TAMUC – Sports

This Week In Lion Athletics

September 11-17, 2017
V – Video, A – Audio, LS – Live Stats

THE WEEK AHEAD

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
Men’s Golf at Ryan Palmer Foundation Invitational (hosted by West Texas A&M)
Women’s Golf at 19th Annual Northeastern State Women’s Classic

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
Men’s Golf at Ryan Palmer Foundation Invitational (hosted by West Texas A&M)
Women’s Golf at 19th Annual Northeastern State Women’s Classic
6:00 p.m. – Volleyball vs. Dallas Baptist (V, LS)

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
6:00 p.m. – Volleyball vs. Angelo State * (V, LS)
7:00 p.m. – Soccer at Harding (V, LS)

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
8:30 a.m. – Women’s Cross Country at Missouri Southern Stampede (5k)
9:45 a.m. – Men’s Cross Country at Missouri Southern Stampede (8k)
2:00 p.m. – Volleyball vs. Tarleton State * (V, LS)
6:00 p.m. – Football vs. Eastern New Mexico * (V, A, LS)

LAST WEEK’S ACTION

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
Volleyball vs. No. 12 Wayne State (at Steel & Silver Classic – Pueblo, Colo.) – L 1-3
Women’s Cross Country (4k) hosts East Texas Shootout, Centennial Park, Commerce – 2nd
Men’s Cross Country (6k) hosts East Texas Shootout, Centennial Park, Commerce – 4th
No. 11 Soccer vs. St. Mary’s – W 2-0
Volleyball at Colorado State-Pueblo (at Steel & Silver Classic – Pueblo, Colo.) – W 3-0

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
Volleyball vs. No. 22 Colorado Mines (at Steel & Silver Classic – Colorado Springs, Colo.) – L 2-3
No. 3 Football vs. William Jewell – W 59-6
Volleyball at UC-Colorado Springs (at Steel & Silver Classic – Colorado Springs, Colo) – L 2-3

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
No. 11 Soccer at No. 6 St. Edward’s – T (2OT) 0-0

 

No. 11 soccer ties No. 6 St. Edward’s in scoreless double overtime battle

COMMERCE– The No. 11 Texas A&M University-Commerce soccer team battled No. 6 St. Edward’s to a 0-0 double overtime tie on Sunday. The Lions had four shots on goal but could not find the net in the game.

The tie brings the Lions to 3-0-1 on the season. The Hilltoppers also go to 3-0-1 on the year.

The Lions will continue their four-game road stand with a match against Harding University on Friday. The game will be at 7:00 p.m. at Stevens Soccer Complex in Searcy, Ark.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Caitlin Duty made 12 saves in the game for the Lions, setting a career high. It is her third game this season not allowing a goal.
– Kara Blasingame, Leslie Campuzano, Katie Givens and Cora Welch all had shots on goal.
– Sophie Haywood led the Lions with three shots. Campuzano, Givens, and Welch all had two shots. Jessika Coronado also had a kick.
– Nine different players for SEU had shots on goal. The Hilltoppers outshot the Lions 19-11.
– St. Edward’s has yet to give up a goal in their four games this season.

HOW IT HAPPENED
SEU got the action started early, recording a shot on goal 15 seconds into the match. However, Duty made an early save to keep the game scoreless in the first minute of action.

Haywood was active early for the Lions, recording two shot attempts in the first 20 minutes of the match. However, the Lions were unable to get a shot on goal early in the first half.

In the 27th minute, the Hilltoppers again had a shot on goal that Duty was able to save. The Lions then had an opportunity of their own as Welch had the first shot on goal for A&M-Commerce. The shot was pushed aside by the SEU goalkeeper. Duty made another save in the 32nd minute. St. Edward’s had another shot on goal in the 44th minute that the goalie saved and the teams went into halftime tied 0-0.

The Hilltoppers had an early opportunity in the 50th minute. A header opportunity was saved by Duty to keep the game scoreless. The Lions then went on the attack, recording two shots on goal in a three-minute span. Blasingame had a shot on goal in the 59th minute, and Givens had an opportunity of her own in the 62nd minute. However, the goalkeeper saved both shots, and the game remained nil-nil.

Duty had two more saves in the 65th minute as the Hilltoppers again went on the attack. Duty had another save in the 72nd minute and again in the 83rd minute to keep the game scoreless. SEU had one final opportunity in regulation to win the game, but Duty made another save in the final minutes to send the game to overtime.

Both teams had early opportunities in the first overtime period. After SEU had a shot that was saved by Duty, Campuzano had a chance for the Lions to take the lead. However, her shot was saved to keep the game scoreless. Haywood had a shot that went wide in the eighth minute of overtime. The first 10-minute overtime period ended without a deciding goal.

The ball went back and forth early in the second overtime as neither team could find an opportunity to take a shot at goal. SEU had a late chance in the final minute of the overtime period but their shot went high and time expired.

 

Volleyball loses two tightly contested five-set matches

COLORADO SPRINGS– The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team lost two five-set matches Saturday. The Lions fell to No. 22 Colorado School of Mines and Colorado-Colorado Springs.

The losses bring the Lions to 3-5 on the season.

The Lions will host their home opener on Tuesday against Dallas Baptist. The match will start at 6:00 p.m. at the Field House. The Lions will then open up conference play on Friday.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (Match 1)
– Jaryn Wacker led the Lions with 15 kills. She also had a solo block and two assisted blocks, totaling 17 points.
– Jaslyn Wacker had 14 kills with a .357 hitting percentage. She also had three assisted blocks.
– Layne Little had 11 kills, eight digs, and three assisted blocks.
– Shelley Chapron had nine kills and five assisted blocks. Mariyah Oliver had four kills and three blocks. Neka Nelson had four kills.
– Savannah Rutledge led the team with 21 digs. Rylie Fuentes led the team with 25 assists while Gabriela Rosa had 24 assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED (Match 1)
The teams traded points early in the first set. Oliver had two kills at the beginning of the game. With the score tied at four, the Lions then rattled off four consecutive points. Jaryn Wacker had two kills in the rally. Nelson also had two kills early in the set, and the Lions held a 13-7 lead midway through.

With the Lion lead still at six, CSM went on a rally of its own, tying the set at 20-all late. The Lions did not let the rally phase them, and the team held. Oliver had another kill, and Little produced two kills in the final five Lion points to help the team take the first set 25-22. Jaryn Wacker had five kills in the first set while Jaslyn Wacker, Oliver and Little each had three.

It was a back and forth battle in the early stages of the second set as well, with the Lions trailing 7-6 in the early stages. Jaryn Wacker again had two kills for the Lions. CSM went on a rally to take a four-point lead midway through the set, leading 12-8.

Chapron had two kills in the middle stages of the second set to help rally the Lions, who cut the lead to 13-12 after taking four of the next five points. The Lion defense also was on point, causing multiple CSM attack errors. CSM regained its momentum, again building up their lead and forcing a few Lion attack errors. They built their lead to 21-15 late in the set. The Lions could not recover, giving up the last four points of the match, falling 25-16.

It was again an evenly contested start to the third set. Little had two early kills, and the game was tied 8-all early on. Trailing 11-10 in the middle stages of the match, the Lions then produced four consecutive points to take a 14-11 lead halfway through the set.

Jaslyn Wacker had two consecutive kills for the Lions as the teams continued to battle in the late stages of the game. The Orediggers cut the Lion lead to one before A&M-Commerce again went on a rally. Chapron had two late kills for the Lions, who built their lead to four points, their largest of the set. The Lions won the third set 25-21.

Jaslyn Wacker had two early kills for the Lions in the fourth set. The Lions led 7-5 at the beginning of the match. The Orediggers responded with a four-point rally to take a 9-7 lead. CSM built their lead up to seven points in the middle stages of the fourth set, leading 18-11. The Lions trailed by as many as eight in the set. A late rally gave the Lions hope but it was not enough to overcome the deficit. The Lions fell in the fourth set 25-18.

Four different Lions had kills in the early stages of the fifth set. The game was tied at 6-all early. CSM then went on a run to seal the match. They took a three-point lead before the Lions scored two of their own to trail 9-8. However, the Orediggers again had a three-point rally to take a four-point lead. The Lions could not turn the tables and fell 15-10 in the final set.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (Match 2)
– Little had 16 kills to lead the Lions in the second match. She also had 13 digs.
– Oliver and Jaryn Wacker each had eight kills. Jaslyn Wacker had seven kills.
– Sydney Reyes, Payton McMillan, Chapron and Nelson each had multiple kills while Preston Lienemann had a kill.
– Rutledge led the Lions with 17 digs. Lacie Jessup had 15 digs and Fuentes had 13.
– Rosa led the team with 26 assists. Fuentes added 16 assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED (Match 2)
The teams traded points early in the first set. It was tied 9-9 early in the set. The Lions went on a rally, scoring seven of the next nine points. Little had four kills in a row for the Lions as they went up 16-11. UCCS scored three unanswered points before the Lions went on a three point rally of their own to bring their lead back up to five points. The Lions scored the final four points of the set to win 25-17.

The teams again traded points early in the second set, with the score at 6-5 for UCCS early. The Mountain Lions then went on a run, scoring six points in a row to take control of the set. It was part of a 10-1 run that put UCCS up 16-6. The Lions could not recover and lost the second set 25-14.

UCCS scored five of the first six points of the third set before the Lions responded with a rally of their own to tie the set at 6-all early. After trading points, the Lions then went on another run, scoring eight of the next nine points to blow open the third set. Little continued to hit well, dropping back-to-back kills in to give the Lions a 16-10 lead. UCCS rallied to cut the Lion lead to one before the Lions closed out the third set, winning 26-24 in extra points.

The Lions started the fourth set on a tear, winning seven of the first eight points. Multiple Mountain Lion errors led to the rally. However, the Lion momentum was halted and UCCS rallied to tie the set and eventually take the lead. Things snowballed against the Lions late as UCCS took nine of the final 10 points of the match to win 25-18.

In the deciding set, the Lions held an early 6-3 lead before UCCS was able to tie the game at 8-all. The Lions fell behind from then on. With the score at 12-11, UCCS scored the final three points to win the deciding match.

 

No. 3 Lions set Memorial Stadium attendance record, roll to 59-point offensive explosion to defeat William Jewell

COMMERCE– The No. 3 Texas A&M University-Commerce football team got a 59-6 win over William Jewell College on Saturday night. The Lions had more than 450 yards of offense in front of a record-breaking crowd.

The win brings the Lions to 2-0 on the season. WJC falls to 0-2 on the year.

The Lions will now enter their conference season, and host Eastern New Mexico on Saturday, September 16, at 6:00 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. It will be the Hall of Fame Game as part of Letterwinners’ Weekend.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Luis Perez moved into sixth all-time in school history for touchdown passes after throwing for four touchdowns. He now has 36 career touchdown passes. He was 20-for-29 with 236 yards.
– Kristov Martinez moved into fifth place all-time in scoring after a field goal and eight PAT conversions.
– Vincent Hobbs had a career day with seven catches for a career-high 105 yards.
– The Lions had 456 yards of total offense, averaging more than seven yards per play. Eight different Lions had receptions.
– Buck Wilson had two touchdown catches. Shawn Hooks had a touchdown grab. Darrion Landry also had a touchdown catch.
– Carandal Hale and E.J. Thompson both scored their first career rushing touchdowns in the game. Hale scored on a seven-yard carry and Thompson on an 11-yard carry. Gabriel Rodriguez also had a rushing touchdown. Thompson led the team with 69 yards rushing.
– Alex Shillow had an interception and a forced fumble on the defensive end.
– Garrett Blubaugh had an interception return for a touchdown. Danny Huckaby also had an interception.
– With 10,108 attendees on CommUniverCity Day, it was a record-breaking crowd at Memorial Stadium, breaking the record set last season during the homecoming game against West Texas A&M.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions wasted no time in scoring, getting a touchdown on their first possession. After an onside kick attempt by William Jewell was unsuccessful, the Lions started inside the 40-yard line of WJC. After a first down, the Lions faced a fourth down. Rodriguez came in at quarterback and rushed through the right side, waltzing in for a 13-yard touchdown. The kick was good, and the Lions led 7-0.

After forcing a three-and-out by the Cardinals, Hooks fielded a punt and returned the ball 31 yards. The Lions were unable to move down the field, also punting. However, it was the Lion defense that made the next play. On second down, Huckaby jumped in front of the receiver and intercepted the pass. After two rushing plays, Perez aired it out to Landry for a six-yard touchdown. The Lions led 14-0 with seven minutes to play in the first quarter.

After a Lion punt on their next possession went downed inside the ten, the Lion defense again got an interception. This time, it was Blubaugh, who returned it 11 yards for a touchdown. At the end of the first quarter, the Lions led 21-0.

A&M-Commerce scored again on its first possession of the second quarter. Perez completed passes of 24 and 19 yards to Hobbs before he completed a 16-yard touchdown pass to Wilson to give the Lions a 28-0 lead.

The Cardinals had their best drive of the half on their next possession, an 11-play drive that ate up six minutes of the clock. However, the Lion defense stopped WJC on a fourth-and-4 attempt to force a turnover on downs.

The Lions scored another long touchdown pass on their next possession, as Perez found Hooks for a 39-yard score. Shillow intercepted WJC on its final possession of the half, and A&M-Commerce took a 35-0 lead into halftime.

The Lion defense forced a punt on WJC’s first possession of the second half. The Lion offense drove down to the two-yard line before a pair of incomplete passes stalled the drive. Martinez connected on a 19-yard field goal to bring the Lion lead to 38-0.

The Lion defense again came up big for their next opportunity. It was Shillow again in the middle of the action. He forced a fumble that was recovered by Dominique Ramsey. He returned the ball to the two yard-line. However, the Lions could not convert the turnover into points, and the Cardinals recovered a Lion fumble near the goal line.

William Jewell turned the ball over on downs on their next possession, leaving the Lions with a short field once again. Perez hit Hobbs on the first play from scrimmage for 22 yards, then found Wilson for an 18-yard touchdown pass to give the Lions a 45-0 lead.

The Lions again forced a turnover on downs on WJC’s next possession, as a fake punt pass fell incomplete. Hale scored on a seven-yard rush on the second play of the drive to give the Lions a 52-0 lead going into the fourth quarter. It was Hale’s first career touchdown carry.

The Lions scored again in the second minute of the fourth quarter. Rodriguez rushed for a 14-yard gain, then followed that up with a handoff to Thompson, who stiff-armed two Cardinal tacklers on his way to an 11-yard touchdown rush. It was his first career touchdown. The Lions led 59-0 with 13 minutes to go.

The Cardinals got on the board on the last possession of the game with a touchdown pass as time expired. The Lions won the game 59-6.