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National Attention: Roadrunner Soccer Ranked No. 6 in Pre-Season Poll

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When Angelina College head men’s soccer coach Martin Melchor first arrived on the AC campus in 2023, he stated his program’s goals quite clearly:

“I’d love to build Angelina College soccer into a real dynasty,” Melchor said.

He and the Roadrunners are off to a good start.

Following a tremendous 2023 campaign, the Roadrunners will enter the new season as the No. 6 team in the nation, according to this week’s NJCAA Division Men’s Soccer polls. 

In a testament to just how tough AC’s home conference, Region XIV, truly is, two other teams made the list: Tyler Junior College at No. 2 and Blinn College at No. 13. 

The ‘Runners in 2023 made plenty of noise, finishing the season with a 13-3-2 record that included an undefeated record in conference play. AC won the conference outright for the first time in program history, sending the team to the national tournament for the second straight year – the first time any Angelina College program has qualified for a national tournament in consecutive years.

Member of the Angelina College Roadrunner soccer team celebrate a conference championship following a 2023 match. The ’24 Roadrunners enter the season with a national ranking, with the NJCAA Division I Men’s Soccer polls listing AC at No. 6 in the nation. (Gary Stallard/AC Athletics photo)

Following the season, Melchor was named the District Coach of the Year. 

As is always the case in the NJCAA, AC’s men lost several players to graduation. However, Melchor has said he’s confident the incoming group won’t allow a letdown in performance – or expectations. 

Angelina College head men’s soccer coach Martin Melchor (left) and assistant Jose Solano pose following 2023’s conference championship-clinching win. The Roadrunners under Melchor enter the 2024 season ranked No. 6 nationally, according to the NJCAA Division I Men’s Soccer preseason poll released this past week. (Gary Stallard/AC Athletics photo)

Returning players from the 2023 squad include Abdallah Traore (defender), Filliph Kamfjord (forward), Eric Ortiz (forward), Ramiro Mendoza (midfielder), Christian Castaneda (forward) and Daniel Rivera (midfielder).

The Roadrunners kick off their preseason Tuesday at Dallas College-Mountain View; AC’s first home scrimmage takes place on Saturday, August 24 against Texas A&M University-San Antonio. That match is scheduled for a 4 p.m. kickoff. 

For full rosters and schedules, visit the Angelina College Athletics website at www.angelinaathletics.com
The email address for AC’s Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu.

Gary Stallard
Sports Information Director Gary Stallard, who also serves as a Liberal Arts Instructor, begins his eleventh season with Angelina College. Following a career as a U.S. Marine, Stallard completed his bachelor’s degree at Stephen F. Austin University, where he majored in English and Journalism. For more than 16 years, he has worked as a sports writer/columnist/photographer for the Lufkin Daily News; he continues to contribute free-lance articles on occasion. Stallard has won several awards for writing, including the Golden Hoops Award for basketball writing in 2003, Regional Sports Writer of the Year in 2004, and the Texas Press Association’s first-place award for column writing in 2007 and in 2014. He has also done basketball, football and baseball radio and live streaming play-by- play and color commentary for an ESPN affiliate. Currently Stallard serves as play-by-play broadcaster for AC basketball, baseball and softball games. Prior to arriving at Angelina College, Stallard taught English at Lufkin High School for four years. He currently teaches Developmental Writing classes at AC. He and his wife Susan live in Lufkin.

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