OLLU Men's Soccer Poised for a Bounce-Back 2024 Season
SAN ANTONIO (Aug. 12, 2024) – The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) men's soccer team, a team with a rich history of success, is poised for a bounce-back 2024 season after a challenging year. Head Coach Shane Hurley, a seasoned leader who has guided the team to numerous victories, is confident that the returning squad and newcomers will succeed in their goals for the new year.
Hurley commented, "[Assistant] Coach [Jesus] Cortes and I are very excited about the upcoming season. This team will continue to improve and re-establish the program regionally and nationally while being a contender for the RRAC title."
Coaching staff
Hurley, a respected figure in the soccer community, returns for his second season and 15th overall after he coached the team from 2007-2020. He posted a .632 conference winning percentage and achieved two regular-season championships. Assistant Coach Jesus Cortes, known for his strategic insights and player development skills, will be by his side again. In addition, Zachary Brewer, a seasoned goalkeeper coach with a proven track record of nurturing talent, will assist the team.
Conference overview
The Saints finished last season with a 5-5-3 record in the Red River Athletic Conference and a 5-8-3 overall mark. Final standings in the RRAC in 2023 are as follows: LSU-Shreveport (LSUS) (11-2/16-6-1), Louisiana Christian University (LCU) (9-1-3/14-4-4), Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) (9-2-2/10-4-2), the University of Houston Victoria (UHV) ( 9-3-1/11-4-2), Jarvis Christian University (JCU) (7-3-3/10-5-3), LSU-Aleandria (LSUA) (7-3-3/8-6-3), Texas A&M University-San Antonio (AM-SA) (7-4-2/8-6-2), Texas A&M University – Texarkana (TAMUT) (7-5-1/9-9-1), OLLU, North American University (NAU) (5-8/6-9), Huston-Tillotson University (HTU) (2-10-1/3-11-1), the University of the Southwest (USW), 1-11-1/2-12-2), Texas College (TC) (0-11-3/1-12-3) and Paul Quinn College (0-12-1.0-15-1).
Preseason schedule (information in parenthesis is overall record against team)
The Saints begin their preseason at home with the annual alumni game on Aug. 17 at 3 p.m. This event is a great way to reconnect with alumni from the Saints' first season, 2007, through 2023.
The Saints host NCAA D3 Schreiner University (7-1) on Aug. 23 and will travel to Seguin, Texas, for an exhibition against NCAA D3 Texas Lutheran University (5-2-3) on Aug. 26.
OLLU heads out to Oklahoma for two nonconference matches beginning on Aug. 29 against Oklahoma City University (2-5-2) and then on Aug. 31 against the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (2-5) in Chickasha, Okla. The Saints return to San Antonio to play NCAA D2 St. Mary's University (1-5) at Sigma Beta Chi Field on Sept. 5. On Sept. 13, the men will travel to North San Antonio for a match against NCAA D1 University of the Incarnate Word (0-3).
Conference lineup
On Sept. 19, the men begin their conference schedule with an away match against LSUS (6-6) in Shreveport, La., and on Sept. 21 against TAMUT (8-2) in Texarkana, Texas.
The team welcomes TC (12-2-1) on Sept. 26 and JCU (0-0-1) on Sept. 28. The Saints travel to Hobbs, N.M., for a match against USW (12-7-1) on Oct. 3, and to Dallas to play PQC (4-1-2) on Oct. 5.
The Saints return home on Oct. 12 to play AM-SA (1-2). On Oct. 17, OLLU will be in Louisiana to play XULA (0-1). On Oct. 19, the Saints will play NAU (1-0) in Houston.
OLLU hosts LSUA (2-8-4) on Oct. 24 and LCU (1-1-1) on Oct. 26. The Saints will travel to Victoria for a matchup against UHV (8-8-3) on Oct. 31. The men will play at home for their last regular-season game on Nov. 2 against HTU (9-9-2).
RRAC tournament
The conference will get set for the 2024 postseason beginning Nov. 8 at campus sites for the opening round and Nov. 14 for the final round in Texarkana, Texas. Last year, LSUS won the regular season, while LCU won the postseason.
Both LSUS and LCU qualified for nationals. Shreveport won its first game 1-0 against Olivet Nazarene and lost to Oklahoma Wesleyan University 0-1 in the second round. LCU won its first game at nationals against Hope International University 3-2 and lost to the University of Mobile 0-4 to end the season.
Returners
Tim Talabi and Christopher Zepeda will return as graduate students. Miguel Barrera will also return as a graduate student after playing in 2020 and 2021. Seniors include Alejandro Avila, Matthew Banda, Adrian Maldonado, Sagesse Gutsa and David Tellez.
Junior returners include Cade Ryan, Harry Acklam, Cristian Govea Mireles, Karson Webb and Jordan Betterton. Sophomores who are returning are Dominic Pena, Emiliano Espinoza, Stan Driessen, Baden Arrieta, Nikola Saltchev, Nicolás Murgas, Aldo Aviles and Kaylan Baptiste.
Newcomers
The Saints have added quite a few newcomers to the squad. They include graduate student Carlos Alvarez, juniors Andres Rocha and Thiago Fernandes, sophomore Jose Camacho, and freshmen Gerardo Martinez, Jared Garibay, Samuel Szogolovszkij, Carlos Luna, Stephen Matt Mireles, Danilo Marinho de Figueiredo, Benjamin Hinojosa, Jovany Contreras and Adrian Alvarez.
Academics
In academics, the Saints have once again demonstrated their commitment to excellence, earning their sixth NAIA Scholar-Team Award. Of the 31 members of the team, 18 achieved GPAs of 3.0 and above. Eleven earned 3.50-3.99 GPAs, and seven had GPAs of 3.0-3.49. The team finished with an overall 3.10 GPA. This academic success is a testament to the team's dedication and hard work.
Live-streaming and fan experience
The Saints' home matches will be live streamed on the OLLU Saints Network, providing fans with the opportunity to support the team from anywhere. This initiative aims to bring the excitement of the game to Saints fans, with a video scoreboard featuring player introductions, goal-scoring celebrations and more. OLLU wants its fans to feel engaged and connected to the team, no matter where they are.
Hear from Head Coach Shane Hurley as he discusses the 2024 Season