Players on the men’s and women’s intercollegiate soccer teams at Texas A&M University-San Antonio say they are excited to compete in their inaugural season this fall.
Both teams are still recruiting players and determining their positions.
Women’s team express their excitement for kick-off season
“It’s very exciting because it is a first-year program so there are a lot of opportunities that can be taken out of this,” business management junior Yasmine Cuadra said in an interview with several players on March 25 at the soccer field.
“There are not many athletics, and soccer will probably be one of the biggest sports at TAMUSA,” Cuadra said. “It’s going to be very exciting to have fans and have people come watch us play.”
Cuadra was originally a student at Blinn College-Brenham in Brenham, which was also kick-starting its own soccer team. Impacted by a previous injury, she began looking at her options and reached out to Leslie Pierce, coach of A&M-San Antonio’s women’s team, in fall 2020. She visited the campus and decided to transfer.
With no official roster yet, kinesiology sophomore Ariana Balderas speaks about the opportunity to play against former teammates from her previous school.
“I look forward to play against University of Houston-Victoria,” Balderas said. “I transferred from there and was with the team and know how they play. They’re my friends and they’re good, but it gets competitive.”
Despite the season delay due to the coronavirus, business marketing freshman Olivia Olivarez said she looks forward to “seeing how we play together as a team, how well we can bond and make something happen on the field.”
Women’s coach hails from Texas capital
Pierce joined A&M-San Antonio in April 2020. She is an Austin native who served as a high school and college coach as well as a professional in the Women’s Premier League in London, according to her bio on the university’s website.
Pierce was hired as the assistant women’s soccer coach at Faulkner University in 2012. She left in 2014 to become the head women’s soccer coach at Brentwood Christian School in Austin for one season before returning to Faulkner as head women’s soccer coach in summer 2015. She left Faulkner in 2018. Most recently, she coached in youth soccer and for Futsal Club Montgomery in Alabama.
Pierce said the women wear masks during practice and are tested every Wednesday. They practice from 3-5p.m. every day at the soccer field behind Modular C at A&M-San Antonio.
“COVID has been an issue and the season was taken away from us, but we look forward to continuing to play the sport we love and looking forward to next season where we for sure play games,” Cuadra said.
Men’s team signs new players, practices with Soccer Club
Eighteen players have been signed to the men’s team, according to the official Instagram page @tamusasoccer
Team member Ron Phan is president of the Soccer Club and a computer science junior. He was a high school exchange student in Alabama and is originally from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Phan is also a member of the Table Tennis Club at A&M-San Antonio.
“Our team works hard to get ready for the new season no matter if there are guys from the club who are already on the team or new guys coming in,” Phan said. “We always work with the same ethic and we try our best to, you know, get the best from the team.”
The Soccer Club is managed by the student body and is recreational. The intercollegiate team is sponsored by the university and competes through the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and Red River Athletic Conference.
Computer science freshman Jefferson Rodriguez comes from IDEA Montopolis High School in Austin. He is originally from El Salvador and started playing soccer at a young age. Aside from soccer, Rodriguez participated in track and field in high school and competed in state competitions. He looks forward to expanding his athletic career at A&M-San Antonio as the athletic program progresses.
Rodriguez, who plays center-mid and center forward, said he looks forward to traveling and representing the school. He hopes to win games and become recognized.
Currently, the men’s team combines the club and athletic team and practices on Thursdays. They will expand to daily practice from 3-5 p.m. as the fall season approaches.
