Home Grown

Nedelin "Nena" Villarreal welcomes the turn of events that is shaping her immediate future.

Villarreal, a 2008 Rivera High School graduate, wanted to continue playing soccer and be close to her family.

She accomplished both goals by signing with the women's soccer team at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College on Tuesday afternoon.

"It feels nice to be close to my family and to be doing what I love, which is playing soccer," said Villar-real, a four-year starter for the Lady Raiders who played center midfielder her final three seasons and earned first-team 32-5A All-District honors as a senior.

"I'm ready to train hard," she added. "I know it's going to be far more competitive and the practices are going to be a lot harder, but it's nothing that I can't handle."

Villarreal's family was on hand for the signing at UTB-TSC's Manuel Garza B. Gymnasium, including her mother Tomasa and brothers David and Danny. Also present was Thomas Brashear, Villarreal's coach at Rivera.

"You're getting the best in town - she's one of the best we've produced," Brashear told UTB-TSC women's soccer coach Nikola "Nik" Barjaktarevic. "Nena has great skills and great family support. It's a great pleasure to see her stay home and play at the University. I'm excited for her."

Barjaktarevic said he saw several of Villarreal's games during her senior season and was impressed with her play.

"What we like about Nena is her knowledge of the game and her vision of the field," the UTB-TSC coach said. "This is a big day for us and it's also a big day for her.

"She's a midfielder and there will be a lot of strong competition on the team at that position," he added. "She will definitely help us."

Barjaktarevic said with the addition of Villarreal and the signings of four other players, his squad is complete for the coming season, which begins with the first workout on Aug. 11.

The other four recently signed players include a pair of freshmen from Jamaica - defensive mid-fielder Rochelle Bryan and striker Venicia Reid - plus midfielder-defender Elsa Moreno and goalkeeper Elizabeth Drake. Both Moreno and Drake and freshmen from El Paso Coronado High School.

Bryan and Reid have played on the Jamaican national team, Barjaktarevic said.

Villarreal, who started playing soccer on a boys team when she was 10, said she is anxious to face the challenge of playing the sport on the college level. She plans to major in business entrepreneurship.

"I just want to thank my family for supporting me, and God, who is always there for me, and my friends," she said. "I'm ready."