Bruins go international, sign German star Schweiger

BELLEVUE, Neb. -- The Bellevue University women's soccer program, under six-time MCAC Coach of the Year Andy Nicolarsen, announced today the signing of Helen Schweiger (Freiburg, Germany) to a letter of intent for the 2015 season. Schweiger becomes the fourth signee in the 2015 recruiting class, joining Whitney Pratt (Platteview, Neb.) Karina Alvarez (Salinas, Calif.) and Brianna Richards (Papillion, Neb.).

Schweiger is the daughter of Nika and Dieter Schweiger and comes to Bellevue from Freiburg, Germany where she attended and graduated from Rotteck Gymnasium Freiburg.

Schweiger began her competitive play for PSV Freiburg in the German 4^th division at the age of 15. After her stint with Freiburg she moved to the FC Basel youth development team in Switzerland. She has competed for FC Basel's top youth side for the past two seasons, captaining the team this season. FC Basel is currently in the running for the youth championship in their league.

According to coach Nicolarsen, "Helen is a quality player that has been training in one of the top youth systems and most notable clubs in Europe. This has prepared her for a high level of play. Her primary position is in the midfield and there is no doubt that she will be able to step in and make an immediate difference on the pitch. We are thrilled to have her join us in the fall."

Bellevue finished the 2014 season with an overall record of 16-2-0, including a perfect 6-0-0 mark in MCAC play on their way to claiming both the MCAC regular season and tournament championships.

The team advanced to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round for the fifth straight season.