COMMERCE – The Texas A&M College-Commerce soccer group is again on the highway to face the Houston Christian Huskies this Saturday afternoon. The Lions have by no means misplaced to the Huskies.
WHO: A&M-Commerce at Houston Christian
WHERE: Houston | Husky Stadium
WHEN: Saturday, October 28 | 2 p.m.
RECORDS: The Lions are 1-6 general and 1-2 in Southland Convention play, whereas the Huskies are 3-4 general and 1-2 in SLC play as nicely.
RANKINGS: Neither group is nationally ranked
LIVE AUDIO: Lion Sports activities Community – KETR 88.9 FM, Commerce (http://www.ketr.org)
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+ | https://www.espn.com/watch/participant/_/id/28a39cbe-2c3f-4b09-af2a-72d43dd1b5d0
LIVE STATS: https://hcuhuskies.com/sidearmstats/soccer/abstract
GAME NOTES: TAMUC | HCU
A&M-COMMERCE ENTERS SECOND YEAR IN NCAA DIVISION I FCS
• The Lions start the second season in NCAA Division I FCS this yr.
• It is usually the second season for the Lions within the Southland Convention and first underneath coach Clint Dolezel.
• A&M-Commerce shall be eligible for FCS Playoffs throughout the 2026 season.
SLC MEMBERS IN 2023-24
| Establishment | Provides Soccer? |
| A&M-COMMERCE | YES |
| Houston Christian | Sure |
| Incarnate Phrase | Sure |
| Lamar | Sure |
| McNeese State | Sure |
| New Orleans | No |
| Nicholls State | Sure |
| Northwestern State | Sure |
| Southeastern Louisiana | Sure |
| Texas A&M-Corpus Christi | No |
DOLEZEL TAKES THE REINS
• Coach Clint Dolezel makes his debut this season because the Lions coach, returning to his alma mater.
• A Lion Athletics Corridor of Fame inductee, Dolezel is taken into account probably the greatest enviornment soccer quarterbacks of all-time and coached a number of championship groups in enviornment soccer.
• He brings alongside one other Lion Athletics Corridor of Famer, Bobby Bounds because the offensive coordinator and Dave Ewart because the offensive line coach.
• Chase Paramore (Operating Backs), Jarrett Boykin (Huge Receivers), and Nathan Jester (Tight Ends) are new additions on the offensive workers, whereas Jay Williams (Safeties) is the lone new coach defensively.
• Each Jester and Williams spent final season on the teaching workers as graduate assistants.
LEADERS IN INTERCEPTIONS
• By way of seven video games, the Lions have 244 return yards from their 13 interceptions on the season.
• A&M-Commerce is the FCS chief in interception return yards and tied with Jackson State for 13 interceptions.
• The Lions are tied with Jap Illinois and Richmond with 20 turnovers compelled for the FCS lead.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST THE HUSKIES
• The Lions are 2-0 all-time in opposition to the Huskies, having received 31-3 final season at residence.
• The 2 groups first met in Houston in 2013, with the Lions profitable, 55-21.
HOMECOMING WINNING STREAK COMES TO AN END
• Final week, the Lions fell to Nicholls on homecoming weekend, marking the primary loss on homecoming weekend for the Lions since 2013.
• A&M-Commerce is now 60-36-1 all-time on homecoming weekend.
A WIN AT LAST
• The Lions snapped a four-game shedding streak and an eight-game shedding streak courting again to final season by beating McNeese.
• A&M-Commerce has began 1-0 in convention play in its each years within the Southland Convention and NCAA Division I FCS.
• The win additionally marked the primary collegiate teaching win for Clint Dolezel.
NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• After a two-interception efficiency in opposition to Previous Dominion, Max Epps was named the Southland Convention and FCS Stats Nationwide Defensive Participant of the Week.
• He enters week eight because the FCS chief in interception return yards, with 150, which is the 21 greater than some other FCS participant.
• He’s additionally tied for the FCS lead with 4 interceptions.
• Epps was the primary Nationwide Participant of the Week in any sport for A&M-Commerce within the Division I period.
STAYING IN TEXAS
• After taking part in two video games on the other sides of the nation, the Lions are residence in Texas for all however one recreation this season, taking part in seven straight video games within the Lone Star state.
• The lone out-of-state recreation comes at Northwestern State to shut out the season on November 11.
SUCCESS IN SEASON OPENERS
• A&M-Commerce fell to UC Davis in week one within the season opener, ending a streak of 9 straight wins within the first recreation of the season.
• Previous to this season, the Lions final misplaced a season opener in 2012.
STREAK OF SEASON OPENING WINS
| 2013 | W, 51-6, Sul Ross State |
| 2014 | W, 98-20, East Texas Baptist |
| 2015 | W, 48-17, Adams State |
| 2016 | W, 40-28, at Delta State |
| 2017 | W, 8-7, at North Alabama |
| 2018 | W, 37-36 (OT), Texas A&M-Kingsville |
| 2019 | W, 93-0, Nuevo Leon Nationwide Crew |
| 2021 | W, 12-6, at Colorado State-Pueblo |
| 2022 | W, 52-7, vs. Lincoln (Calif.) |
ALWAYS FARED WELL AGAINST RANKED TEAMS
• The Lions have performed three nationally ranked groups up to now this season.
• Relationship again to the 2015 season, A&M-Commerce has picked up no less than one win over a ranked group every season.
• Final season, the Lions beat No. 20/19 Southeastern on the highway, for the primary ranked win as a Division I FCS member.
• This season, the Lions are 0-3 in opposition to ranked groups and should not have some other ranked group left on their schedule, although Lamar is receiving votes within the FCS Stats Ballot.
FIVE HUNDRED TIMES ON THE ROAD
• The highway recreation at SFA was the Lions’ five hundredth recreation on the highway and third of the season.
• The Lions are 229-261-11 all-time on the highway.
A SERIES OF FIRSTS
• The Lions and ODU met for the primary time.
• It was additionally the primary time that A&M-Commerce confronted a FBS opponent since transferring as much as NCAA Division I.
CALIFORNIA LOVIN’
• The sport at Sac State was A&M-Commerce’s first recreation within the state of California since taking part in UC Davis in 1999.
STILL STREAKING
• A&M-Commerce prolonged its non-shutout streak to 128 video games final week.
• The Lions had been final shutout on Nov. 12, 2011.
TAYLOR-MADE START TO THE SEASON
• A cornerstone for the Lion protection, Daryion Taylor totaled 9 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack, and one interception, which got here within the fourth quarter, in opposition to UIW.
• Taylor leads the group with 48 tackles and has compelled 4 turnovers.
• The senior defensive again was picked as a preseason all-Southland Convention choice.
HARGROVE BURSTS ONTO THE SCENE
• Ra’Veion Hargove put the Lions up early in opposition to McNeese with two touchdowns within the second quarter.
• His second landing was a 49-yard run that put A&M-Commerce up 14-3 and began a 41-0 scoring run for the Lions.
• Hargrove has gained 220 yards on the bottom and 54 yards by way of the aerial route.
RARE FEAT FOR THE LIONS
• Final season, the Lions began 3-0 in convention play with the win over HCU. The Lions grew to become simply the fourth program to begin convention play 3-0 throughout its first season in NCAA Division I AA/FCS, becoming a member of UAlbany (DII), Dayton (DIII), and Gardner-Webb (DII).
| Yr. | Crew | Conf. | Strk | Closing Report |
| 1983 | Dayton | Pioneer | W6 | 6-0 |
| 1999 | UAlbany | Northeast | W5 | 6-1 |
| 2002 | Gardner-Webb | Huge South | W3 | 3-0 |
| 2022 | A&M-COMMERCE | SOUTHLAND | W3 | 3-3 |
RARELY MISSED HISTORY
• The Lions went 5-6 in 2022, hardly ever lacking a profitable document, stopping a streak of getting a profitable season for yearly since 2013.
LIONS EARN NATIONAL RECOGNITION IN 2022
• After the win at Southeastern a yr in the past, quarterback Eric Rodriguez was among the many honorable point out candidates for FCS Nationwide Offensive Participant of the Week award.
• As a group, the Lions had been additionally named as a honorable point out Nationwide Crew of the Week
• On October 17, Kendall Paul was additionally named an honorable point out Defensive Participant of the Week after incomes the SLC Defensive Participant of the Week.
FINDING SECOND HOMES
• As is the case across the nation, the Lions welcome 24 transfers to the squad in 2023. The transfers have discovered their approach to Commerce from all ranges of faculty soccer.
| School Soccer Division | Variety of Transfers |
| Division I FBS | 1 |
| Division I FCS | 10 |
| Division II | 5 |
| NAIA & Junior School | 8 |
LIONS IN THE PROS
• 4 Lion alums are presently, or not too long ago signed skilled soccer contracts, highlighted Miami Dolphins beginning cornerback Kader Kohou.
• Luis Perez ended the newest XFL season as a league champion with the Arlington Renegades, incomes championship recreation MVP honors.
• Latest graduate, Celestin Haba signed a contract with the Winnepeg Jets of the Canadian Soccer League and has turn out to be a mainstay on the defensive position.
• Haba joins Jalen Edwards-Cooper within the CFL. Edwards-Cooper performs for the British Columbia Lions.
LION FOOTBALL RANKED NO. 4 IN “TOP 20 PROGRAMS THAT INSPIRE”
• The Lion Soccer program was ranked No. 4 in School Athletic Advisor’s High 20 Applications That Encourage in 2021.
• This system rankings are open to all four-year, collegiate-level packages outdoors of NCAA Division I and are primarily based on a subjective evaluation of pupil expertise in 4 areas:
-Holistic improvement of student-athletes within the establishment;
-Educational achievement and help for the tutorial success of student-athletes;
-Total school expertise for individuals inside the program;
-Affordability/commencement charges/pupil satisfaction.
• Though School Athletic Advisor’s checklist is subjective, the group believes these rankings “current an knowledgeable start line for a dialogue about the place student-athletes can excel as ‘triple-threat’ opponents (lecturers, athletics, and socially) in school and of their future lives.”
-TAMUC-
