Joel "Jewlz" Morris
Sports Editor
Texas A&M University-San Antonio’s women’s soccer team is trusting the process to be a competitive squad despite the slow start to the season.
Starting 0-3-1, the Jags have faced two Division 1 programs, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
A&M-San Antonio’s head coach Tim Moody scheduled these teams with intent for the Jags to learn how high-level teams perform.
“Its good to understand what good teams look like and what good teams can do,” Moody said. “We want to emulate that.”
This year’s roster has seismic changes that create challenges for the squad to overcome. The Jaguars added 17 new players, 13 new freshmen and four transfers.
With roster remodeling, Moody asks returning players to play different roles on the team, such as senior midfielder Ana Barragan, who played forward last season, creating hurdles for the veteran Jags to overcome.
Despite nearly half the roster changing, the new additions on the team create good depth for Jags to have quality substitutions, along with a balanced attack.
“Everybody is asked to contribute at some point during the game,” Moody said.
The last two games for the Jags had moments of optimism and clear signs of ironing out kinks.
On Sept. 7 at home vs Schreiner, the Jaguars resulted in a 0-0 draw showing much improved defense limiting the Mountaineers’ offense to only seven shots.
The defensive performance was coupled with assertive offense, showing the ability to get into scoring zones and total for 13 shots.
Moody sees the defensive performance as “strong” and a way they can build upon the season.
“Keeping a shut-out was an important step for our organization, discipline and resilience,” Moody said. “Defensively we looked confident and composed.”
After a day of practice and prep, the Jags went on the road Sept. 9 to play Nelson University in Waxahachie.
The Lions came into this game averaging 3.75 goals, making them a lethal offense for the Jags to be ready for.
The Jaguars gave up three goals and lost 3-0 on the road.
This match was tougher for A&M-San Antonio to be assertive with their shot attempts, only having one shot-on-goal, along with challenging to be strong defensively, allowing the Lions to be active around the goal, totaling 25 shots.
Despite the loss, the match served as a valuable lesson for the team’s development, learning how to compete against top opponents.
Moody is still encouraged with his team and saw hopeful effort. He said he believes they’re not far from being a winning program.
“Throughout the match, there were clear moments that showed we’re close to turning strong performances into positive results,” Moody said.
The Jaguars will face another challenge with three straight road games, and having a “control what you can control” mentality will be essential for their success, Moody said.
The Jags’ upcoming road games include Lamar University at 6 p.m. Sept. 11, Texas Wesleyan at 5 p.m. Sept. 17 and Huston–Tillotson University at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 20. After the three consecutive road games, the Jags will return home to play Jarvis Christian at 1 p.m. Sept. 25 in San Antonio.
