Texas A&M University-San Antonio men’s and women’s soccer coaches are assembling their teams for kick-off in fall 2021 despite challenges brought by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Coaches will coach and will find ways to get through it and do it responsibly, safely and within our institutional protocols,” said Darnell Smith, director of intercollegiate athletics and recreational sports. “One of the things I appreciate about Coach Kyle Beard and Coach Leslie Pierce is that they understand how to adjust under pressure or during unforeseen circumstances.”
Beard is signing players, and Pierce is conducting training with existing players, but neither of them has a complete team, the coaches wrote in emails to The Mesquite March 11. Beard said softball and golf are currently the only officially sponsored National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics teams at A&M-San Antonio.
Both have experience coaching soccer teams at the same university in Alabama. This week The Mesquite takes a look at the men’s coach and the players he has signed.
A&M-San Antonio welcomed Beard as the inaugural men’s soccer coach on Jan. 4, according to the university’s website.
Beard is a Tyler native who has coached high school, college and semi-pro teams.
He left Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama, with an achievement of 49-59-9 in his tenure and led the Eagles with a program history of 9-7-1 in 2015, a 10-6 record in 2016, and a 10-6-1 campaign in 2017. Beard led the program in one of the toughest conferences in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, accounting for 69 percent of the total wins in the program’s history.
“This is a work in process, but we want to focus on building programs that represent the university and its mission to the letter,” Beard said.
The men’s team signed players on March 3 to commitments for the 2021-2022 season, Beard said. According to the men’s team official Instagram page, these were listed players so far:
“We are building a team for the fall season and the deadline is to have everyone by August,” Beard said. “We are also currently finalizing the schedule and putting all the details into that first inaugural game. It’s going to be exciting.”
In April 2020, A&M-San Antonio announced its entrance to the NAIA and Red River Athletics Conference. The coronavirus pandemic and NAIA regulations delayed the season until fall 2021, according to Smith.
The athletic department is making sure the student-athletes abide by COVID-19 protocols by wearing masks and maintaining social distancing during practice.
“We are testing the student-athletes on a weekly basis as well as ensuring we have fast results,” Smith said.
Aside from competing, Beard’s strategy is to build a strong program from the ground up.
“Our main focus is to build our program with the right people, meaning young men that fit into the overall mission of A&M-San Antonio,” Beard said. “We want young men that are eager and willing to do the hard work it will take to lay a solid foundation of discipline, honor, sacrifice and respect. With the correct mindset the work that we will have to do will be achievable.”
