Santa Clara women’s soccer signs Japanese international

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (Via Santa Clara University) – Santa Clara women’s soccer will welcome Makoto Nezu of Najoya, Japan to the 2019 roster.

“Makoto is going to be a great addition to our program,” Santa Clara head coach Jerry Smith said. “She brings a lot of experience. Japan has been one of the premier countries in the world at developing soccer players for quite a while now. What they’re doing in player development is fantastic and Makoto is a great example of that. Not only is she a great player but she’s been a captain.”

Nezu, a center back, attended Futaba Mirai High School and played soccer for Japanese Football Academy, a residency program for the best players in the country. In  2018, she was the captain, and in that same year, JFA Academy won the Club Youth Women’s Soccer Tournament, where Nezu was recognized as the MVP.

Her club team advanced to the round of 32 in the Empress Cup, which is the equivalent of the FA Cup in England or the Lamar Hunt Cup her in the U.S., a tournament open to all teams – club, senior amateur and professional teams, featuring 113 teams.

She has been part of the U13, U14, U15, and U17 Japan National Teams while serving as captain of the U17 squad. She would have captained her country in the U17 Women’s World Cup in Uruguay but suffered an injury before the tournament.

In her free time, Nezu enjoys watching movies and skiing.

2019-20 Signees
Ellie Glenn – Release
Isabella D’Aquila – Release
Nicole Sweeney – Release
Keren Goor – Release
Emma Reeves – Release