BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Bellevue University women's soccer coach Tom White announced today a pair of signings. Abril Mendez (Omaha, Neb./Bryan HS) and Amelia Paiz-Garcia (Canton, Ga./Bryan HS) have signed National Letters of Intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at Bellevue beginning in the fall of 2019.
Mendez is the daughter of Erica Barrientos and Jesus Mendez. She is currently a senior at Bryan High School where she played in every game this season with the defense.
She played her club soccer at Papillion Soccer Club under the guidance of Tom Waldman.
Coach White on Mendez:
"Abril will be an exciting addition to the squad as she will work hard and do whatever she can to help the team whether it's on or off the field. I'm excited to see her grow as a player and person within this environment as I know she will thrive off it."
Paiz-Garcia is the daughter of Martha Garcia and also plays at Bryan High School. She was the starting goalkeeper during her senior year and has totaled just over 200 saves during her high school career.
Coach White on Paiz-Garcia:
"I'm excited for Amelia to come in and compete with our other goalkeepers. She is a tremendous shot stopper and is willing to work hard to improve her game."
Bryan Head Coach Jason Moore:
"Abril leads by example on and off the field and will work as hard as anyone. I'm excited to see her development at Bellevue University."
"Amelia has unlimited potential and made some crucial saves this year. It was great to see her development throughout her senior year and I cannot wait to see how she develops through her college playing years."
Mendez and Paiz Garcia join earlier signees Maddy Vasquez (Omaha, Neb.), Alanis Neely (Council Bluffs, Iowa), Kaycee Driever (Nebraska City, Neb.), and Jaedyn Tryon (Omaha, Neb.) in the Bruins' 2019 recruiting class.
Bellevue finished the 2018 season with a 10-5-0 overall record, marking BU's 15th-straight season with at least 10 victories, and qualified for the A.I.I. Tournament.
