Matthew (Moose) Lopez
Social Media Editor
Texas A&M University-San Antonio’s soccer teams were firing on all cylinders during this week’s games.
A&M-San Antonio defeated both the Jarvis Christian University Bulldogs and only the men’s team faced off against the Texas College Steers because their women’s team forfeited due to not having enough players.
With playoffs around the corner, the Jaguars are catching fire at the right time.
Oct. 13: Jaguars roll past Bulldogs in blow out victory
A&M-San Antonio women’s team hosted Jarvis Christian University and beat the Bulldogs 3-0.
The Jaguars wore pink jerseys in honor of breast cancer awareness month.
The Jaguars controlled the pace of the match from the opening kick. Keeping the defensive pressure on the Bulldogs paved the way for an early goal by freshman forward Daniela Garcia in the 11th minute of the match, assisted by sophomore midfielder Rheanna Lopez.
With momentum on their side, freshman midfielder Ana Barragan scored another goal after being set up by sophomore midfielder Brooke Theis in the 14th minute.
The Bulldogs struggled offensively, anything they tried to push upfield was cut off by the Jaguars.
Anything close to the goal was snuffed out by sophomore goalkeeper Maram Abdeljaber.
LCU took three shots on goal in the first half and all three were saved by Abdeljaber, who finished the match with six saves.
The score was 2-0 going into halftime, Jaguars in the lead.
Coming into the second half the Bulldogs looked to catch up but found themselves in the same situation as the first half.
The Jaguars’ persistence on defense continued to shut down any scoring opportunities the Bulldogs tried to carve out.
Good ball movement stemmed from the Jaguars’ stops on defense, opening up paths to convert on the offensive end.
In the 76th minute of the match, Garcia scored the final goal of the game.
The Bulldogs had their chances to score late but couldn’t make it past Abdeljaber.
Final score 3-0, Jaguars win.
The women’s team is on track to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in the program’s history. The team is only in its second season in the NAIA Red River Conference.
Oct. 13: Jaguars dominate Bulldogs 4-1
A&M-San Antonio men’s team beat the Jarvis Christian University Bulldogs, 4-1.
In honor of breast cancer awareness month, the team wore pink ribbons on their jersey sleeves.
From the start, the Jaguars were aggressive offensively.
Setting the tone early, letting the Bulldogs know they were in for a fight when they came charging down the field.
Junior striker Fredrick Kummassi connected with freshman striker Efren Durate for an early goal in the fifth minute.
This goal was the precursor to the tear the Jaguars were about to show offensively.
Before the Jaguars’ scoring frenzy, the team was locked in on defense.
The Jaguars would cut off almost every pass the Bulldogs would make and turn that into an opportunity on offense. The Bulldogs were held to seven shots on goal compared to the Jaguars’ 23.
The pressure applied on defense opened multiple avenues for the Jaguars to attack which resulted in two more goals scored before the first period ended.
Freshman defender Giovanni Garcia scored in the 36th minute and then in the 41st-minute sophomore midfielder Sebastian Palomino scored.
Going into halftime the score was 3-0, Jaguars in the lead.
The Jaguars picked up right where they left off, controlling the pace while remaining aggressive on offense.
With how fluid and fast their offense was, the Bulldogs could barely keep up with the Jaguars, doing all they could to deter their attacks.
The Jaguars wouldn’t be contained for long as freshman winger Julian Leon scored in the 74th minute after being set up by Durate.
Tensions ran high late in the match forcing the referees to make a call that resulted in a penalty kick for the Bulldogs.
The Jaguars argued with the official, head coach Robert Jaramillo, shouted furiously from the sidelines.
Johan Alrevalo, Jarvis Christian’s sophomore forward, scored the first and only point for the Bulldogs via penalty kick.
Both teams continued to battle, but the Jaguars broke through again and freshman midfielder Sergio Bustos scored the final goal in the 84th minute.
Final score, 5-1. Jaguars win.
Coach Jaramillo attributes the win to the team’s consistency in practice, raving about how the players are starting to finally understand the system they play in better.
“We always work(hard) but now we’re working smart,” Jaramillo said, “We admire hard work, but we love smart work.”
Striker Efren Durate says the first goal was a product of what they did the entire game, staying aggressive on offense.
“As a team, we opened up, we attacked a lot, we (applied) a lot of pressure… and we did what we had to do.”
Oct. 15: Men’s team wins second in a row against Texas College
A&M-San Antonio men’s team were in good form as they defeated the Texas College Steers.
The Jaguars did not waste any time putting pressure on the Steers’ defense, taking multiple shots on goal within the first five minutes.
Eventually finding the back of the net in the 11th minute by freshman winger Julian Leon, assisted by freshman midfielder Sergio Bustos.
It didn’t take long for the Steers to answer back as sophomore winger Andre Nascimento scored in the 15th minute, tying the game at 1-1.
A back-and-forth ensued after the goal by the Steers, each team taking turns trying to gain the lead, but neither team’s goalkeepers were letting them through.
Before the end of the first half, Leon led the charge and scored his second goal of the match in the 42nd minute.
Putting A&M-San Antonio back in the lead at 2-1, going into halftime.
Carrying that momentum into the second half, the Jaguars dominated on both sides of the ball.
The Bulldogs were held to six shots for the entire match compared to 22 shots by the Jaguars.
Jaguars junior striker Fredrick Kumassi took over the second half, scoring two goals within five minutes.
The first came in the 71st minute after being set up by freshman forward Dante Yosef Valencia.
The second was in the 74th minute, assisted by sophomore defender Sebastian Palomino.
The Jaguars held off the Bulldogs, shutting down anything they tried to push upfield.
Jaguars win 4-1.
A&M-San Antonio has three games left in the regular season. The men’s team needs to win at least two of those games to make the playoffs.
