Men’s soccer set to open season at Nelson, Texas Wesleyan

The UHV men's soccer team kicks off its quest for a fifth Red River Athletic Conference regular season title this week.

The Jaguars, beginning their 15^th season, open with a pair of road non-conference games at Nelson University (formerly SAGU) in Waxahachie on Thursday, Aug. 29, and at Texas Wesleyan in Fort Worth on Saturday, Aug. 31.

UHV (11-4-2 in 2023) returns plenty of experience with 11 players back from last year's team, which made the RRAC Tournament for a ninth consecutive year.

The team's leading scorer from a year ago, Yahir Pena (7 goals, 14 points), returns for his sophomore year as well as fellow sophomore Einar Rolfsen, who scored five times in nine matches last year. Pena and Carlos Quinones were All-RRAC honorees last year with Quinones on the first team and Pena on the All-Freshman team.

Junior Tyler Kaeppeli also returns in goal after boasting seven clean sheets for the second consecutive year, putting him five away from tying Brian Redmond's career record of 19 set in 2014-16.

"The returners are recognizing the new guys can play," said head coach Adrian Rigby, who enters his 15^th year at the helm. "I think for (the returners), it's about them making sure the new guys stay ahead of the curve and that they have that consistency in practice. They're also here to set the tone for the new guys."

Senior Adam Thompson is moving into an attacking role after scoring twice for the Jaguars last year and serving as a forward at the end of the season. Thompson spent his summer in the Texas Panhandle captaining Lubbock Matadors SC under the direction of former UHV assistant coach Brandon Misuraca in the National Premier Soccer League.

The native of Portsmouth, England, has featured in 47 matches during his three years at UHV, including a career-high 14 starts last year. His veteran presence is in part why he's wearing the captain's armband for a third season for the Jaguars.

"I think he's grown a lot as a person over the years," Rigby said. "He spent some time this summer playing at a good level where he was the captain of that team. Other people are seeing his ability to lead, not just us. So, we're going to rely on him, especially early on, to set the tone and standard for our guys."

This is the eighth all-time meeting with Nelson (1-0-1) and sixth with Texas Wesleyan (2-2).

The Jaguars hold the edge in both series with a 6-2 mark against the Lions following a 2-0 win last year at home thanks to goals by Rolfsen and Jose Martinez, who graduated, and a 3-2-1 mark against the Rams after a 2-2 draw to open the 2023 season. Rolfsen also scored against the Rams last year.

"Any college game is hard to play and hard to win," Rigby said. "These games are going to be battles from the start. We talked about wanting consistency in our work rate, so we hope to continue with that. We're excited to get up to the Dallas-Fort Worth area and play."