Last Wednesday, the Vaqueros Men’s Soccer Club offered an information session for students who were interested in joining the team. The session was presented by club President Alejandro Garcia and Vice President Kevin Damken.
The presentation took place in the UREC conference room. During the session, the club officers gave a brief summary of the soccer club, how it began and what members have done since its founding in 2017.
“The purpose [of the session] is for the new players, or whoever who wants to be part of the club, to have an idea of what it is to be part of the club, what are the requirements, what do they need in order to be a member and just for them to have an idea of who we are, what we do and what our goals in the future are,” Garcia said.
He said the objectives for this semester are focused on a single goal: make an appearance at nationals.
As part of the UREC Intramurals program, the Vaqueros Men’s Soccer Club is required to do community service. This was discussed during the meeting, as well as the fundraising activities that the club has planned this semester.
The club not only offers an opportunity to students who want to play soccer at a higher level than high school. It also offers students the option of working on leadership skills by being a club board member or being in charge of a club committee.
Membership requirements are being a UTRGV student and paying a $100 fee. The fee grants access to, games and competitions that the club participates in throughout the semester. Also included is access to the training sessions and a jersey.
Club Secretary and forward Andres Lomeli, a management senior, explained the responsibilities of team members.
“As a player and member of the team, the responsibilities would be, you know, making sure you come to practice, making sure you are responsible when it comes to your equipment that is given to you,” Lomeli said. “Obviously, paying your dues to the club and contributing by coming to the meetings, your opinions when we do surveys, when we do community services, anything like that would be part of your responsibilities.”
The Vaqueros Men’s Soccer Club is directed by Head Coach Hugo Zuñiga, a graduate of legacy institution University of Texas-Pan American. Last semester, the team competed at the national level ,where it finishing third in Pool E after falling 4-0 against Michigan State. Its goal for next fall is to return to nationals.
Zuñiga told The Rider what they have to improve for next season.
“We are now in a higher level as a team,” he said in Spanish. “We are in a different situation, more complete, thanks to what was done last year. So, what we have in mind is to be stricter in the sport’s level.”
Zuñiga also discussed what the team will work on during the preseason.
“We are going to work on physical conditioning,” he said. “As a Latino, Hispanic coach, we work a lot on the technique, which is something a lot of these players are deficient in.”
The Vaqueros Men’s Soccer Club will practice from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at the UREC Fields Complex.
