Athlete, National Honor Society, California Scholarship Federation
Mother Augusta Parle Memorial Scholarship and Honor Roll at St. Lucy's

Intended Major: Psychology or Business

Why she chose Pepperdine: "I chose Pepperdine because of the great academics it has to offer, as well as the fact that it has my desired major. Also, I love the location overlooking the beach and having a cooler climate compared to the weather that I have at home. Lastly, and most importantly, would have to be the amazing coaching staff that pushes their girls to their limits and teaches them how to be respectful and ethical individuals, who also have a huge competitive soul. I wanted to find a soccer program that will test my mental strength and develop my discipline and humility, which is exactly what I believe Pepperdine can do. What topped off my decision was the fact that Pepperdine is a religious campus and has God greatly involved in campus life."

Head Coach Tim Ward on Nicole: "Nicole comes to us from the Slammers as well (as several other recruits and players). In terms of her soccer prowess, we feel Nicole is a cornerstone of what we continue to build here in Malibu. Having played with current Pepperdine freshman Danielle Thomas, we have been fortunate to see Nicole play on many different occasions. She is a very talented central midfielder and her strength and presence in the middle of the park never go unnoticed. She has an ability to control the tempo of the game whether in or out of possession of the ball, which says a great deal about her overall game. Furthermore, we feel Nicole is a natural goal-scorer, as she has a wonderful knack of scoring big goals in big games for her respective teams. Besides this, she is simply a great young lady and we feel blessed to have her as part of our Pepperdine soccer family."

Courtney Merrill

Height: 5-4 Position: Center Midfielder
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nev.
High School: Faith Lutheran High School
Club: Heat FC

Accolades:
Only played club due to ECNL season conflicts in Nevada
Selected to U.S. Club Soccer ID2 in April and December of 2012
Played for Nevada ODP (2008-2012)
Freshman Science Student of the Year
Freshman English Student of the Year
Sophomore Theology Student of the Year
Sophomore Mathematics Student of the Year

Intended Major: Biology

Why she chose Pepperdine: "I chose Pepperdine because I wanted to attend a faith-based school with a strong academic program and an excellent soccer program."

Head Coach Tim Ward on Courtney: "We are very proud to welcome Courtney Merrill to the Pepperdine soccer family as she becomes the first official Heat FC ECNL girl to arrive in Malibu. Courtney first came onto our radar when we saw her playing at Surf Cup and she continued to impress in every game we saw her play in. Her strengths are very much in her technical sophistication, her tactical awareness and in her ability to make others around her better. Sometimes understated, Court has a wonderful ability to make the game look easy and there is no doubt that she helps control the entire tempo of the match from the engine room. She is also a gifted scholar and will no doubt be leading the way academically for the Waves over the course of the next four years. We are so very excited to be welcoming Courtney to our program."

Tara Morris

Height: 5-5 Position: Defender
Hometown: Newport Coast, Calif.
High School: Mater Dei (St. Margaret's/Bishop O'Connell)
Club: Slammers FC, FC Virginia

Accolades:
Played prep soccer as a freshman at St. Margaret's and as a sophomore at Bishop O'Connell
Named All-American second team as a sophomore
Earned Players Award as a freshman
Played for FC Virginia before moving to Southern California
Currently plays for Slammers FC
Academic Second Honors

Intended Major: Business

Why she chose Pepperdine: "I chose Pepperdine for a number of reasons. One, it has always been my dream school. Two, Pepperdine has an outstanding academic program along with an amazing business school. Pepperdine also has an amazing soccer program. There is not one school or coach in this country I would rather play for than head coach Tim Ward here at Pepperdine."

Head Coach Tim Ward on Tara: "We are so blessed to have Tara join our program as she has probably taken the most interesting road to Malibu of all of our recruits. Tara initially came to our attention as a defender in the highly touted Slammers ECNL program. Having grown up in So Cal, Tara found herself moving across the country for family reasons prior to her junior year in high school. She continued to have soccer success with the FC Virginia ECNL team through her junior year, but in a twist of fate, found herself and her family back on the West Coast for her senior year of high school. The most travelled of all of our recruits, we have no doubt that Tara is going to be a fine performer in the back row for the Waves going forward. She is a natural leader, a tough-as-nails competitor and she has a knack of helping her team win soccer games. We have no doubt that Tara's character, maturity and soccer excellence will be much appreciated here at Pepperdine over the course of the next four years."

Hailey Stenberg

Height: 5-3 Position: Midfielder
Hometown: Huntington Beach, Calif.
High School: Mater Dei High School
Club: Slammers FC

Accolades:
Played one year of prep soccer as a freshman, scoring 10 goals
Club team earned Slammers Cup, West Coast Cup and Surf Cup Championships
ID2 Camp Invitee
Southwest Conference Champions 2014 and 2015
ECNL National Finals in 2014 and 2015
ECNL National Finals U17 Best XI - honorable mention

Intended Major: Media Production

Why she chose Pepperdine: "I chose Pepperdine because of the incredible opportunities it offers a student-athlete. I fell in love with the amazing and spirited coaching staff. They are committed to creating a family atmosphere, which really appeals to me. I believe their support will help me to continue to grow and develop to be the best student and athlete I can be, while maturing in my faith and character. I also love living at the beach."

Head Coach Tim Ward on Hailey: "Hailey is one of three Slammers ECNL girls to join our squad next fall and we couldn't be more excited to have her coming to Malibu. She is a natural attacking talent, with a gift for not only scoring goals, but creating them for others as well. She has a very good balance to her game as she has great field awareness, wonderful technical ability and a tactical versatility that will allow her to play in multiple positions in our system. She also possesses a bit of the artistry that we here at Pepperdine promote and celebrate in our players. In short, she's a baller.

As a side note, Hailey is also a legacy, as her father Craig played water polo for the Waves. For all of these reasons and more, we are thrilled to have Hailey continue the family tradition of excellence here in Malibu next fall."

Brooke Zenner

Height: 5-6 Position: Center Defender
Hometown: San Jose, Calif.
High School: Valley Christian High School
Club: MVLA Pride, De Anza Force

Accolades:
WCAL All-League first team in 2015, second team in 2014
Valley Christian Defensive Player of the Year in 2015
Three-year Varsity Captain (2014-2016)
Played 44 prep games, scored six goals and had 14 assists
MVLA Club made 2013 North American League ECNL Finals
Made the 2014 and 2015 ECNL Playoffs with De Anza Force
Was a High School Scholar Athlete recipient last three years

Intended Major: Education

Why she chose Pepperdine: "Choosing to play soccer at Pepperdine University was an easy choice. From the moment I met Coach Tim and his staff, I knew that I would fit in right away. I greatly admire the high standard that they hold to their players to and love how they put such an emphasis on character and religion. I could not be more excited to be attending such a prestigious university and know that the sky is the limit with a degree from Pepperdine."

Head Coach Tim Ward on Brooke: "Brooke comes to us from the north, having played the last few seasons with the very talented De Anza ECNL squad. She is also the third Wave in the last four years to come out of Valley Christian High School. She brings a wonderful natural ability to defend, is very good in possession and has innate leadership skills, all of which will help bring depth and competition to the Waves back row next fall. Known for her athleticism and emotional intelligence, Brooke is someone that our staff feels possesses not only the talent, but the character to turn into a major contributor for the Waves in the future. We are really excited about the addition of Brooke to our program."