East Texas A&M Lions women's soccer

East Texas A&M Lions
women's soccer
Founded1995; 29 years ago (1995)
UniversityEast Texas A&M University
Head coachAshley Gordon (3rd season)
ConferenceSouthland
LocationCommerce, Texas
StadiumLion Soccer Field
(Capacity: 500)
NicknameLions
ColorsBlue and gold[1]
   
Home
Away
NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals
1999
NCAA Tournament appearances
1999, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Conference Tournament championships
1999, 2004, 2014, 2015
Conference Regular Season championships
1999, 2003, 2008, 2014, 2016
For information on all East Texas A&M University sports, see East Texas A&M Lions

The East Texas A&M Lions women's soccer team is the women's intercollegiate soccer program representing East Texas A&M University. The school competes in the Southland Conference (SLC) in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). For the first 27 years of existence, they competed in the Lone Star Conference of Division II. The East Texas A&M women's soccer team plays its home games at Lion Soccer Field on the university campus in Commerce, Texas. The Lions won four LSC regular season championships, three conference tournament titles, and made six appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament. The team is currently coached by Ashley Gordon.

History

Women's soccer has been a varsity sport at East Texas A&M since the 1995 season, when the school was still known as Texas A&M–Commerce and competed as an independent. The Lions subsequently began play as an LSC member when the conference began officially sponsoring the sport in 1996. During the first three years of the program's existence, Mike Munch led A&M–Commerce to two winning seasons and two appearances in the LSC semifinals, albeit no NCAA tournament appearances.[2]

The 2015 team

Since beginning conference play, the Lions have won the LSC regular season title on five occasions (in 1999, 2003, 2014, and including co-championships in 2008 and 2016) and the tournament championship four times (in 1999, 2004, 2014, and 2015).[2][3] East Texas A&M has also eight seven postseason appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament, achieving their best result (an appearance in the Elite Eight) during their first campaign in 1999. The program has won all of its championships and made all of its NCAA postseason appearances during the tenure of Neil Piper, who served as head coach from 1998 to 2021.[2]

The Lions in action against the Midwestern State Mustangs in 2014

After the 2021 season, Piper announced his resignation on December 9, 2021.[4] Ashley Gordon was hired as the program's third head coach on January 4, 2022.[5] During their first season in the Southland, the Lions went 7-8-1 during the regular season, finishing third in the conference. In the conference tournament, they defeated the Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Islanders in the quarterfinal round,[6] then shocked the Northwestern State Lady Demons in the semifinal round,[7] before eventually falling to the Lamar Lady Cardinals in the Southland Conference Championship game.[8] This gave them a 9-9-2 record in their first season as a Division I school.[9]

During Gordon's second season, the Lions became the first East Texas A&M sports program to have an overall winning record in a season as a Division I team, going 9-7-3. They clinched the second seed in the Southland Conference Tournament, but were eliminated in the first round by the Houston Christian Huskies.[10][11]

In 2024, the Lions endured their first losing season in the Division I era, but once again qualified for the Southland Conference Tournament. They defeated the Incarnate Word Cardinals 2-1 in the quarterfinals, then took down the Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Islanders 2-1 in the semifinals, before losing to the SFA Ladyjacks 2-0 in the championship game.[12]

All-time record

The Lions in action against the Texas Woman's Pioneers
Year Head Coach Overall Pct. Conf. Pct. Place Tourn. Postseason
1995 Mike Munch 0-2-2 .250 – – – – –
1996 9-8-2 .526 2-4-2 .375 T4th Semifinals –
1997 12-8 .600 6-4 .600 T2nd Semifinals –
1998 Neil Piper 13-6 .684 5-2 .714 T3rd Semifinals –
1999 16-4-1 .786 7-1-1 .833 1st Champions Elite Eight
2000 9-6-1 .594 3–4 .429 6th – –
2001 9-8-2 .526 5-2 .714 T2nd Semifinals –
2002 14-3-2 .789 4-3-1 .563 5th – –
2003 16-3-3 .795 7-1-1 .833 1st Runners-Up First Round
2004 15-7-1 .674 7-2 .778 2nd Champions First Round
2005 11-5-3 .658 5-2-2 .667 3rd Quarterfinals –
2006 12-8-3 .587 6-2-1 .722 T3rd Runners-Up –
2007 9-10-1 .475 5-4 .556 T3rd Semifinals –
2008 16-4-3 .761 7-1-2 .800 T1st Runners-Up Sweet Sixteen
2009 10-8-1 .553 5-5 .500 6th Quarterfinals –
2010 8-7-3 .528 4-4-3 .500 6th Quarterfinals –
2011 8-9-3 .475 6-6-2 .500 4th Semifinals –
2012 5–12 .294 4–10 .286 T7th – –
2013 11-6-2 .632 5-4-1 .550 3rd Semifinals First Round
2014 16-5-1 .750 7-3 .700 1st Champions Sweet Sixteen
2015 13-6-2 .667 7-1-2 .800 2nd Champions First round
2016 15-6-1 .705 9-3-0 .750 T1st Runners-Up Sweet Sixteen
2017 12-4-3 .711 8-3-1 .708 2nd Semifinals –
2018 9-8 .529 6-6 .500 4th Quarterfinals –
2019 10-8-1 .553 7-6 .538 7th Quarterfinals –
2020 4-3 .571 3-2 .600 4th Semifinals –
2021 10-8-2 .550 7-5-1 .577 7th Semifinals –
2022 Ashley Gordon 9-9-2 .500 7-4-1 .625 3rd Runners-Up –
2023 9-7-3 .553 7-1-2 .800 2nd First Round —
2024 9-10-3 .477 6-3-1 .650 3rd Runners-Up —

Year-by-year results through the end of the 2024 season[2][3]

Stadium

Lion Soccer Field
Lion Soccer Field as it appeared during the 2014 season
Map
LocationOn Hubbell Dr and Culver St
Commerce, Texas
Coordinates33°14′17.9″N 95°54′57.8″W / 33.238306°N 95.916056°W / 33.238306; -95.916056
OwnerEast Texas A&M University
OperatorEast Texas A&M University
Seating typebleacher bench
Capacity500
Field size115 X 72 yards
Surfacegrass
Scoreboardelectronic, digital
Construction
Built2009
OpenedSeptember 24, 1999
Tenants
East Texas A&M University (NCAA)

Lion Soccer Field has been the home of the East Texas A&M Lions women's soccer team since 1999. The stadium seats 500 spectators with bleacher seating and has a playing surface that measures 115 yards (105 m) by 72 yards (66 m). Prior to its construction, the land on which it was built had been occupied by a botanical nursery and tennis courts.[13]

Improvements

At the time it hosted its first game, on September 24, 1999, the venue consisted of little more than a Bermuda grass field, a scoreboard donated by a local business, and a chain-link fence around the perimeter. Over the next decade and a half, Lion Soccer Field benefited from numerous upgrades, including the addition of floodlights to enable the playing of night games (2009), a press box (2011), a permanent black metal fence to replace the chain-link fence (2013), and a new scoreboard (2014).

Post season play

In 2014, the stadium hosted both the Lone Star Conference Tournament as well as two opening-round games in the South Central Region of the NCAA Division II Tournament.[13]

High attendance

Below is the Lions' yearly high home attendance at the Lion Soccer Field since 2010.

Season High
Yearly Home Attendance
2022[14] 711
2021[14] 257
2020[14] 217*
2019[14] 412
2018[14] 605
2017[14] 337
2016[14] 630
2015[14] 306
2014[14] 537
2013[14] 431
2012[14] 448
2011[14] 212
2010[14] 221
  • Stadium capacity limited due to COVID19 precautions

References

  1. ^ "Logo Downloads - Texas A&M University-Commerce". Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d "All-time Game Results". LionAthletics.com. Texas A&M University–Commerce. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "2015 LSC Fall Media Guide". Lone Star Conference. 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  4. ^ Manck, Josh (December 9, 2021). "Piper resigns as head coach of Lion Soccer after 24 seasons". LionsAthletics.com. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  5. ^ "Ashley Gordon hired as head soccer coach at Texas A&M University-Commerce". LionsAthletics.com. January 4, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  6. ^ "No. 3 Lions collect first DI postseason win, 2–1, over No. 6 Islanders". LionAthletics.com. November 2, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  7. ^ "Overtime thriller punches Lions' ticket to the SLC Championship Match". LionAthletics.com. November 2, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  8. ^ "Lions fall to Lamar in Southland Tournament Championship match". LionAthletics.com. November 2, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  9. ^ "2022 Soccer Schedule". LionAthletics.com. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  10. ^ "2023 Soccer Schedule". LionAthletics.com. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  11. ^ "Lions beat Cowgirls, 1-0, clinch No. 2 seed and first winning season in DI era". LionAthletics.com. October 27, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  12. ^ "2024 Soccer Schedule". LionAthletics.com. East Texas A&M University. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Lion Soccer Field". LionAthletics.com. East Texas A&M University. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Texas A&M-Commerce Lions". NCAA. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
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