A&M-San Antonio’s women’s team finishes inaugural season against team rival
By Aaron Reff
Texas A&M University-San Antonio women’s soccer team fell to the Our Lady of the Lake University Saints 7-0 in the team’s conference rival debut at OLLU Soccer Field. A&M-San Antonio finished the season 2-8-2 overall and 2-6-2 in the Red River Athletic Conference; OLLU improved to 11-5-1 overall and 8-2-1 in the conference.
Unfortunately the Jags could not capitalize on an antsy start from the Saints as they started the game drawing two offsides penalties within the first five minutes of play.
The afternoon was filled with hustle and intensity. However, the Jags struggled defensively against their top conference opponents as the Saints scored five goals total in the first period of the game.
The Jags were busy defending their own goal for most of the game, only attempting one shot on goal during the game.
Coach Leslie Pierce shared with The Mesquite on how she keeps the team motivated whenever they fall behind during games.
“We always talk about how we finish stronger than we start,” Pierce said. “We had a bad first half and panic kind of set in, so in the second half we played our game and possessed the ball, stopped trying to force it and stuck to our game plan that we know works: to be confident in our decisions, confident in our touches and we work together as a team, talking, staying up and moving forward.”
The women’s team showed plenty of grit and heart all afternoon, sticking with the game and powering through several injuries the team sustained.
The star Jag of the afternoon however, was kept busy from start to finish, earning the nickname “block party” from the Jag fans.
Cassidy Acosta, sophomore goalkeeper, played for the entire game saving 15 out of 22 total shots on goal. Acosta put on a show for the Jag crowd in attendance with various catches, dives and flashy blocks.
Acosta spoke with The Mesquite after the game about one of her spectacular “split” saves.
“She brought the ball down line, and she was going to hit the back corner, so she was aiming for the back post,” Acosta said. “I was able to drop down quick enough to get it with my leg; that’s my favorite move.”
The “split” block was one of many exceptional saves Acosta pulled out of her bag on the day.
This game wraps up the historic inaugural season for A&M-San Antonio’s women’s soccer team.
For more information and news about A&M-San Antonio’s men’s and women’s soccer teams, visit their social media accounts on Instagram @tamusa_menssoccer and @tamusawomenssoccer or follow the teams’ coverage @tamusasports on all other media sources.
Men’s soccer team comes up short against OLLU, LSU Alexandria
By Matthew Lopez
Though Texas A&M University-San Antonio’s Jaguars tried to spoil Senior Day for the Our Lady of the Lake University Saints Oct. 30, they lost 0-2 — but not without a valiant defensive effort against the No. 2 team in the Red River Athletic Conference.
Despite a strong showing on defense, the 11th-ranked Jags couldn’t get the ball rolling offensively. The Saints took hold of the momentum and gave the Jags minimal chances to attack.
The tenacity on A&M-San Antonio’s defense was led by freshman keeper Camron Colwell, who was on point with his reflexes, and freshman defensive full-back Shalmon Yessuf, who applied pressure to the Saints offense when attacking up field.
The Jags’ efforts on defense finally converted into an opportunity to score as sophomore striker Fredrick Kumassi led the charge that resulted in a free kick. In the 30th minute of the game Kumassi took the Jags’ first shot at the goal only for it to strike the goal post.
A minute later OLLU senior midfielder Norberto Lira shot the first goal of the game assisted by senior midfielder Pedro Tavarez.
Each team had one more opportunity to score before halftime. However, they ended the half with the Saints in the lead at 0-1.
The Jags opened the half with a strong push up the field; however, it was quickly doused by the Saints. This would persist through the rest of the half as the Saints stopped any attempt for the Jags to get going offensively.
As the game continued, the cracks in their defense began to show and Lira scored again in the 60th minute.
The Jags would have a few more attempts to score but they were far and few in between. Colwell continued to protect the goal and ended the game with eight saves out of 10 shots at goal.
Sophomore striker Luis Aceves attributed their struggles on offense to poor off-ball movement in a post-game interview.
“If one gets it, the other might not be in the right place at the right time, and that’s something we need to work on, so next year we can work on distributing the ball,” Aceves said.
Head coach Kyle Beard recognized the team’s effort as he reflected on their performance.
“This is actually the second-ranked team in our conference and our guys came in and played outstanding,” Beard said. “Teams like this, you’re going to have one or two opportunities and we did, we had them. But, you have to make them happen.”
Beard seemed optimistic as he talked about the future of his team.
“Most of our guys out there are newbies,” Beard said. “As much as you hate losing, I’m actually proud of the way they played the game. We’ve lost worse to lesser opponents so this was a good step in the right direction.”
The team’s record now stands at one win, eight losses and two draws.
This was supposed to be the last game of the season. However a previously canceled game with LSU Alexandria was rescheduled for Nov. 1, at Texas A&M University-San Antonio at 3:30 p.m.
(11/1) vs LSU Alexandria
Texas A&M University-San Antonio’s men’s soccer team took on the defending RRAC champions the LSU Alexandria Generals Nov. 1 for the last game of the regular season. This game was previously scheduled for Oct. 2 but was postponed due to unplayable field conditions.
The Generals defeated the Jags 0-2.
LSU Alexandria were in control almost the entire game, out-shooting the Jags 23 to two. The Jags had only one shot on goal per half, both attempted by freshman striker Jaden Pharris. LSU Alexandria’s goals were scored by sophomore forward Danny Stevens and junior forward Alessandro Felizzola Abello.
With this win, The Generals clinched the No. 3 seed and now prepare for the RRAC tournament. The Jaguars end their first season with a record of one win, nine losses and two draws.
For more information, follow the team on Instagram @tamusa.menssoccer or follow @tamusasports on other media outlets for all A&M–San Antonio sports.
