In 2017, Alejandro Garcia, a senior accounting major, presented the idea of beginning the Men’s Soccer Club at UTRGV to the University Recreation department. The club has been up and running since then.
To join the club, there are no specific requirements. All you need is hard work, dedication and a love for the sport.
Garcia said he established the club to offer opportunities to others.
“The reason the soccer team was created was to give men the opportunity of developing themselves in the sports aspect,” Garcia said in Spanish.
Not only does he want the men to develop themselves, but he also wants to provide other men with the opportunity of playing soccer at the collegiate level.
“A lot of men that I have spoken to tried to pursue their dreams of playing soccer in college, but, unfortunately, the universities wouldn’t give them the opportunity,” Garcia said. “That was when I decided to look for options.
“I wanted to provide the men who wanted to continue playing soccer at the collegiate level with that option. That was when I realized that you can open a club at the university.”
The process of forming the club began in 2017. Hugo Zuñiga, of Edinburg and legacy institution University of Texas-Pan American alumnus, was selected as the volunteer head coach.
Zuñiga said he accepted the position because he wanted to make a difference in the lives of the students.
“By doing this, I am helping them to, more than anything, to stay active in the sport and to show them our culture,” he said. “I think soccer, here, is the main thing.”
Zuñiga is no stranger to soccer. He trained professionally in Mexico with C. F. Monterrey for four years. In 2005, he played in the soccer club at UTPA, which was eventually discontinued until Garcia brought it back in 2017.
Last year, the team began its first season under the Texas Collegiate Soccer League.
During the first year of play, the Vaqueros finished second under TCSL’s Developmental Conference.
In Fall 2018, UTRGV made its debut in TCSL’s South Conference, composed of Texas A&M University-San Antonio, Texas State University, Northwest Vista College, The University of Texas at San Antonio and Trinity University.
Any team outside the Developmental Conference can compete for a spot in the Region IV South Tournament Nov. 2-4 at the Mohawk Sports Complex in Tulsa, Okla. The tournament is hosted by the National Intramural-Recreation Sports Association.
The NIRSA Region IV South Tournament consists of 12 teams, including the top team from each TCSL conference (Premier, North, South and East), the regular season champion of the Houston League and the host school for the Region IV South Tournament.
The rest of the teams will be determined by regional rankings, conference records and non-conference opponents.
As of press time, UTRGV led the South Conference with 12 points and an overall record of 4-1. The soccer club has an opportunity to advance to the regional tournament.
