RGV Capsules: Six international players to join Scorpions women's soccer team

Six international student-athletes have signed Red River Athletic Conference letters of intent to join the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College women’s soccer team as coach Nik Barjaktarevic winds down his 2011 recruiting class.

The incoming class includes two players from England, two from Portugal 3, and one each from Canada and Spain. They include defender/midfielder Danielle Lea of Manchester, England; transfer forward Laura Luis of Funchal, Portugal; defender Riley Medd of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; defender Monica Mendes of Almada, Portugal; defender Chelsey Munday of Bristol, England; and goalkeeper Maider Espana of Pamplona, Spain.

"We are extremely excited about the next year and what this incoming class will add to our program," Barjaktarevic said. "This group should have immediate impact. Their experience on the national level that some will bring will be a big advantage to our team."

The Scorpions are coming off a 12-4-2 season in 2010 and 7-1-1 mark in the Red River Athletic Conference, with second-place in the conference standings. Since the inception of the program in 2007 under Barjaktarevic, UTB-TSC has had four winning seasons — winning the RRAC conference tournament in 2007 and 2009, and a first-place regular season in 2008.

In 2010, the Scorpions placed seven players on the all-conference team, produced the RRAC offensive and defensive players of the year, and was selected as the recipient of the NAIA Champions of Character award.

Barjaktarevic plans to sign three more student-athletes to RRAC letters of intent in the coming days and weeks to complete the 2011 team. Amanda Fulton, a senior at Los Fresnos, signed her letter of intent April 28.

Danielle Lea: Manchester, England, freshman defender/midfielder: Lea is a student at Fixton Girls High School and plays for Manchester City Ladies Football Club. Some of her accolades include best defender trophy, captain for Fixton Girls High School and Manchester United Ladies, and City of Manchester Sports Achievement Award. Lea also represented England at the youth level. She plans to major in physical education/sports.

Barjaktarevic: "She is one of the best young players in England, and we feel really confident about positive things she will bring to our program. Danielle can play in variety of roles on the left and right side, has a great talent and will simply help us win. She is a top quality defender and can also get involved offensively, and this is exactly what we are looking from our outside backs. She has great composure on the ball and is a player that will be asset for us in next four years."

Lea: "I’m looking forward to playing at UTB-TSC because it is an opportunity of a lifetime. I’m eager to play with different players and meeting new people."

Laura Luis: Funchal, Portugal, transfer forward: Luis played club soccer for SC Maritimo and represented the Madeira and Portugal national teams in the UEFA European Women’s Under-19 Championship under tutelage of coach Monica Jorge. She majored in sports science at the University or Maritimo and will pursue the same academic interest at UTB-TSC.

Coach Barjaktarevic: "Laura is a proven goalscorer who will make an immediate impact on our team. She brings tremendous leadership and experience being a captain for u-19 Portugal national team and has been highly recommended, along with her teammate Monica Mende,s by the coach, Monica Jorge, and other coaches involved in her move to UTB-TSC."

Luis: "I would like to make a career in football but also to continue school and get my degree, something that guarantees me a job when I stop playing soccer. Support for women’s soccer in the United States is a big plus for me, I’m excited for this great opportunity and I will do everything to help the team."

Riley Medd: Calgary, Alberta, Canada, freshman defender: Medd played club soccer for South West United Juventus 93 and attended and played for prestigious National Sports Academy, where she has been an honors student all four years. Medd is an avid volunteer at the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation.

Coach Barjaktarevic: "I was really impressed with Riley’s drive and passion in everything she does, whether it’s soccer or academics or life. She has a great mentality, and is a great athlete who will fit in well into our system. She comes highly recommended by Paul Schultz, her head coach at National Sports Academy.

Medd: "Athletically I choose UTB-TSC because I am impressed with the success the Scorpions have achieved in their short history. I also appreciate the team’s commitment to fitness and after visiting the team I feel I will fit in very nicely. Academically, I chose it for the environmental science program where I intend to concentrate on biology with a further focus on marine and coastal ecosystems."

Monica Mendes: Almada, Portugal, freshman defender: She is a multisport athlete who is also a national champion in karate, competing at the national level for karate and soccer. She plays club soccer for 1 Dezembro and is a regular for the Portugal under-19 national team. Mendes is a teammate of Luis on the under-19 national team for Portugal. She plans to major in exercise science at UTB-TSC.

Coach Barjaktarevic: "What a great athlete and a fierce competitor in everything she does. Monica plays on the most competitive club in Portugal, as well as the u-19 selection, and knows what it means to be under pressure all the time, although she is a very young player. I like winners on our team and she is one, and we are so excited to have her."

Mendes: "I’m excited about this new challenge, a unique experience as a player and a student. I hope to learn new things with new methods of training so that I can acquire the most skills for the future that can make all my dreams come true."

Chelsey Munday: Bristol, England, freshman defender: Munday played club soccer for Keynsham Town Ladies Football Club and attended Wellsway Secondary School. Chelsey competed for the Somerset under-18 county squad and was a standby for the England under-19 training camp. She was also county discus champion, represented southwest England in field hockey and was a leading goalscorer for past four seasons. She plans to major in kinesiology at UTB-TSC.

Coach Barjaktarevic: "Munday is a natural defender who can play both on the right and as a center back and has great physical presence in the back. Chelsey has great work ethic and is a very talented player that will only continue to develop."

Munday: "I chose UTB-TSC because it means I can combine a high standard of education with a high-quality soccer program, to enable me to realize my full potential and become a better individual on and off the pitch."

Maider Espana, Pamplona, Spain, freshman goalkeeper: Espana played club soccer for FC Osasuna. Her club team has been No. 1 in the Spanish league for the past four years. She plans to pursue academic programs in the areas of teaching, coaching and physical education.

Coach Barjaktarevic: "Maider will add even more depth to our goalkeeping staff and is expected to be an immediate threat for playing time. She is great in the air, and this is a very important trait for female goalkeepers and has tremendous distribution. She was selected to regional teams, and we are excited to see her transition to college soccer in U.S."

Espana: "I am looking forward to playing for the Scorpions, to the new experience and have no doubt that I made the right choice in UTB-TSC."

Baseball

WhiteWings set preseason schedule

HARLINGEN – The North American League’s Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings announced Tuesday that they will face the University of Tamaulipas-Reynosa Buffalos in a preseason game at 6:05 p.m. Thursday, May 19, at Harlingen Field.

The WhiteWings will also play an intra-squad game at 11:05 p.m. Friday, May 20, at Harlingen Field. All tickets for both games are general admission and cost $2. Gates open one hour before scheduled first pitch.

Players wishing to take part in the games will have the opportunity to earn an invitation to spring training on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Harlingen Field when the WhiteWings host a local tryout. The cost is $75 for each perspective player. Participants must bring their own equipment and are advised to arrive early.

The WhiteWings open the regular season with a four-game series against the Edinburg Roadrunners from May 25 through 28 at Edinburg Baseball Stadium. The WhiteWings play host to the new McAllen Thunder in their home-opening series from May 29 through June 1.

-- WhiteWings Services