Several Area Players Making Collegiate Debuts
Ready or not, here it is.
The Angelina College women’s and men’s soccer teams have had very few days of practice, with the focus more on introductions to each other than to the sport. With college soccer teams not able to practice together during the summer, those first days can be critical, especially with the first game looming before the student athletes have had time to build a laundry pile.
With Thursday’s cancellation of the scheduled pre-season game at the University of Houston-Victoria (flooded fields), maybe the team will get decent enough weather for some extra reps.
The good news for head coach Freddy Drago is twofold: First, his rosters contain several sophomore transfers, many of whom played for him at Cisco College last season. During Monday’s practice, those players were serving as assistant coaches, showing the newcomers how to perform Drago’s preferred drills.
In addition to the veterans familiar with the coach’s ways, the rosters sport no less than 22 players with ties to the immediate area, including Lufkin, Hudson and Nacogdoches. Many of those players have either been teammates or opponents; either way, they’re not strangers, which gives the teams a better chance of jelling early.
Earlier this week, the program released its rosters for the upcoming season. The Lady Roadrunners feature sophomore transfers Allie Chapman (Boerne), Max Hinojosa (Abilene), Biatris Arevalo (Lancaster), Leslie Saenz (Corinth), Lauren Voss (Katy), Bre Hinojos (Mineral Wells), Ashley Felan (Arlington), Chris De La Paz (Crowley), Alizah Mendoza (Glenn Heights), Kaelah Reynoso (Irving) and Kelly Copeland (Marble Falls).
Freshmen on the roster include Joni Olivo (Lufkin), Leslie Escobar (Nacogdoches), Jennifer Morales (Nacogdoches), Cameryn Garcia (Leander), Carolina Miranda (Porter), Kennedy Sessions (Spring), Carley Elkins (Fort Worth), Olga Villatoro (Pasadena), Juanita Rodriguez (San Antonio), Alexis Barrientez (Georgetown), Erica Garcia (San Antonio) and Daisy Flores (Fredericksburg).
Sophomore transfer Avery Collins (Austin) and freshman Marylou Frias (Crockett) serve as the team managers.
The Roadrunners’ roster features sophomore transfers Fredie Barboza (Nacogdoches), Manuel Morales, Jr. (Nacogdoches), Gregorio Rojo (Lufkin), Jose Zarate (Nacogdoches), Juan Zarate (Nacogdoches), Jose Escareno (Mission) and Omar Rauda (Rosenberg).
Roadrunner freshmen are Enrique Acevedo (Nacogdoches), Kacy Bennett (Lufkin), Dorian Bravo (Lufkin), Cesar Camacho, Enrique Carranza (Lufkin), Jesus Cisneros (Lufkin), Modesto Corpus (Nacogdoches), Freddy Esoh (Lufkin), Gustavo Garcia (Lufkin), Jose Garcia (Mineral Wells), Julio Islas (Lufkin), Luis Lopez (Lufkin), Jose Perez (Lufkin), Riley Thornton (Lufkin), Othoniel Zamarron (Lufkin), Carlos Campos (Marble Falls), Antonio Cortez (Glenn Heights), Gary Randolph, Jr. (Goodrich) and Oziel Alcaraz (Pasadena). The men’s team manager is Juan Santamaria of Lufkin.
Following Thursday’s cancellation, the Lady Roadrunners now will play their season opener Monday at Richland College in Richland. Game time is 6 p.m. The teams’ home opener is Tuesday, August 30 against Ranger College at Lufkin High School. Game times for the doubleheader are 6 p.m. for the women an 8 p.m. for the men.
The e-mail address for AC’s Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu.
