TAMUC – Sports

Lion Football to assist in Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts following Chennault Cup game in Kingsville

Lions will help in cleanup efforts with the Coastal Bend Disaster Recovery Group and the City of Port Aransas

The Texas A&M University-Commerce football team is headed south this weekend to take on long-time Lone Star Conference rival Texas A&M University-Kingsville. The storied rivalry features the Chennault Cup traveling trophy and 50 combined LSC championships.

The game will kick off at 7 p.m. Saturday in Kingsville’s Javelina Stadium. The No. 3 -ranked Lions would usually pack up the buses for a late-night trip back to Commerce, arriving back on campus Sunday morning.

But with the devastation caused to the Coastal Bend by Hurricane Harvey, the team will spend an extra night and assist in cleanup efforts with the Coastal Bend Disaster Recovery Group and the City of Port Aransas.

“When we heard they were short volunteers down in the Coastal Bend area, we knew our team could help. There are so many things in life bigger than football, and this is one of them,” said A&M-Commerce head football coach Colby Carthel. “What an incredible opportunity for our team to help people in need! This experience will be something our players and coaches never forget. We’re excited to be able to go down there, lend a helping hand, and make a difference in helping rebuild those communities.”

The Lions’ travel party will number nearly 90 people with players, coaches, and support staff combined. A morning of work in Port Aransas will result in almost 400 hours of service for the storm-ravaged area.

“Lion Athletics incorporates an extensive program of community service,” said A&M-Commerce President Dr. Ray Keck. “In stopping on the way home from the game in Kingsville to spend a day assisting with hurricane relief in the Coastal Bend, our football team honors our commitment to the wider community, embedded in all programs at A&M-Commerce.”

The A&M-Commerce athletics department has been heavily involved in community service and engagement efforts throughout Commerce and Hunt County, as well as the home communities of the Lions’ nearly 400 student-athletes. The Lions have won the Lone Star Conference SAAC Cup in 2015 and 2017, which honors a department’s contributions to community service and engagement.

“To be certain, Coach Carthel’s recommendation for this selfless endeavor of duty is truly Best in Class,” A&M-Commerce director of athletics Tim McMurray said. “Further, I commend our entire team and our Leadership Council for embracing this opportunity to serve our fellow Texans along the Coastal Bend.”

 

No. 11 Lion offense explodes with 4-nil win over Eastern New Mexico

PORTALES, N.M. – The No. 11 Texas A&M University-Commerce soccer team got a 4-0 win over Eastern New Mexico on Friday. The Lions scored the first goal of the match in the fifth minute and scored two goals in each half.

The win brings the Lions to 4-0-2 on the season, and 1-0-0 in Lone Star Conference play. The Greyhounds fall to 1-4-2 on the year and 0-1-0 in conference action.

The Lions will stay on the road to face West Texas A&M on Sunday. The match will be played at 1 p.m. at The Pitch in Canyon.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Leslie Campuzano scored two goals for the Lions in the first 10 minutes of the match. Katie Givens assisted the first goal, and Jessika Coronado assisted the second goal.
– Givens also scored a goal. In the 72nd minute, she headed a goal kick back toward the ENMU keeper. The ball bounced over her head and into the net. Givens had two shots on goal.
– Sabrina Munguia scored a goal in the 49th minute. All three of her shots were on goal.
– Coronado also had a chance on goal.
– Eight of the Lions’ 12 shots were on goal.
– ENMU had just two shots on goal, both of which were saved by Caitlin Duty. ENMU only had five shots in the match. The Greyhounds did not have a shot on goal in the second half.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions were quickly on the board in the match. After the team saved Munguia’s shot in the fourth minute, the Greyhounds started to go the other way, but the Lions stole a bad pass. Givens flipped the ball ahead to Campuzano on a breakaway, and she found the right side of the net to give the Lions the early 1-0 lead.

Not finished, Campuzano scored another goal in the 10th minute. She received a pass from Coronado and fired the ball left-footed over the goalkeeper’s head from 25 yards out. The Lions led 2-0 after ten minutes of action.

The Lion defense was stingy throughout the first half, not letting the Greyhounds have many opportunities to get shots off. ENMU’s first shot came in the 19th minute. The Greyhounds had a shot on goal off of a free kick in the 22nd minute, but Duty saved it. Munguia had another shot on goal in the 27th minute, but it was saved by ENMU to keep the score at 2-0.

The Greyhounds had another shot on goal late in half, but Duty again made a save to send the Lions into halftime leading 2-0.

The Lions added to their lead early in the second half. Munguia got the ricocheted ball and squeezed between two defenders. The ball had some zip on it and just got past the ENMU goalkeeper. The Lions led 3-0 in the 49th minute.

Coronado had a saved shot on goal in the 63rd minute. A blocked shot in the 64th minute helped the Lions continue to dominate the possession of the ball.

The Lions added a fourth goal in the 72nd minute. After a goal kick from the ENMU keeper, Givens charged the ball and headed it back toward the goal. The ENMU keeper misjudged the ball, and it bounced in front of her and over her head into the goal. The Lions led 4-0 with 18 minutes to play, which ended up being the final score.

Volleyball falls in four sets to A&M-Kingsville, now 2-2 in LSC

KINGSVILLE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team lost in four sets to Texas A&M University-Kingsville on Saturday. The Lions won the second set in extra points but could not slow down the Javelinas in the other three games. The scores were 22-25, 26-24, 14-25 and 16-25.

The loss brings the Lions to 6-7 on the season and 2-2 in the Lone Star Conference. The Javelinas improved to 10-5 and 3-1 in conference play.

The Lions will return to the court Friday in a road match against Cameron. The game will be at 5:30 p.m. at Aggie Gym in Lawton, Okla.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Jaryn Wacker led the Lions with 12 kills. Layne Little added ten kills, six digs, and three aces.
– Jaslyn Wacker and Mariyah Oliver each had eight kills. Wacker also had four blocks.
– Shelley Chapron had four kills and three blocks. Sydney Reyes had three kills and three blocks.
– Savannah Rutledge led the Lions with 19 digs and also had four assists. Gabriela Rosa led the team with 22 assists while Rylie Fuentes had 17.
– A&M-Kingsville had 16 aces in the match.

HOW IT HAPPENED
After the teams split the first four points of the set, the Javelinas rattled off six consecutive points to take an early 8-2 lead in the first set. The Javelinas built their lead to as many as eight before the Lions cut into their lead. They scored five of the next six points to cut the lead to just 12-8 midway through the set.

The Javelinas responded to the A&M-Commerce run and scored five points in a row to build their lead to nine points. The Lions did not give up. They scored four points in a row to cut A&M-Kingsville’s lead in half. The teams traded rallies before the Lions again cut into the Javelina lead. A&M-Commerce scored five points in a row, including consecutive blocks Chapron and Reyes, cutting the lead to just two points. However, the Lions could not finish the rally and fell 25-22.

The Lions started the second set off well. Four different players had killed, including two from Oliver as A&M-Commerce took a quick 5-1 lead in the match. A&M-Kingsville answered back with a run of their own to tie the game at seven. The teams traded the next 10 points and the set tied at 12 at the halfway mark.

Both teams continued to battle as the teams continued to trade points in the later stages of the match. Neither team held a lead of more than one point until the Lions took a 22-19 lead late in the set. The Lions had a balanced attack with multiple players scoring point in the game. However, the Javelinas would not go down quietly, tying up at 24. The Lions finished the set with kills from Jaryn Wacker and Little and won 26-24.

After the Lions took the first two points of the third set, the Javelinas took 12 of the next 14 points to take a commanding 12-4 lead. The Lions could not find their footing in the match and trail by as many as 11 in the set. The Lions began to get their offense going late in the set but could not slow down the Javelina attack and fell 25-14.

It was a back-and-forth start to the fourth set. Kingsville took the first two points before the Lions took four of the next five. Jaslyn Wacker had three early kills for the Lions. After that, the Javelinas began to rally, taking five points in a row to take a four-point lead. A&M-Kingsville led 13-10 halfway through the set.

The Lions cut the Javelina lead to just two points before A&M-Kingsville again rallied to take an eight-point lead. The Lions cut the lead back down to six, but the Javelinas took five of the final seven points to win the set and the match.