San Antonio, Texas – UIW head women's soccer coach, Anne Felts, and her staff have announced their 2017 signing class.
 
"We are very excited to introduce our 2017 freshman class," said Felts. "We are adding seven high-quality players that will raise our level this fall. They fit in very well to the culture we have been building, a tight-knit family that are fierce competitors on the field. We are very much looking forward to the 2017 season and competing as a full-fledged Division 1 soccer program."

 

Isabella Beletic is a 5-11 midfielder from Corpus Christi, Texas. She played soccer and basketball at Carroll High School where she was a three-time All-District recipient in both sports. She was a four-year letterwinner on the soccer team. In the classroom, Beletic is in the Top 10% in her school, is a member of the National Honor Society and Student Council. She is the daughter of Diana and Steve and plans to major in biology at UIW.
 
Felts on Beletic: "Isabella is a very technical player that will provide creative passing ability, the ability to beat players off the dribble, and is dominant in winning battles in the air.  She is a complete player with all the tools to be successful in our system.  Her humble attitude, high soccer IQ and calmness on the ball is something we truly value about Isabella's game.  She's simply smooth and relaxed when playing, we need that type of player running the center of the park for us. Another Corpus Christi player that plays club in San Antonio for Champions League participants Classic Elite 99/98G, we can't wait to see her in action next fall."

 

Lilly Bravenec is a 5-3 defender/midfielder from Katy, Texas. She was a four-year varsity starter for Cinco Ranch High School. As a junior, she was named TASCO First Team 6A All-State, First Team All-District, and KPRC Channel 2 Athlete of the Week. Her team were three-time State 6A semifinalists and Region III champions. She earned Second Team All-District honors as a sophomore and was Honorable Mention All-District as a freshman. Bravenec is a member of the National Honor Society and the German National Honor Society. She is the daughter of Ken and Stacey and plans to major in nursing at UIW. Her sister, Annie Bravenec, is the starting goalkeeper at McNeese.
 
Felts on Bravenec: "Lilly is a hard tackler, strong defender, and communicator. She is an enforcer that will be needed with the tough schedule upon us next year. Her leadership qualities really stood out when we watched her play.  She also has good technical ability which will help start our play from the backline moving forward.  Lilly is a fierce competitor, which was another strong quality that attracted us to her.  Lillian played club for Challenge 99G ECNL out of Houston. She is a great addition for our backline that will provide a strong central backbone to our backline."
 
Out of Austin's James Bowie High School is 5-1 midfielder Ari

Cantu. Last season as a junior, Cantu was named Offensive Player of the Year and Second Team All-District, while she earned MVP honors as a freshman. As a sophomore, she was named Honorable Mention All-District and Midfielder of the Year. Entering her senior season, she has been elected team captain. The daughter of Brenda and Albert, Ari plans to major in biology at UIW.
 
Felts on Cantu: "Ariella is a sneaky, skillful, tough, determined player. She plays with passion and heart.  She is a very creative attacking mid with excellent skill. She will help distribute the ball all over the field with her precise passing ability, high soccer IQ, ball handling in tight situations and ability to shoot. We hope with her final ball decision making she can set up more chances for our team to score.  Ari is coming to us from Lonestar Soccer Club out of Austin, where she played on their 99G ECNL/Composite team."
 

Andrea Cardenas is a 5-6 forward/midfielder from Cibolo, Texas. She played soccer for the Steele Knights and earned both First Team All-District and Second Team All-State honors last season. In 2014, she was named Second Team All-District. In the classroom, Cardenas was a member of the National Honor Society, A/B Honor Roll, and Student Council. The daughter of Maria and Carlos, Andrea plans to major in kinesiology at UIW.

Felts on Cardenas: "Andrea can play anywhere on the field we ask. She is a very versatile player with good speed, good technical ability, and is a strong competitor who is a tireless worker.  Andrea can attack, defend, and chase opponents down.  You just don't find too many players like Andrea these days who can give a team quality at all positions. She has a unique skill set and is an athlete.  Her work rate is something we truly loved about her and is a good teammate/leader.  Andrea played club for Lonestar soccer club out of San Antonio 99G Red."
 
 

Cailey Croson is a 5-3 goalkeeper out of Fulshear, Texas. She was a four-year letterwinner and team captain for the Obra D. Tompkins High School women's soccer team. She was a two-time All-District Goalkeeper. She participated in the Region 3 ODP Camp three years and was the a three-time starting goalkeeper for the South Texas ODP team. She was the starting goalkeeper for the U-20 Houston Aces in 2015-16 and was named to the UPSL U-20 National Championships All-Tournament Team. Croson, who was a member of the National Society of High School Scholar, is the daughter of Rey and Dennysse and is planning to major in sport management at UIW.
 
Felts on Croson: "Cailey is a tough, smart, and very solid goalkeeper.  She plays the position very intelligently and adds good skill and communication.  Her timing on 50/50 challenges, her intuitive distribution, and her ability to handle the ball with her feet are solid attributes. Cailey comes to us from the U20 Houston Aces, she has the experience of high level soccer which help her in transitioning to the college game."
 
Diana Gasaway is a 5-1 midfielder who comes from San Antonio's Brandeis High School. A three-year varsity

team captain, Gasaway was a two-time Second Team All-District honoree. She is a three-time recipient of the Brandeis Academic Achievement Award and was named Academic All-District. She is a member of the National Honor Society, the Spanish Honor Society, Student Council, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Gasaway is the daughter of Leticia and David and plans to major in rehabilitative science at UIW.
 
Felts on Gasaway: "Diana has the heart of a champion, the work rate of a jack rabbit, and is a simple, smart player.  She is also versatile that we are able to play her in multiple positions, we call a two-way player.  Diana is nice and sharp on her skill set, she will provide good service for us at the outside attacking area or outside back.  A great kid and teammate that will work hard on the field."
 

Jade Piper is a 4-11 midfielder/forward from Corpus Christi, Texas. She is a member of the soccer and cross country teams, attending Mary Carroll High School for two years and will graduate from Veterans Memorial High School. She was named both Cross Country and Soccer Newcomer of the Year in 2013-14, as well as District 5A Soccer First Team All-District. Piper was named District 6A First Team All-District as a sophomore. As a junior, she was named District 5A Offensive MVP and Second Team All-Region. She has made the Honor Roll all four years and is in the Top 5 percent of her class. She was named to the All-Academic Team in cross country as a freshman and is a three-time Academic All-District in soccer. She is a member of the National Honor Society, Student Council, Key Club, and Class Council. Piper, who was born in Chongren, China, is the daughter of Terry and Piper and plans to major in biology at UIW.
 
Felts on Piper: "Piper will add speed, pace, and a strong work ethic to our young, talented team. Her ability to possess the ball, her decision-making ability and her 1v1 ability to break down teams will be a huge addition to our program.  Jade is a Corpus Christi native but plays club for the Austin Texans 99G Red team that plays at a high level of Champions League. She is a proven and stand out player; we are excited to have her. Jade will most likely be featured in the outside attacking areas for our team."
 
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