Men's soccer set for home opener, road trip to Wayland Baptist

The UHV men's soccer team is hoping for a productive week.

The Jaguars are scheduled to host Dallas Christian College at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5, at The Cage before heading to the Texas Panhandle on Saturday, Sept. 7, for a 1:30 p.m. tilt with Wayland Baptist.

Over the last three seasons, the Jaguars (0-0-1) boast a 19-4-4 record at home and hope to keep that trend going this year.

"We take a lot of pride in playing at home," said head coach Adrian Rigby. "We enjoy playing on a nice surface. I think the environment is good for the style we play. We want to make it tough on our opponents and make sure they have a tough game against us here. So, we're excited to get to play at home in front of our friends and family."

UHV fought to a 1-1 draw at Nelson in the team's season opener last Thursday before Saturday's scheduled game with Texas Wesleyan was washed out by thunderstorms.

Sophomore Einar Rolfsen continued his hot streak from his debut year, scoring an 83^rd-minute equalizer thanks to a ball from Baillie O'Reilly. It was his sixth career goal in 10 matches for the Jaguars.

"I thought we showed a lot of character," Rigby said, "which is what you want to have come through in some of the earlier games. That gives you confidence later in the season, if you're in those situations, so you can come back and get a result. I'm proud of the guys for battling back and the lessons we learned early on in the season."

This will be the first meeting between the Jaguars and Dallas Christian College (2-1), which competes in the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA). The Crusaders are coming off a 6-0 loss to Nelson on Tuesday.

"We're still trying to put some of our pieces together in that puzzle," Rigby said. "For us, Thursday is an opportunity to practice some of the things we've discussed over the last week. So, we're looking forward to getting out and having the chance to implement some of those things."

This is the fifth meeting all-time between UHV and Wayland Baptist (2-1), a member of the Sooner Athletic Conference in the NAIA. It's the first meeting since the Jaguars rallied back from two goals down for a 3-2 double-overtime win at the Cage on Sept. 11, 2021, thanks to Gabriel Rojas' golden goal in the 105^th minute. UHV holds a 2-1-1 edge in the all-time series.

The Pioneers travel to University of the Southwest (NM) on Wednesday before hosting UHV.

"Wayland is a well-coached team, so we're expecting a good game," Rigby said. "The competition will be very good. And any time you get to go on the road and spend time with the guys, I think that brings the unity together. We're looking to go up there and have a good performance, while also building that bond for later in the season."