MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine soccer team has announced seven incoming freshmen to join the team in Malibu this fall, head coach Tim Ward announced Tuesday.
 
The class is made up of five field players and two goalkeepers. All but Isabella Larson and Hattie Sherlock are native to California. Larson comes from Texas while Sherlock will be coming from England, the Waves' first international recruit in a decade. Kaitlin Lowry and Kaia Tom are both on Bay Area FC while Ava Hartstein and Layla Simon share a home club in LAFC.
 
Hartstein and Tom will join current freshman Jillian Medvecky and coach Kevin Arellano in the goalkeeper's union.
 
Ava Hartstein – Goalkeeper – LAFC
 
"We're so very excited about Ava's arrival at Pepperdine. She has deep roots to Pepperdine as her Mom and Dad both are alumni of this wonderful university," Ward said. "Ava is an explosive and courageous goalkeeper who continues to get better and better in all facets of her game. We are not only so excited about her abilities on the field, but by her character off of it! She is a wonderful representation of what it means to be a young woman of character as she has a glowing personality that lights up a room. We can't wait to see what kind of impact she's going to have on our campus here at Pepperdine and are so grateful to her and her family for entrusting us on this journey!"
 
Isabella Larson – Forward / Defender – DKSC
 
"We're so excited to add another Texan to our program as we've had some amazing Waves hale from the great state of Texas," Ward said. "Her game continued to grow as she led her team in goalscoring the last couple of years and as a result, was honored with an invitation into the ECNL selection game. Her versatility as both a striker and defender, combined with her overall competitive spirit, athleticism and quality made her an easy choice. Besides being a great player, Bella is also a fantastic musician and comes from an incredible family who we've got to know pretty well over the course of the last year. Needless to say, we are so excited to have Bella joining us in Malibu!"
 
Kaitlin Lowry – Defender / Midfielder – Bay Area Surf
 
We're so excited to have young Kaitlin Lowry join our Waves soccer program. She is a fantastically versatile defender and midfielder who has dialed in her skills at the prestigious Bay Area Surf Soccer Club in Northern California," Ward said. "Kaitlin set herself apart for us because of her composure on the ball both offensively as well as her intelligent positioning and effectiveness defensively. She reads the game really well, has a high soccer IQ and has the ability to play at a very high level in multiple positions. She brings an adventurous spirit into Malibu and her energy and smile are contagious! We're so excited to add not only another amazing human being to our program, but also want to welcome her wonderful and supportive family!"
 
Ariana Markey – Defender – Legends FC
 
"What an exciting addition to our Wave family! We've been a massive fan of Ariana's for a long time. Her vision, technical comfort on the ball, understanding of the game and her deceptive ability in the air all give her a solid platform," Ward said. "Perhaps even more impressive than these attributes is her warrior mentality.  Ari is an absolute winner in all respects. She is disciplined, hard-working and has aspirations to play at the highest levels which is reflected in her recent honor of being selected to the full Philippians women's national team.  As is the case with all of our recruits, we think the world of Ari and her family! She is a wonderful young woman of character and we feel blessed that she will be joining us in Malibu."

Layla Simon – Forward – LAFC
 
"It's so wonderful that Layla is going to be a Wave. She is a wonderfully talented striker who can both score and create goals in all sorts of matches, proving time and again that she is a proper match winner," Ward said. "Her combination of quickness, strength and low center of gravity have left many defenders dumbfounded over the years. She has a competitive spirit and the ability to rise up to any challenge that is in front of her. Even more important than her quality on the field, is the fact that she is a wonderful young lady and student off of it. We couldn't be more excited to welcome not only Layla, but her wonderful family into our Wave family."
 
Hattie Sherlock – Defender – Chelsea Women U21
 
"We are so very excited to add Hattie to an already wonderful recruiting class. She will be the first proper international recruit we've brought to Malibu since our two Icelandic players over ten years ago. We feel blessed that her family and support system encouraged her to come out and visit as we've loved getting to know her over the course of the last few months. She is a true center back and has been honing her skills at the Chelsea Women's Academy in London over the course of the last few years. We think that just as much as Pepperdine will grow her, she will, inevitably, bless our program with a unique sense of the game both from a cultural perspective along with her lived experience. We feel so blessed she chose to come to Malibu and we can't wait to begin this amazing journey together."
 
Kaia Tom – Goalkeeper – Bay Area Surf

"Last but certainly not least is the addition of another wonderful goalkeeper and human being in Kaia Tom. What a cool story of faith Kaia's journey reveals … We are so proud to say that Kaia is a Wave," Ward said. "A highly athletic and successful goalkeeper from the wonderfully successful Bay Area Surf soccer club, Kaia is no stranger to success. Besides being an exceptional shot stopper and game manager, she is also really strong with her feet/distribution. As a matter of fact, rumor has it that she plays as a forward on her high school team…(And we hear she even scores goals for fun) We are truly excited by Kaia's arrival as she will bring much needed depth and quality to an already stellar goalkeepers union. And as is the case with all of our recruits, we think the world of Kaia as a human being and are so grateful to begin working with her full time!"