BELLEVUE, Neb. -- The Bruin women's soccer program, under head coach Andy Nicolarsen, is pleased to announce the signing of three transfer student athletes set to play for the Bruins this fall. The three signees are Laura Cook, Marilia Lages and Lays Freitas.
Laura is a local product that graduated from Papillion La Vista high school. After graduation, she attended and played soccer for Iowa Western Community College. Laura helped lead the Rievers to regular season and post season conference championships and to a national tournament appearance in 2016. She grew up playing her club soccer for Sporting Omaha Futbol Club under Coach Jason Frederickson.
Marilia is originally from Belo Horizonte, Brazil. She first played collegiately at Iowa Central Community College where she was a key player in the Tritons 2015 NJCAA National Championship. After her freshman year, Marilia followed her coach to Young Harris College where she completed her sophomore season. Young Harris set a record for wins in 2016. She attended and graduated from Centro Educational Rogedo high school.
Lays is originally from Belo Horizonte, Brazil and also played her first year of college soccer at Iowa Central Community College. Lays was an important player for the Tritons 2015 National Championship run. After ICCC, she red-shirted her sophomore season at Young Harris and will transfer in with three years of eligibility. For high school, Lays attended EE Juscelino K. de Oliveira in Belo Horizonte.
Head Coach Andy Nicolarsen on the signees:
"Lays, Marilia and Laura are three solid players to add to our roster this fall. All three have played at high levels of the game and all three have championship experience which will allow them settle quickly into the team. I anticipate these three helping us have a big impact in conference play. We are thrilled to have them with us."
This past season the Bruins posted a 12-5-1 overall record and a 3-1-0 mark in conference play en route to claiming both the North Star Regular-Season and Tournament Championships. BU closed the season on a high note, winning four-straight games and posting an 8-1-1 mark in their final 10 contests.
