EDINBURG – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) women's soccer head coach Glad Bugariu announced on Tuesday the signings of defender Baylee Endsley, midfielder Emma Lien Hapnes, Brownsville Pace defender/midfielder Kryssie Rivera, goalkeeper Mariah Scott, Sharyland midfielder Kaitie Watson, and forward Emily Zapata for the 2018-19 academic year.
 
"We're very excited to add these players for 2018," Bugariu said. "We're in a very good position to continue moving forward in the WAC after finishing third [last year], and I think these players will help us get there."
 
Originally from Kyle, Endsley comes to UTRGV from Jack C. Hays High School, where she has started every match and played the most minutes on her team. Endsley earned Second Team All-District honors as a junior and honorable mention as a sophomore. She is also a two-time Academic All-District honoree.
 
Endsley plays her club soccer with Lions 99G of the Select Champions League. She competed with the San Marcos Surge 98 over the last two years, captaining her team to back-to-back State Championships.
 
"Baylee's a central defender who will compete for playing time right away," Bugariu said. "We're really impressed with her athleticism and desire. I think she's going to add a great element to our training environment. I think she's one of those players who can come in and make a difference as a freshman."
 
Hapnes joins UTRGV after playing club soccer with the Kongsvinger Ladies, the same team rising senior Tuva Rolstad Nilsen played for in Norway. Hapnes has been playing with Kongsvinger for 14 years, including the last four with the senior team in Division I, the second division of Norway. Last season, Hapnes led her team to a third place finish at the U19 Norwegian Championship. She is currently attending school at the Norwegian School for Top Athletes.
 
"Emma is a defensive midfielder who can also play center midfield that we're very familiar with since she played for the same club team as Tuva," Bugariu said. "We think she's going to be good in possession and continue the style of play we've been implementing the last two years."
 
Rivera is a three-time First-Team All-District honoree and captain at Pace, earning MVP honors as a junior, and Offensive MVP honors as a sophomore. She was also a Freshman of the Year nominee. Rivera scored over 100 goals during her career.
 
Rivera plays her club soccer with the South Texas Dynamo, leading her team to back-to-back State Classic League Championships and a Presidents Cup National Championship as well.
 
"Kryssie's one of two players, alone with Kaitie, that played for me with the Houston Dynamo South Academy Under 17 Team," Bugariu said. "I'm very familiar with her. She can play multiple positions. She's a hard worker, and I think she continues the tradition we've had here at UTRGV to always sign the best Valley players. She's certainly one of the best."
 
Scott comes to UTRGV from Lee High School, for whom she is the No. 1 ranked high school goalkeeper in San Antonio. She led her team to its first playoff appearance since 1989 while recording 13 shutouts and earning Second Team All-District honors as a junior. She was also an Academic All-District honoree.
 
Scott plays her club soccer with Manuel Vidrio Soccer Club.
 
"Mariah is probably the state's most underrated goalkeeper," Bugariu said. "I think she's a goalkeeper that's gone under the radar. She's going to come in and make a big difference. She has the tools to play at this level, and with our goalkeeper coaching the way it is and the quality of it with Jorge Diaz, I think she's going to improve tremendously. We're really looking forward to having her on our team. We have three talented goalkeepers now, and it always helps to have good competition."
 
Watson has been a four-year varsity standout at Sharyland, with 146-career goals. She scored 51 goals with 21 assists this season to lead her team to its fourth-straight 31-5A District Championship. She was also the District MVP.
 
A two-year captain, Watson scored 15 goals with seven assists in five matches last season after coming back from a preseason injury en route to First Team All-District and Second Team All-Valley honors.
 
As a sophomore, Watson was the District Offensive MVP, All-Area MVP, Sharyland MVP, and a finalist for RGVSports.com Soccer Player of the Year after scoring 32 goals with 25 assists.
 
Watson was the District Newcomer of the Year as a freshman and an All-Valley Newcomer after ranking second in the district in scoring with 48 goals and 20 assists. She earned First Team All-Region honors as the third-leading scorer in the region while leading her team to the regional semifinals.
 
Watson played her club soccer with the South Texas Dynamo, serving as team captain three of the last four years. As a sophomore, Watson led the Dynamo to the Presidents Cup U17 National Championship.
 
Off the field, Watson is part of the National Honor Society, an AP Scholar, and in the Pharmacy Tech Certification Program.
 
"I know Kaitie really well from her time captaining the South Texas Dynamo," Bugariu said. "I think Kate's another player that can surprise some people. I think she'll come in and do extremely well. She's got a great work ethic, great grades and a great attitude. I know what she's capable of and I'm looking forward to working with her some more."
 
Zapata joins UTRGV from United South High School in Laredo, from whom she scored 238 goals, including 56 as a senior, 63 as a junior, 61 as a sophomore and 58 as a freshman.
 
For her efforts, Zapata was recognized as District 29-6A Forward of the Year as a senior, Offensive Player of the Year and All-City MVP as a junior, All-City MVP as a sophomore, and District 29-5A MVP and District Offensive Player of the Year, and All-City MVP as a freshman. Zapata led her team to the District Championship as a freshman.
 
"You could argue that Emily is the best female player to ever come out of Laredo," Bugariu said. "We have a lot of hope that she's going to make a big impact on this conference. She's extremely talented. Her set piece-taking ability is among of the best I've ever seen. We hope that she's going to become a superstar."

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