Women’s soccer set for pivotal home games against Xavier (La.), LSU Alexandria

Everything is still in play for the Texas A&M University-Victoria women's soccer team.

The Jaguars (7-2-3, 4-1-1) enter the week in fourth place in the Red River Athletic Conference standings on 13 points, just five behind the leaders at LSU Shreveport. That means A&M-Victoria is right in the middle of the conference title race with five matches left in the season.

But, if the Jaguars hope to lift the trophy at the end of the year, they know they have to take a game-by-game approach, starting with Xavier (La.) on Thursday and LSU Alexandria on Saturday, both of which are at home.

The Gold Nuggets and Generals are currently second and third, respectively, in the RRAC standings. A&M-Victoria is unbeaten in its last five matches after wins over Texas College, 9-0, and Southwest, 4-1, last week.

"The most exciting thing about all of our hard work and our upcoming week is the focus the team has had," said head coach Kimberly Uetrecht. "It's been a very team-driven focus in terms of taking on each opponent game by game. They've taken it upon themselves to come out every single practice and pursue excellence so we can do the same thing on gameday. So, the exciting thing is just seeing how driven and motivated this team is right now."

Ayloni Garcia continued her torrid pace to set the tone for the Jaguars' attack with two goals in each game last week.

The McAllen native is on 13 goals and 29 points now this season, and needs two goals and three points to eclipse the single-season records of 14 goals and 31 points. She has scored in five straight matches.

Vanessa Bevalian also upped her goals total to six with goals in back-to-back games.

But it was the first goals of the season by Ashley Serrano, Yesenia Vega, Briana Ortega and Cheyenne Grant that highlighted a strong offensive week for the Jaguars. For Serrano and Grant, it was their first collegiate goals.

Now, the Jaguars boast 13 different goal scorers this season, giving the team plenty of depth in attack heading into a crucial week of conference matches.

"I think our staff was really focused on making sure everyone was on the save page as we move into the final few weeks of conference play," Uetrecht said. "That means anybody, from starters to anyone coming off the bench, is contributing in different ways in practice and that we're all focused on making sure we are the best possible team so that, when we do get into games, we can perform. It's been really cool to see the team embrace the opportunities given to them."

The Jaguars continue to boast one of the best defenses in the conference with a 1.08 goals allowed average which is tied for third in the RRAC.

Last week, A&M-Victoria allowed just five shots between the two games thanks to the stout defensive play of their starting back line in Grant, Rosa Reyes, Yuvier Borjas and Ariana Briones.

They'll be tested this week against Xavier and LSUA, which rank first and fourth, respectively, in goals per game. Xavier is averaging 4.6 goals per game while LSUA is scoring 3.38 goals per game.

"We've absolutely been tested defensively and have gained confidence there," Uetrecht said. "It's nice to see some really strong leaders in the back line. You have Nat (Rosa), who's a senior leading the way. You have Cheyenne, who's really coming into her own and leading us verbally and physically by going into some pretty big tackles. So, it is great to see them come into that confidence and it will be very important as we face some good opponents."

Saturday's game will also be the team's annual Pink Out Game. DeTar Healthcare Center has provided limited breast cancer awareness-themed giveaway items for fans in attendance.