Hey, sports fans,
Our soccer teams kicked off their regular seasons with back-to-back conference matchups this past weekend, and we had four baseball players earning a very big honor. We also brought back a coaching legend into the Roadrunner fold.
In addition, baseball’s “Fall Ball” season starts this week.
Finally, a fan sent in a photo of a rainbow at sunset during Saturday’s match, and all the oranges and blues in the sky are just more proof that even the heavens love Roadrunners.
We are AC, and we’re ready to Run ‘Em.
Here’s a quick rundown of the past week’s events, along with what’s coming up next:
Lady Roadrunner Soccer Sweeps Weekend
AC’s ladies opened their 2025 regular season with convincing wins on Friday and Saturday to start the new year off just right.
In Friday’s season-opening win over Northeast Texas Community College, the Lady Roadrunners got two goals each from Anne Vandaële and Paula Suarez, along with a smothering effort from the defense, to blank the Eagles 4-0. Vandaële’s first goal came off a rebound from a Suarez shot just eight minutes into the match. Suarez followed with a penalty kick at the ’30 mark, then ripped a long goal from the right side just two minutes later for a 3-0 AC lead at the half.
Vandaële wrapped up the scoring with an easy goal: After a deflection left an empty net, Vandaële simply tapped the ball over the line for the final 4-0 score.
On Saturday against Paris Junior College, the Lady ‘Runners exploded for nine goals in a 9-0 rout over the Lady Dragons. Olivia Sanchez drilled three goals, while Beatriz Almeida and Vandaële added two goals each. Juana Bulla and Esmeya Galeslool added a goal each.
The Lady Roadrunners (2-0) travel to Corsicana on Friday to face Navarro College, with kickoff scheduled for 4 p.m.
No. 15 Roadrunner Soccer Earns Win, Draw in Season Openers
A tight defensive battle in the opening minutes of Friday’s regular-season debut erupted into an AC scoring fest, as the No. 15 Roadrunners exploded for six unanswered goals on the way to a 6-0 win over Northeast Texas Community College at the Larry Phillips Family Sports Complex in Lufkin.
Kanta Maruyama’s hat trick led the way for the ‘Runners, with Jhosua Jory adding a pair of scores and Gabriel Moore another in the win.
Neither team gave ground defensively over the first 17 minutes of the match. Finally, in the 17th minute, Moore took an indirect kick from Christian Castaneda and banged it home to open the Roadrunner scoring. Jory would use some breakaway moves in the 42nd minute for his first goal and a 2-0 AC lead at the half.
Maruyama nailed his first goal in the 52nd minute, following just four minutes with a breakaway goal featuring a great run around defenders for a 4-0 margin. Barely a minute later, Jory maneuvered around the Eagle goalkeeper for an open netter, and Maruyama capped his hat trick two minutes afterward for the sixth and final goal.
On Saturday against Paris, the ‘Runners fought a tough Dragon team before seeing the match end in a 2-2 draw. Maruyama and Eric Ortiz accounted for the AC goals.
The Roadrunners (1-0-1) won’t play again until Tuesday, Sept. 9, when AC travels to Dallas College-Richland to face Miami Dade College at 11 a.m.
Roadrunner Baseball Players Named JUCO All-Stars
The annual Texas-New Mexico JUCO All-Star Baseball Showcase is a big honor for any player fortunate enough to make the list, and this year’s version will feature four Angelina College players on the roster.
AC’s Connor Ficarra, Stefano Ramos, Cole Standley and David Wilson each earned a spot on the coveted roster. The event takes place in September at Dallas Baptist University.
Click the provided link for the full story:
https://angelina.prestosports.com/sports/bsb/2025-26/releases/20250830hyl31p
Coleman Rejoins Coaching Staff on Interim Basis
Byron Coleman retired as the Lady Roadrunners’ head basketball coach following the 2023-2024 season, leaving as the winningest coach in program history with 326 total wins.
Now, he’s taking on a new role – this time on the men’s side.
With assistant coach Eric Colbert sidelined temporarily, Roadrunner head coach J.J. Montgomery needed an experience hand to help him guide men, currently ranked No. 4 in the national pre-season polls.
He got his man in Coleman, who’ll serve as the interim assistant for this season.
Click the link for the full story:
https://angelina.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2025-26/releases/20250831ko2ovr
Coming Soon: Dinner at the Diamond
AC’s Sixth annual “Dinner at the Diamond” event will take place on Saturday, Sept. 27 down on the baseball field at Poland Stadium on the AC campus.
Dinner at the Diamond is a major fund-raiser for Angelina College and its students – not to mention just a lot of fun for everyone involved.
We’ll have a registration link and other information for the event to send out in the coming weeks. We just wanted to give you enough time to mark those calendars.
All AC Teams Have Schedules Up and Running Online
Lady Roadrunner and Roadrunner fans can now find their favorite teams’ schedules on the Angelina College Athletics website (www.angelinaathletics.com). For now, only the fall schedules for baseball and softball are in place (with the potential to add more events later), but all other teams, including both women’s and men’s basketball, are ready for viewing and planning.
We’ll update any changes as we receive them.
We can’t wait to see you at the games.
Live Streaming Reminder:
All AC Athletics regular-season home games are live streamed on TSBN Sports (a free streaming service for fans), with most of the conference road games also available for streaming. (This does not include baseball and softball fall games, as those are not considered official games.)
Once TSBN posts its schedules, AC fans simply need to visit the AC Athletics web site, look at the scrolling schedule in the middle of the page and click the blue “Video” link.
TSBN also offers an app great for smart phones, devices and smart TVs. (You’ve GOT to see those matches and games on the big screen.)
Reminder II: Admission to ALL Angelina College Athletics sporting events is free, as is the TSBN live streaming. Any other links offering streaming are scams.
Reminder III: For the most current schedule updates (especially for potential weather issues) visit the official Angelina College Athletics website (angelinaathletics.com). Fans can also receive updates on the AC Athletics Facebook, X/Twitter, and Instagram pages.
Upcoming schedules:
Friday, Sept. 5:
Lady Roadrunner Soccer at Navarro College, 4 p.m. at Corsicana, TX.
Roadrunner Baseball at Alvin College, 1 p.m. at Lamar University in Beaumont, TX.
For any other information, contact Sports Information Director Gary Stallard at gstallard@angelina.edu.
We’ll see you at the games.
Gary Stallard
Email: gstallard@angelina.edu.
Phone: (936) 465-4614
