Another semester is upon Texas A&M University-Commerce, and that means a new season is about to begin for the Lions.
The football team kicks off the year on the road at Northwestern State University, a team the Lions did not face in the 2007 season, but quarterback Terry Mayo said he is looking forward to the match.
“What ever team we are playing that week is the game I am looking forward to most,” Mayo said.
Mayo added it is important to keep things in perspective by facing teams on a week-by -week basis and worrying primarily on one game a week.
According to Mayo, the Lions have something this year they didn’t have last season, which will help in winning ball games.
“We have a lot more depth in our team,” he said.
After losing wide receivers JaMichael Palmer and Meldrick Grice, who both averaged around 45 yards a game, it seemed like depth would be a problem for the lions; but Mayo said the squad has already picked up one new player who can fill that void.
“A friend of mine from Central Florida is coming on this season and he is the fastest guy I have ever seen in person,” Mayo said.
That friend is Willie Thornton who in 2006 averaged 25 yards a game and scored three touchdowns over the course of the season. He was also the fourth leading receiver for the University of Central Florida that year.
Andreé Smith, who led the team in sacks last season with 6 1/2, said he has been working on his moves and is looking to break some records this year.
“The record for the school is eight sacks and I am looking to get twelve,” he said.
From a defensive line standpoint, Smith said it was the pre-season that got the team ready for competition this year.
“We had a really good training camp,” he said.
Aside from the training, Smith said the schedule this year favors the team. The Lions did not gel as early as they needed to last season according to Smith, but this year he said as long as the team sticks to the game plan, the squad should do just fine.
No matter what happens in the first two games Smith said he is looking forward the Sept. 13 match against Abilene Christian University.
“They are ranked in our conference, have a very good running back and it is our first year to play them,” he said.
The team is also slotted to play a game at the Cotton Bowl on Oct. 18.
“That’s big time, it’s really spectacular to get a chance to play where UT, OU and other big time teams have played,” Smith said.
Football is not the only sport gearing up for the season. The women’s soccer team is getting ready for their first game against Drury University today, and head coach Neil Piper said he has the same expectations this year as he has had in years past.
“We need to compete in a conference tournament,” Piper said.
Last year the soccer team had a 2-7-1 record on the road, but Piper said it should not be the same this year.
“We played a lot of our tougher opponents on the road last year and this season we are playing them at home,” Piper said.
Early in the 2007 season the team was hampered by injuries, but Piper said more players have been added and a lack of depth should not be a problem.
According to Piper, there are two players to watch for this season who he thinks will lead the team to numerous victories.
First is the team’s lone senior Melissa DoRemus, a three-time all conference player, and Meagan Lasley who lead the time last year in goals scored. Defensively the squad has three goal keepers this year, compared to one last season, which should allow the goal to have a rested goalie through most of the games.
The past few seasons have seen victories for the soccer team against the toughest of opponents, and this year Piper hopes it to be no different.
“The last couple of years we have beaten a team that went on to a national championship, so we have the skill,” Piper said.
According to Piper, although they play the tougher teams at home this season, three of the first four games are against very good teams.
“We should know how we stack up in the first few weeks,” he said.
Even with tough schedules for both teams, the football and soccer seasons look hopeful, as both chase down that dream of a national title.
<hr?