Roadrunners Fall to Ranger College in Season Opener
In a pre-match ceremony, Angelina College president Michael Simon, Athletic Director Guy Davis and Dean of Student Services Steve Hudman provided a ceremonial first kick to celebrate the college’s very first home soccer games.
A packed house got its money’s worth in a college soccer doubleheader.
Three games into their existence, the Angelina College Lady Roadrunners etched their names into the college’s history books with the soccer program’s first-ever victory, a 2-0 shutout over Ranger College Tuesday night at Lufkin High School’s Jase Magers Field in Lufkin.
The Lady ‘Runners showed how fast they learn on the fly after dropping their previous two games to tough competition. AC put the pressure on nearly all match long, with BB Arevalo banging home a deflection barely eight minutes into the match and teammate Carley Elkins heading home the team’s second goal at 32:30 of the second half.
AC keeper Nanci Juarez-Sedano, fresh off her seven-save performance in last week’s loss to Navarro College, pitched the shutout with help from her back line, including Lauren Voss and Allie Chapman, who swept the box clean on numerous Ranger runs.
Arevalo’s goal came off a deflection from a Ranger defender; the sophomore found open space in the center of the box and drilled the ball into the inside left corner of the net.
Elkins’ goal came after two previous attempts just missed: She knocked a header attempt off a Ranger defender, tried blasting one from long range only to see it sail over the crossbar and finally took Chapman’s head flick and bounced it past the Ranger keeper to seal the 2-0 win.
The Roadrunners, playing in their very first regular-season game, ran into a big, physical Ranger team and came out on the short end of a 3-1 loss. AC did, however, record a little of its own history when Luis Garcia got a second chance at a header and knocked it past the Ranger keeper for the first-ever goal in program history. Ranger scored each of its goals on breakaway opportunities, with Kyle Edwards, Azinho Solomon and Yurg Nascimento finding the nets.
Afterward, head coach Freddy Drago told his team, “Hey, the first game of the season is always the toughest. We saw where we need work, but I’m proud of the way you fought tonight. We’re going to get better.”
The Lady Roadrunners (1-2, 0-1) will travel to Mesquite on Friday to take on Eastfield College at 6 p.m. The Roadrunners (0-1) travel to Houston on Thursday to take on San Jacinto College in the teams’ conference opener. That match kicks off at 7 p.m.
The e-mail address for AC’s Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu.
