BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Bellevue University women's soccer coach Tom White has announced the signing of Maria Julia Serrano Suarez (Quito, Ecuador) to a letter of intent to continue her academic and athletic careers at Bellevue beginning next fall.
The daughter of Sebastian Serrano Moya and Katia Suarez Paredes, Maria attends Tomas Moro International School.
Serrano plays club ball at Independiente del Valle under the guidance of Francisco Ramirez. Through her club career, Serrano helped Independiente del Valle achieve a first-place finish as well as helping them qualify for the Copa Libertadores.
Serrano, individually, has been nominated for two consecutive years as the best full-back of Ecuador in the Women's Super League Festival and also had a call up to Ecuador's U-20 side for the Sudamericano.
Coach White on Serrano:
"We are very excited that Maju will be joining us this fall. She will add a lot of competition within our backline and even more quality to our squad. I loved hearing how much she loves soccer and wants to work hard to get better. Maju has great balance to her game so we are excited to see how she adapts coming over here."
Serrano joins earlier signees Alaina Meads (Glenwood, Iowa), Lauren Chetty (Aldershot, England), Thea Engen (Lillehammer, Norway), Alessia Ricciardi (Milan, Italy), Anouchka Berthelot (Morne a l'eau, Guadeloupe), Beverley Wemhoff (Montgomery, Texas), and Dru Henry (Omaha, Neb.) in the Bruins' 2023 recruiting class.
Bellevue concluded the 2022 season with a 13-4-2 overall record and won both the CAC Regular-Season and Tournament Championships. The Bruins made their second-straight trip to the NAIA National Tournament, and seventh overall, putting up a spirited performance against #2-ranked Marian University.
