Gator Club Sports Update: Soccer Clubs Win On and Off the Field
Since Spring 2020, UHD Sports & Fitness Club Sports teams are back in action both and off the field. The men’s and women’s soccer club teams are competing in a new conference for the first time ever, the Texas Collegiate Soccer League (TCSL).
This new conference features the top collegiate club soccer teams in Texas, but battling through adversity and facing a tough challenge is something both club teams take pride in.
In their season opening matchup last weekend on Sept. 11, the men’s soccer club team came away with a hard fought 2-1 victory at home versus the Sea Aggies from Texas A&M University at Galveston. UHD’s Tommy De Leon and Jonathan Cervantes scored first half goals to give the Gators a 2-0 lead at halftime. However, Texas A&M-Galveston responded in the second half with a penalty kick to make it close, but UHD closed the game for a 2-1 win. In his second full season as club head coach, UHD alumni and former men’s soccer club player, Thompson Antwi, began working with his team in July preparing for this moment. Coach Thompson and soccer club President Jorge Mendoza and Vice President Christian Castellon, had the team ready for their first game and look forward to a strong season in the TCSL. The next game for the men’s soccer club team is Saturday, Sept. 18, 3 p.m. when UHD takes on the Rice University Owls at the Rice Intramural Rec Fields.
The women’s soccer club team was off last weekend; however, they still succeeded as a group by volunteering and participating in the 2021 GatorServe at 9/11 Day of Remembrance. Every member of the team joined their fellow Gators at Finnigan Park Community Center in giving back to the community. After a season opening loss at Texas A&M on Sept. 5, the women’s team continues their season in the TCSL with their home opener against Rice University on Saturday, Sept. 18, 1 p.m. at Bayland Park #L-2 (6400 Bissonnet St. Houston, TX 77074).
The University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) is the second-largest university in Houston and has served the educational needs of the nation’s fourth-largest city since 1974. As one of four distinct public universities in the University of Houston System, UHD is a comprehensive, four-year university led by President Loren J. Blanchard. Annually, UHD educates approximately 14,000 students, boasts more than 66,000 alumni, and offers 45 bachelor’s degrees, 12 master’s degrees, and 19 online programs within four colleges: Marilyn Davies College of Business, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Public Service, and College of Sciences and Technology. UHD has one of the lowest tuition rates in Texas.
U.S. News and World Report ranked UHD among the nation’s Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Applied Administration and Best Online Master’s Programs in Criminal Justice, as well as a Top Performer in Social Mobility. The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse ranked UHD one of the best colleges in the U.S. for its 2024 rankings, with notable distinctions: No. 1 for diversity (tied) and No. 3 for student experience. The University is designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, a Minority-Serving Institution, and a Military Friendly School. For more information on the University of Houston-Downtown, visit uhd.edu.
