Thursday SAGU Sports Ticker

Lions Soccer teams fall in Ft. Worth

Southwestern travels to New Mexico for Sat. games

W-Soccer Lady Lions can't keep up with Rams

FORT WORTH, Texas -- The Lady Lions fended off third place Texas Wesleyan on the road, before yielding three late second half goals in a 5-0 setback.

The Rams (13-3 overall, 5-2 in RRAC) pitched their record 10th shutout of the season in holding SAGU to a pair of shots. The Lady Lions (2-12, 0-7 in RRAC) did not lack for effort, drawing six of the game’s nine yellow cards. TWU fired 32 shots, including 15 on goal, to keep Southwestern on their heels.

The Wesleyan Women earned all six of the contest’s cornerkicks. In team fouls, SAGU was cited for 17 infractions while the hosts were called for 16.

Kealy Albus assisted on the Rams first goal and banged in her own rebound for a 2-0 halftime lead.

Senior Daniela Garcia (Tucson, Az / Rio Rico HS) and sophomore Amber Belisle (Roseville, Cal / Whitney HS) took a one shot apiece for the Purple Pride. Freshman goalie Haley Shingleton (Pasadena, Tx / Deer Park HS) went the distance, making 10 saves.

The Lady Lions remain on the road as they trek to Hobbs, New Mexico for an 11:00am Saturday match against the University of the Southwest (3-7-1, 1-5-1 in RRAC). The Lady Mustangs defeated Huston-Tillotson University on Thursday, 4-2.

Their season finale on at home, October 29, when they face the Tillotson Lady Rams (4-9, 2-5 in RRAC). The 1:00pm game will highlight the team’s seniors.

M-Soccer loses 3-0 decision to TWU Rams

Having to play one of the Red River Athletic Conference’s toughest teams without the services of their top scorer, Danny Martinez (Houston, Tx / Cy-Creek HS), proved to be a tall order for the SAGU Lions men’s soccer team. SAGU (5-7-4, 3-4-2 in RRAC) struggled to find the range on offense in a 3-0 setback at Martin Field.

The night game was a physical affair as the Lions did not go down easily. Coach Gerald Nichols’ team were called for a season-high 25 fouls (TWU had 15), an indication of their energy to keep the Rams in their sights after they got a quick goal in the game’s third minute.

There were six cautions issued by the official, with four of the yellow cards going against the Rams.

Wesleyan’s T.J. Romaguera scored the first goal and assisted on the second, netted by Ivan Kovacevic  in the 40th minute. The defensive battle had only one goal after recess, and it came on a penalty kick by Javier Padilla with 22 minutes remaining.

Southwestern managed to hold an edge in ball possession, and worked for their share of scoring chances. The Lions had a 17 to 14 advantage in shots, including a 7-5 margin in shots on goal. Both clubs worked to garner two cornerkicks.

Sophomore Joe Ballah (Monrovia, Liberia / Independence HS, Charlotte, NC) was active for the Cats, firing a match-high six shots, four of them on goal. Freshman Salvador “Chava” Avila (Irving, Tx / MacArthur HS) took three attempts at the goal, with senior captain Sam Cabrera (Tampa, Fla / Tampa Baptist) and Jonathan Ramos (Tegus, Honduras / Garringer HS, Charlotte, NC) each had two shots.

Texas Wesleyan University (8-5-2, 5-2-1 in RRAC) moved into a tied for third in the league.

The chances of making their first-ever berth in the RRAC tournament grew darker with Thursday’s loss in which the purple pinstripers slid to 8th place. Only the top six teams qualify. SAGU has gone 0-3-2 record over the past three weeks.

The Lions will be on the road again Saturday. From Hobbs, New Mexico, they will take on the University of the Southwest (2-11-1, 1-7-1 in RRAC) at 1:00pm. SAGU closes their regular season on October 29 when first place Huston-Tillotson University (13-2, 9-0 in RRAC) comes to Pride Park for a 3:00pm game.

NCCAA's Central Regional comes to Waxahachie

SAGU will play host to the National Christian College Athletic Association’s Central Regional over November 17-19. Anywhere from four-to-eight teams could enter the event, whose winner advances to the NCCAA’s nationals in Orlando during the first weekend in December.

Contact: Mark “Link” Warde , Sports Information Director, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at 469-658-2847.