MALIBU, Calif.  – Head coach Tim Ward of the Pepperdine women's soccer team announced today that the squad has signed three talented recruits who will join the Waves next season.
 
Peyton Leonard, Julia Quinonez and Ava Verplancke have signed a National Letter-of-Intent and will join Pepperdine in 2023.
 
"We are so very excited to add three amazing Waves to the Pepperdine soccer family," said Ward. "Ava, Julia and Peyton are not only extraordinary players, but more importantly, amazing women of character."
 
Peyton Leonard – defender – Ladera Ranch, Calif. – San Juan Hills HS – Slammers FC HB Koge ECNL
 
A three-year varsity starter and team captain for San Juan Hills High School … Back-to-back South Coast League champion her sophomore and junior year … Selected to the All-CIF Southern Section … Named South Coast League MVP … An all-county second team selection and earned All-South Coast League first team honors … Currently plays for Slammers FC HB Koge ECNL and has played for Slammers FC ECNL for five years … Helped Slammers FC HB Koge ECNL become the 2022 Surf Cup Champions … Named a Top Drawer Soccer ECNL San Diego standout … Mom, Shannon, played volleyball at Chapman University … Dad, Tim, played football at Fullerton Junior College, Utah State and Chapman University … Sister, Macey, played soccer at Brown University.
 
Leonard says: "I knew Pepperdine was the place for me the moment I stepped on campus for the ID Camp. The campus felt so safe and everyone I talked to was super welcoming and friendly. The team chemistry, coaching staff, and level of play that Pepperdine has is exactly what I was looking for in a school."
 
Ward says: "Peyton really came onto our radar at one of our Malibu Soccer Academy clinics. She took this leap of faith to come and spend the day with us in Malibu and after working with her and getting to watch her game up close, our entire staff thought she was simply terrific. She is a strong physical presence with an amazingly humble, yet fierce mentality. She is a quality defender and natural leader that is super comfortable on the ball, and she truly has all the attributes and skills to shine at this level. We also love the fact that she was/is a multisport athlete as she is a fantastic softball pitcher. It is not lost on us that she is super comfortable having the ball in her hand and knowing that every pitch she makes is important to the team's success. We feel that her life as a pitcher will actually help her and her Wave teammates grow in confidence and poise in the coming years. Finally, like all of our recruits, Peyton is just an awesome human being. She has the amazing support of her family and we feel so very blessed that she will be joining the Waves family next fall."
 
Julia Quinonez – forward – Torrance, Calif. – Torrance HS – Beach FC
 
A two-year varsity letter winner in soccer … Captained the Torrance High School squad for the 2022-23 season … Earned All-Pioneer League first team honors in 2022 … Was named Torrance's best offensive player … A 2022 ECNL national finalist … Helped her club team become the 2018 Surf Cup champions … A 2019 Women's Futbal Cup Tournament de los Ángeles Tournament in Segovia, Spain champion … Has been selected to multiple team pools as a player on the LA Galaxy DA.
 
Quinonez says: "I chose Pepperdine because of the excellent academics and soccer program.  The community is amazing and I look forward to being part of it.  The soccer coaching staff and team have made me feel welcomed from the moment I met them.  Pepperdine is a beautiful campus where I know I will grow both academically and spiritually while doing what I love, playing soccer."
 
Ward says: "I'll never forget the first time I saw Julia play because she got the ball on the wing and simply blew by her defender, and scored a goal for her team. It is a theme that would continue every time we see her play as whether she is scoring or creating, she is impacting the game in such a positive way. A relentless attacker with wonderful attacking prowess, I think the thing that separates Julia from others is her fire and passion for excellence. She, like all of our recruits, plays on one of the most successful ECNL teams in the country and yet it is her consistency, her selflessness, her drive, her "team first" mentality and ultimately her amazing quality that separates her from others. We have no doubt that she is going to make an immediate impact for the Waves during the course of the next four years. But what is even more exciting is that she is also a wonderful human being. Julia is always smiling and her energy is infectious. We are so grateful for her amazing family's support and we are so excited to have Julia joining the Wave soccer family."
 
Ava Verplancke – midfielder – Irvine, Calif. – Portola HS – Slammers FC HB Koge ECNL
 
A five-time Surf Cup champion … A first-team ECNL Southwestern Conference selection … Ranked 15th in the nation for midfielders on Top Drawer Soccer … Ranked the ninth-best player in California on the Cal Prep Soccer list … A member of the Cal South ODP championship squad … Has attended three youth U.S. National team camps … Dad, Jeffery, played college soccer and baseball at Cal State LA … Dad also played professional baseball with the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs organizations.
 
Verplancke says: "I chose Pepperdine because of its core Christian values. From the moment I met the Pepperdine coaching staff, I knew that I would be in a Christ-centered community."
 
Ward says: "When we first saw Ava in the recruiting process, she was playing up an age group with one of the best soccer teams in the country. She immediately stood out because of how calm, skilled and poised she was on the soccer ball. She is a wonderfully gifted midfielder who not only controls the tempo of a game offensively, but she also doesn't shy away from the defensive duties her position requires. She is what we'd call an "artist" offensively as she scores goals in lots of different ways while selflessly creating them for her teammates. Ava has already had some unique opportunities at the highest level as she has been a part of the USYNT system and also recently got to train and play in an international friendly with the KC Current squad back in Kansas City. Besides being a phenomenal player, Ava is a wonderful human being. Her smile and personality are so fun, and she is loved and supported by her amazing family. We simply can't wait for her journey to begin here in Malibu."