BENTONVILLE - Twins Michaela and Alesha Beach as well as defender Izzy Murphy were all announced Friday as the latest NWACC Women's Soccer signings for the Class of 2026 by head coach Nick Marquez.

The three England-based players all come from Margate FC Women, located north of Dover in the southeast of the country.

ABOUT MICHAELA

Michaela Beach comes to Bentonville on the back of consistent scoring production with Margate's first team. Her consistency led to a Player's Player of the Year award in her first season of adult soccer with Margate in 2024-25.

"Michaela is a brave, adventurous player who is comfortable operating on the left side of the pitch," Marquez said. "She also has a knack for goal and the instincts to step into more advanced roles when needed."

Her creativity and ability to switch the play figures well into the rest of the attack Marquez has put together.

"She can come inside, connect play and help switch the point of attack, opening space for others around her," Marquez said. "That creativity should combine well with players like Mia [Germano], Nadia [Soto], [Leila-Mae Per] and Carla [Samblás Benito] among others to give us a variety of attacking options."

ABOUT ALESHA

Like Michaela, Alesha Beach came up in the Margate youth system before breaking into the first team two seasons ago.

"Alesha anchors this group," Marquez said. "She’s a calm, reliable center back who reads the game extremely well and distributes with confidence."

Beach was the Manager's Player of the Season in 2024-25 in her breakout campaign and was consistently impactful on the back line for Margate.

"She’s also comfortable stepping forward on the dribble to break lines and create numerical advantages in midfield, adding another dimension to how we build play," Marquez said.

ABOUT IZZY

Murphy also developed in the Margate academy and finds herself in the Margate FC first team during the 2025-26 campaign.

"Izzy arrives with a strong connection to the Beach twins and will give us useful versatility," Marquez said. "She brings an outgoing personality and positive energy that should help strengthen the chemistry of the group as they settle into the program together."

Murphy's strength lies in her versatility in wide areas, rendering her capable of wide defending or a winger role.

"She’s comfortable playing both as a wide back and further forward as a winger, providing flexibility depending on the matchup and how we want to approach a game," Marquez said.

CURRENT SQUAD

Goalkeepers (3): Alissa Dumas, Oklahoma; Naomi Rasburn, England; Natalie Ibarra, Florida

Defenders (9): Ellen Piggott, England; Jessica Vallejo, Arkansas; Molly Docherty, England; Mia Germano, England; Amy Stratton, England; Bryn Butler, Arkansas; Hailey Bond-Strickland, Arkansas; Vanessa Flores, Arkansas; Alesha Beach, England

Midfielders (10): Jackie Ayala-Gonzalez, Arkansas; Carla Samblás Benito, Spain; Leila-Mae Per, England; Erin Clarke, England; Lilia Carvalho, England; Mariana Araujo-Martinez, Arkansas; Jada Damian, Arkansas; Isis Chapa, Texas; Nadia Soto, Texas; Monica Rogel, Arkansas

Forwards (8): Rylee Hamill, Canada; Ava Sherfield, England; Deisy Mendez, Arkansas; Faith Baker, Texas; Gizelle Fierros, Texas; Lucy Willoughby, England; Michaela Beach, England; Izzy Murphy, England

MORE INFO

More signings will be announced soon and will be released on social media @NWACCWsoccer and at NWACCEagles.com online. The 2026 NJCAA Region 2 Schedule is available to view now here.