Women’s soccer hosting Texas Wesleyan, Concordia this week

Last week felt good for the Texas A&M University-Victoria women's soccer team.

The Jaguars rallied for a 1-1 draw with Nelson University on Friday before earning the first win as A&M-Victoria on Sunday in a 1-0 result on the road against McMurry University.

Now, A&M-Victoria (1-1-1) aims to keep that momentum rolling this week with home games against Texas Wesleyan, on Thursday, and Concordia University Texas, on Saturday. Both games are scheduled for 1 p.m.

"It was definitely exciting," said head coach Kimberly Uetrecht. "We definitely like the concept of being the ones to go first and set the tone. So, being able to come out with a draw and a win was awesome. We are really trying to continue to grow and take what we learned in training, and put it on the field. They've committed to doing that together as a team and fighting for each other on the field, and that's been really nice to see."

Junior goalkeeper Jamie Noriega was named Red River Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week after a strong showing last week.

The Dickinson native made five saves in Friday's draw and then seven on Sunday – both marks were season-high's for Noriega. She ranks fourth in the RRAC for saves with 15 through three games.

Uetrecht credits that performance to the team finding its rhythm with one another.

"I think definitely the team growth has really influenced her as an individual," Uetrecht said. "As we grow as a team and do what we want on the field, it's allowing her to be the player that she can be, which is really cool. She definitely stepped up to the table and is probably one of the bravest goalkeepers I know coming off the line. But the team being so together has enabled her to then be the best version of herself on the field and I think we'll see much more of that as we continue on in the season."

The Jaguars trailed Nelson, 1-0, until an 86^th-minute goal by Belle Artley leveled the match. Ayloni Garcia provided the winner with a rocket to the upper corner in Sunday's victory.

The two goals last week were the finishing touches of an offense growing in confidence. After being held to one shot in the season opener, the Jaguars have posted 16 total shots over the last two games.

"It is really important to building our confidence," Uetrecht said. "We're laying down the framework by working hard in practice and trying to apply that into games. Seeing (the goals) happen helps us all move forward and build some momentum."

Thursday will be the eighth meeting between the Jaguars and Rams (1-2-2) after last year's scheduled meeting in Fort Worth was cancelled due to lightning. The all-time series is split down the middle 3-3-1 after a 2-2 draw in Victoria in 2023.

Saturday will also be the eighth meeting all-time against the Tornadoes (0-3) with A&M-Victoria holding a 4-1-2 edge. The Jaguars won the last meeting, 2-0, in Victoria during the 2023 season.

"We love playing Texas Wesleyan and Concordia," Uetrecht said. "They're kind of standing games for us in non-conference and we always have competitive games. The best part is we're trying to grow every day and we get to see that growth by playing these tough teams. We get to challenge ourselves and learn some stuff about ourselves in the process."

Saturday's game is also Youth Soccer Appreciation Day. All youth soccer players get in free if they're wearing their youth soccer team's jersey.