Following a 2-3-1 start to the season and a recent run of bad form, the UTRGV Men’s Soccer Team is seeking a turnaround on its results ahead of the conference portion of its schedule.
As of press time, the Vaqueros were 0-2-1 in their last three matches, including a 6-0 loss on Sept. 21 against Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
UTRGV Men’s Soccer head coach Bryheem Hancock said, although the Vaqueros have been a statistically solid team that has been “better” than previous teams, “the most important [statistic] is the scoreline.”
“That’s something we’re working on in training,” Hancock said. “The guys have an understanding of what needs to be fixed and I think we’re working towards, each day, getting better in those areas.”
The coach said the team needs to finish the chances it has created for itself on attack and clean up its efforts on defense. He described team defense as a collective effort.
“[We have created] a lot of chances,” Hancock said. “[We] just need to get more on goal. Defensively, I think, if you look at the goals [our opponents] scored, it hasn’t been anything they’ve broken our team down on.”
Junior forward Kgodiso “KG” Sukati said the team’s goal is to bounce back and do special things, which he believes they can do if they collectively “put in the work.”
“We’re just looking to improve our focus, our effort [and] our fight,” Sukati said. “We want to be more aggressive in tackles and going forward and scoring goals.”
Senior left back and midfielder Cesar Balthazar said the team is trying to shake off its recent form and come together as a group to do so.
“We’re in a tough situation,” Balthazar said. “We’ve been talking with each other [to] try to regroup, get some stuff situated and make the setting more positive.”
The Vaqueros played their final nonconference match last Sunday on the road against Southern Methodist University. As of press time, results were unavailable.
Sukati is looking to continue contributing to the Vaqueros’ attack. He has netted three goals and two assists in six games played this season.
“It’s by the grace of God that I was able to contribute to the goals and to help the team win,” he said. “But, yeah, I’m just looking to be able to provide more strength to keep on scoring.”
Balthazar said “it feels good” to be able to perform well for the team. This season, he has tallied three assists in six matches.
The UTRGV Men’s Soccer Team will return to Western Athletic Conference contention. Currently, it is one of only two UTRGV programs remaining in the WAC since the university announced its move to the Southland Conference last spring. The other program in the conference is Women’s Swimming and Diving.
Hancock said he looks forward to coaching the team in the 2024 season, especially after San Diego State University, another “quality” program, joined the WAC.
“The WAC is a very strong conference,” he said. “We look at every game to be like a conference tournament match, not just regular season. Every time out, [we are] trying to get three points. And the more you do that, the more you’ll have success in the regular season.”
The team will begin its WAC schedule when it takes on Grand Canyon University at 2 p.m. Sunday at the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex on the Edinburg campus. Admission is free.
