Tag: men’s soccer

Penalty kick propels men’s soccer to win over North American University

The men’s soccer team scored a late penalty goal to defeat North American University (NAU) 1-0 on Oct. 19. The Saints improve to 4-9-1 overall and 3-5-1 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). The Stallions drop to 4-6-2 overall and 2-4-2 in conference.

Head Coach Shane Hurley said, “Although our possessions were not as good as they should have been, we produced some really good opportunities and are a little unlucky to not have a second or third goal. The guys are excited about returning to defend our home field this week!”

History
The Saints won the only meeting against NAU last season.

Game recap
The first half was scoreless but was filled with offense. The Saints had eight shots compared to NAU’s four. The Stallions took two more corner kicks than the Saints and were forced to make four saves. The Saints played a clean first half with only one foul, while the Stallions were whistled for six. Both teams took six shots in the second half. OLLU’s offense was rewarded with a penalty kick at the 71st minute. Thiago Fernandes found the back of the net to put the Saints up 1-0. Andres Rocha earned a penalty kick later in the half but it was saved by NAU’s goalie. The Saints held on to win 1-0 backed by five saves from Dominic Pena. There were seven yellow cards shown with the Saints receiving two.

What’s next
The Saints host LSU-Alexandria on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.

Men’s soccer falls short in action-packed contest versus TAMUSA

The men’s soccer team lost to Texas A&M University-San Antonio (TAMUSA) 3-2 on Saturday. The Saints move to 3-8-1 overall and 2-4-1 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). The Jaguars improve to 5-3-1 overall and 5-2-0 in conference.

Head Coach Shane Hurley commented, “It was a tough match. Hats off to our guys who played hard for 90 minutes.”

History
The Saints were 1-2 against the Jaguars prior to the game.

Game recap
The first half was dominated by both offenses. Andres Rocha put the Saints in front at the seventh minute with an assist from Tim Talabi. The Jaguars gathered multiple corner kicks later in the frame and were rewarded with a goal. Andre Reis evened the match at the 39th minute with an unassisted goal. The half ended with three shots by the Jaguars in the final minutes. Harry Acklam, Thomas Sauceda and Cade Ryan were shown yellow cards in the frame.

The second half had 19 fouls and five yellow cards. Ronald Aguilar scored on a ball from Garrington Baker at the 46th minute to give the Jaguars their first lead of the game. Rocha scored again at the 62nd minute to make it 2-2. His goal was assisted by Alessandro Sierra. Christian Guerrero scored a minute later for the Jaguars, which would prove to be the winning goal. The Saints pressured with multiple shots in the last 15 minutes but were unable to convert. Both teams ended with 14 total shots. Dominic Pena made two saves in the loss. The Jaguars had five corner kicks while the Saints took two. 

What’s next
OLLU heads to Metairie, La., to face Xavier University of Louisiana on Thursday at 1:30 p.m.

Men’s soccer blanks Paul Quinn 4-0

The men’s soccer team shutout Paul Quinn College (PQC) 4-0 in a Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) matchup on Oct. 5. The Saints improve to 3-7-1 and 2-3-1 in the conference, while PQC drops to 1-5 in the conference and 1-5-1 overall.

Head Coach Shane Hurley commented, “Despite missing some early opportunities, the team worked hard and continued to work hard in transition. They combined quickly in the final 1/3. It was a good collective effort by the whole team. Those off the field were dialed in like the 11 playing.”

History
The Saints are 5-1-2 against the Tigers. Last season, the Saints won 4-1.

Game recap
Thiago Fernandes led the Saints offense with seven shots, four on goal. He scored two goals, one on an assist from Baden Arrieta and the other on a penalty kick. Fernades also assisted on an Andres Rocha goal. Rocha scored two goals, with the other assist coming from Adrian Maldonado.

The Saints took 10 shots, eight on goal, without allowing a Tigers shot. They also took seven corner kicks. Paul Quinn committed 13 fouls, while OLLU had nine.

OLLU keeper Dominic Pena turned in a clean sheet for the Saints. Paul Quinn’s Jose Martinez had eight saves for his team.

What’s next
OLLU returns home to host Texas A&M University–San Antonio on Saturday. The RRAC game will begin at 3:30 p.m.

Men’s soccer earns first win of season over Schreiner

The men’s soccer team downed Schreiner University (SU) 2-1 to open the 2024 season on Aug. 23. The Saints start 1-0 while the Mountaineers drop to 4-3.

History
The Saints were 7-1 against the Mountaineers prior to the match.

Basics
The Mountaineers scored first at the 37th minute with a goal from Cody Brown. Schreiner led 1-0 at halftime but the Saints evened the score a few minutes into the second half. Alessandro Sierra scored unassisted at the 50th minute. Thiago Fernandes followed with an unassisted goal at the 67th minute. Fernandes’ goal ended up being the game winning strike. Dominic Pena made five saves and Sierra had two shots on goal.

Scoring overview
37′ – SU – Cody Brown (assisted by Manuel Coya)

50′ – OLLU – Alessandro Sierra

67′ – OLLU – Thiago Fernandes

Inside the box score
Sierra led the Saints with two shots on goal. Zaaron Gonzalez had two shots on goal for the Mountaineers.Overall, the Saints tallied 12 shots, with seven on goal. Schreiner recorded nine shots with six shots on goal.OLLU took six corner kicks while the Mountaineers had two.

Up next
The Saints play at Texas Lutheran University in an exhibition on Monday, Aug. 26, at 7:30 p.m.

Saints volleyball, soccer players earn All-Conference honors

Volleyball
Six members of the OLLU volleyball team were named to NAIA All-Conference teams.

Recipients from OLLU are as follows: 
• Attacker of the Year: Mia Francis
• Setter of the Year: Lauren Reynard
• Defender of the Year: Tina Trevino
• Mia Dorsey, Madalyn Gonzalez and Camila Ramirez join Francis, Reynard and Trevino on the All-Conference First-Team. Dorsey, Ramirez, Reynard and Trevino are second-year First-Team honorees. Francis and Gonzalez earned Second-Team honors last year.
• Gonzalez also repeats as the Champions of Character winner this year. 

Women’s Soccer
Four members of the women’s soccer team earn All-Conference honors.

Recipients are:
• Jaylin Seto and Deanna Tarango earned All-Conference Second Team honors. This is Seto’s fourth All-Conference award. She was named to the First Team in 2019 and 2020 and Honorable Mention in 2021. She was second on the team in goals with four, in shots with 36 and in shots on goal with 20. She was first in assists with five. Tarrango won First-Team honors in 2020 and 2022. She started in all 14 games for the Saints as a defender.
• Allison Kostoch is on the All-Freshman Team. 
• Rachel Dziuba also repeats as the Champions of Character winner this year. She also won this award in 2020.

Men’s Soccer
Three from the men’s soccer team were recognized by the NAIA with All-Conference honors.

Recipients are:
• Samuel Villegas earned All-Conference Second-Team honors. He led the team in goals with 10, in shots with 48 and in shots on goal with 28. 
• Louis Nicholson was named to the All-Freshman Team.
• Harry Acklam won the Champions of Character award this year. 


Late goal surges men’s soccer over North American

The men’s soccer team defeated North American University (NAU) 1-0 on Oct. 14. The Saints jump to 4-7-1 overall and 3-4-1 in Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) play. The Stallions drop to 7-3 overall and 6-1 in conference competition.

Prior to the game, the university honored seniors Javier Pena, Tim Talabi, Samuel Villegas and Christopher Zepeda.

History
This was the first meeting between the two teams.

Basics
The first half was controlled offensively by the Stallions with nine shots. Both teams had one corner kick and Dominic Pena made three saves for OLLU. The first half was scoreless and two yellow cards were shown. The Saints picked up the pace in the second half, and Samuel Villegas broke the tie with a goal in the 72nd minute. OLLU broke up multiple chances that the Stallions had in the final 18 minutes and won.

Scoring overview
72′ – OLLU – Samuel Villegas

Inside the box score
Cade Ryan led the Saints with three shots, and five different Saints had one shot on goal. Six Stallions players had one shot on goal apiece.

Overall, the Saints tallied nine shots, with five on goal. NAU recorded 14 shots with six shots on goal.

Both teams took five corner kicks. Dominic Pena recorded six saves for the shutout win.

Men’s soccer downs Texas College 6-1

The men’s soccer team defeated Texas College (TC) 6-1 in a Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) matchup on Sept. 21.

Head Coach Shane Hurley commented, “After some initial lackluster energy, we stepped up and brought an improved willingness to get forward on and off the ball. We had improved energy in transition that helped us create opportunities and regain possession quickly. We need to continue to build upon our positives as there’s potential there. Coach Jesus Cortes and I are pleased with the energy the team grew into today.”

History
The Saints are 11-2-1 against the Steers. Last season, the Saints defeated TC 4-0. 

Basics
The Bulldogs scored first at the fifth minute by Anas El.  After a TC shot, Samuel Villegas had his header go wide right, and Pape Gueye shot one that went high. Villegas scored on the next play at the 15th minute unassisted. After one shot from the Steers that was saved by OLLU’s Dominic Pena, Nikola Saltchev found the back of the net on assists from Louis Nicholson and Stan Driessen. Six minutes later, Stan Driessen scored on an assist from Nicholson to give the Saints the 3-1 lead. The game stayed that way through the end of the first half.

The Saints controlled the offense at the beginning of the second half with shots on goal from Adrian Maldonado and Matthew Banda. At the 56th minute, Nicolas Murgas scored the Saints’ fourth goal on an assist from Driessen. At the 60th minute, Villegas scored his second goal and the Saints fifth on an assist from Saltchev. A little more than three minutes later, Villegas recorded a hat trick to give the Saints the 6-1 lead and win.

Scoring overview
5′ – TC – Anas El

17′ – OLLU – Samuel Villegas

23′ – OLLU – Nikola Saltchev, assisted by Louis Nicholson and Stan Driessen

29′ – OLLU – Stan Driessen, assisted by Louis Nicholson

56′ – OLLU – Nicolas Murgas, assisted by Stan Driessen

60′ – OLLU – Samuel Villegas, assisted by Nikola Saltchev

64′ – OLLU – Samuel Villegas, assisted by Nicolas Saltchev

Inside the box score
The Saints recorded nine shots in the first half and 13 in the second; they had a total of 14 on goal. The Steers marked four shots in the first half and three in the second half; they had a total of four on goal.

OLLU recorded 9 corner kicks and the Steers had three.

Dominic Pena played close to 70 minutes on goal and had three saves. Alejandro Avila played the final 20 minutes of the game. TC’s Emiliano Yanez played the whole game and recorded seven saves.

Up next
The Saints play at home Thursday at 3:30 p.m. against the University of the Southwest.

Men’s Soccer Falls Short in 1-0 Loss to WBU

The OLLU men’s soccer team fell to Wayland Baptist University (WBU) 1-0 on Saturday in the 2023 home opener. The Saints drop to 0-3 while the Pioneers improve to 2-1-1.

History

The Saints were 1-5-1 against the Pioneers prior to the match.

Basics

Wayland Baptist controlled the first half with seven shots to OLLU’s one. Goalkeeper Dominic Pena made three saves in the first half. Following the scoreless match at halftime, the Pioneers were able to take the lead at the 61st minute. Pena made a great save late in the match to keep the deficit to one, but the Saints were unable to score the equalizer. The Saints play improved in the second half, and they outshot WBU by four.

Men’s soccer begins quest for RRAC title today

The OLLU men’s soccer team begins the season at home today against NCAA D3 Texas Lutheran University and will be aiming for a Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) title. The team features a large incoming freshmen class and will be led by a new staff.

Coaching staff
Head Coach Shane Hurley is back at the helm after coaching the Saints from 2007-2020. Hurley posted a .607 conference winning percentage and achieved two regular-season championships. Assistant Coach Jesus Cortes was hired in July and has an array of experience in the soccer world. Hurley commented, “Jesus was a tremendous player at the University of the Incarnate Word. His addition to the staff will bring a ton of energy and he has great relationships with the student athletes.”

Preseason rankings
The Saints finished last season with a 2-11-3 overall record and 2-7-2 mark in conference. The team expects to improve upon last year and return to the postseason in 2023.

LSU-Shreveport (LSUS) has been picked to repeat as champions in the 2023 RRAC Men’s Soccer Preseason Poll. Louisiana Christian University (LCU) was voted second, followed by the University of Houston-Victoria (UHV) in third, LSU-Alexandria (LSUA) in fourth, Texas A&M University-San Antonio (TAMUSA) in fifth, Huston-Tillotson University (HTU) in sixth, Texas A&M University-Texarkana (TAMUT) in seventh, the University of the Southwest (USW) in eighth, Paul Quinn College (PQC) in ninth and OLLU in 10th. Jarvis Christian University (JCU) is predicted to finish 11th, with Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) following in 12th, North American University (NAU) at 13th and Texas College (TC) in 14th.  

Schedule overview (Numbers after school indicate all-time records.)
The Saints will play three scrimmages before starting the regular season. They battle NCAA D3 Texas Lutheran University at home today, and will play at NCAA D3 Trinity University and NCAA D2 Texas A&M International University (0-0-1) on Aug. 24 and Aug. 26.

The non-conference schedule begins with a match at Oklahoma City University (2-4-2) on Sept. 2. OLLU will remain in Oklahoma to battle the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (2-4) on Sept. 4 and will host Wayland Baptist University (1-5-1) on Sept. 9.

Conference opponents
The first conference matches are against LSUS (6-5) and TAMUT (8-1) on Sept. 14 and Sept. 16. OLLU travels north to face TC (11-2-1) on Sept. 21 and JCU (9-0) on Sept. 23. They return home to play USW (11-7-1) on Sept. 28 and PQC (3-1-2) on Sept. 30.

The October schedule starts with a rivalry against local TAMUSA (1-1) on the road on Oct. 7. The Saints host XULA on Oct. 12 and NAU on Oct. 14. The squad goes to Louisiana to face LSUA (2-7-4) on Oct. 19 and LCU (1-1) on Oct. 21. The final home match before the postseason tournament is against UHV (8-8-2) on Oct. 26. They finish regular season play in Austin, Texas, against HTU (8-9-2) on Oct. 28.

Senior class
Five seniors will guide the Saints this year. Randy Dominguez, Javier Pena, Tim Talabi, Samuel Villegas and Christopher Zepeda will provide experience and leadership. Pena was awarded RRAC Defensive Player of the Week last season.

Returners
Six juniors highlight the upperclassmen group. Matthew Banda, Sagesse Gutsa, Michael Huff, Adrian Maldonado, Thomas Sauceda and Victor Villegas make up the class. The 11 sophomores include two fresh faces. Jordan Betterton joins the team after playing at Samuel Clemens High School in Schertz, Texas. David Rjasko arrives in San Antonio from Richard King High School in Corpus Christi, Texas. The remaining sophomores are Harry Acklam, Alejandro Avila, Cristian Govea Mireles, Pape Gueye, Abraham Lincon, Diego Rodriguez, Cade Ryan, Stephen Volpe and Karson Webb.

Newcomers
The Saints have a massive incoming freshmen class. The staff recruited 14 players that include Baden Arrieta, Juan Aviles, Kaylan Baptiste, Jose Becerra, Jose Camacho, Stan Driessen, Emiliano Espinoza, Josue Martinez, Nicolas Murgas, Louis Nicholson, Anthony Ordonez, Dominic Pena, Nikola Saltchev and Rudy Vega.

Live-streaming and fan experience
The Saints home matches will be live streamed at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ollusaints/. Fans can expect a great atmosphere with a video scoreboard that will feature player introductions, goal scoring celebrations and more.

Men’s soccer unveils 2023 schedule

The men’s soccer team has released the 2023 fall schedule for its 17th season in the NAIA.

The Saints compete in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) along with Huston-Tillotson University (HTU), Jarvis Christian University (JCU), Louisiana Christian University (LCU), LSU-Alexandria (LSUA), LSU-Shreveport (LSUS), Paul Quinn College, Texas A&M University – San Antonio (AM-SA), Texas A&M University – Texarkana (TAMUT), Texas College (TC), the University of Houston-Victoria (UHV) and the University of the Southwest (USW). The conference adds two new members – North American University (NAU) out of Houston and Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA).

Head Coach Shane Hurley commented, “We have some tough tests for us in preseason, and with a large group of incoming players, that tough competition should assist in obtaining quality assessments of our depth in many areas. I’m looking forward to seeing what the gentlemen can do, as well as to seeing us represent OLLU.”

The Saints finished their 2022 campaign with a 2-11-3 overall record and 2-7-2 in conference. The team finished in 10th place and did not qualify for the postseason.

Preseason schedule

The Saints begin their preseason at home with a scrimmage against NCAA D3 Texas Lutheran University on Aug. 21, and a scrimmage in Laredo against NCAA D2 Texas A&M International on Aug. 26. Their official season begins on Sept. 2 in Chickasha, Okla., against the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (vs. – 2-4). The team moves to Oklahoma City for a nonconference matchup against Oklahoma City University (vs. – 2-4-2) on Sept. 4.

The Saints continue their nonconference schedule on Sept. 9 against Wayland Baptist University (vs. – 1-5-1) at home.

Conference lineup

On Sept. 14, the men begin their conference schedule with a home match against LSUS (vs. – 6-5/Overall 14-4-3/RRAC 9-0-2/1st Place), and TAMUT (vs. – 8-1/Overall 6-8-3/RRAC 4-4-3/7th Place) visits OLLU on Sept. 14 for a match.

The team hits the road the following week on Sept. 21 for a match against TC (vs. – 11-2-1/Overall 0-14-1/RRAC 0-11/12th Place) in Tyler. The Saints travel to Hawkins, Texas, next for a match against JCC (vs. – 9-0/Overall 5-11-1/RRAC 2-8-1)/12th Place) on Sept. 23. USW (vs. – 12-6-1/Overall 3-8-4/RRAC 2-5-4/9th Place) comes to OLLU on Sept. 28, and PQC (vs. – 3-1-2/Overall 9-6-3/RRAC 4-5-3/8th Place) will be in San Antonio on Sept. 30.

The Saints will travel south for a match against AM-SA (vs. – 1-1/Overall 7-5-3/RRAC 5-3-3/4th Place) on Oct. 7, and on Oct. 12, OLLU will host XULA. The Saints will play NAU on Oct. 14.

LSUA (vs. – 2-7-4/Overall 6-7-3/RRAC 5-3-3/5th Place) hosts OLLU on Oct. 19, and LCU (vs. – 1-1/Overall 11-3-6/RRAC 6-0-5/3rd Place) will host the Saints on Oct. 21. The Saints will travel to Victoria for a matchup against UHV (vs. – 8-8-2/Overall 10-3-5/RRAC 7-0-4/2nd Place) on Oct. 26, and the men will play their last regular-season game on Oct. 28 in Austin, Texas, against HTU (vs. – 8-9-2/Overall 8-7/RRAC 6-5/6th Place).

RRAC tournament

The conference will get set for the 2023 postseason beginning Nov. 3 at campus sites for the opening round and Nov. 10 for the final round in Texarkana, Texas. The LSUS Pilots won the regular season and postseason titles in 2022. They fell in the opening round of nationals to William Carey University to end their season.

NAIA tournament

The First and Second Rounds of the NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship will take place Nov. 16-18 at campus sites. The 65th Annual Men’s Soccer National Championship will take place Nov. 27-Dec. 4 at the Stryker Soccer Complex in Wichita, Kan.

Plans for home matches

The Saints will broadcast home matches on the OLLU Saints Network, and will feature live-stats. Links will be available on the men’s soccer schedule page. 

General admission charge for all home matches is $10; free admission is available for OLLU faculty, staff and students.