Stephen Gutierrez EDINBURG – After spending the last season as an NCAA division one independent, the Vaqueros are now a part of the Ohio Valley Conference this year.
Bryheem Hancock, head coach, said his team is stepping onto the pitch with something new to compete for a conference championship.
“This year the excitement is different because you have that cup that you can hold at the end of the season and you have two opportunities to do it,” Hancock said. “Then you have something you can play [in the] postseason beyond that NCAA … so we have real aspirations and goals this year.”
According to an Aug. 6 UTRGV athletics press release, the Vaqueros are projected to reach the conference tournament after the OVC preseason poll.
Mouhammed Pouye, senior forward, said the team wants to focus on success this season to make that expectation a reality.
“For the … first year in this conference? winning,” Pouye said. “Winning something, winning the, like the regular season or the tournament. I don’t think people expect it from our side, but we strongly believe in that and we’re working towards that.”
Eduardo De Oliveira, senior midfielder, echoed that statement and said the team leaders are putting in the work to strengthen the group this year.
“So yeah, I think everyone has a stronger mentality right now,” De Oliveira said. “You know me, Pouye, the captains we’re trying to, you know, create this stronger mentality to keep everyone together cause, you know, it’s a long season and, you know, you just have to keep going.”
Hancock said the Vaqueros showed strong offense during the preseason, but that the team’s success will also depend on staying organized defensively as well.
“Last year we scored no goals in [the] pre-season,” he said. “This year we scored multiple [goals] in one match … now, it’s just making sure defensively we’re organized and that’s all eleven guys on the field right.”
UTRGV continues its 2026 season on the road against the University of South Florida at 6 p.m. on Sept. 6 in Tampa.
It’s clear that the men’s soccer team has one united goal, don’t just reach the conference tournament, win the tournament.
