The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men’s soccer team faced St. Mary’s in an exhibition match at Brownsville Sports Park on Saturday in front of 225 in attendance as part of an initiative that UTRGV Departments of Intercollegiate Athletics announced last month.
UTRGV Athletics returned to Brownsville a week after the women’s soccer team hosted a youth clinic and played an instrasquad match.
The men’s exhibition match was an opportunity for UTRGV Athletics to build off the success from the week before. With more fans and even some members of the city’s staff in attendance, the department is happy to see the initiative make progress.
“It’s great to be back for a second week in Brownsville,” UTRGV Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque said. “It’s really neat that we have had two home events in the Rio Grande Valley and both have been in Brownsville. We have started our academic year by playing here twice. It’s awesome to see the energy out here. It was a good crowd tonight. It was awesome to see Brownsville City Commissioner Nurith Galonsky Pizana and Brownsville City Commissioner Roy De Los Santos join us this evening and have good representation from the city. It sends a good and clear signal that they are supportive of us being here in this community.”
The events in Brownsville are a chance for those in the lower Rio Grande Valley to take ownership of UTRGV Athletics as their team. Being in the lower Rio Grande Valley shows that UTRGV Athletics is making it a priority and looking to do more.
“We talk a lot about rallying the Valley,” Conque said. “Our message to the community is that this is their University. This is their Division I institution. Their Division I athletics programs. We really want to make sure that we are not just asking for their support but they are seeing us in the communities in which we serve. Being in the lower Valley, being in Cameron County, and being in Brownsville is just the start and we look forward to continuing the programing throughout the year and building on it for many years to come.”
Being in the lower Rio Grande Valley expands UTRGV Athletics’ footprint in the area and some from Brownsville want to reciprocate that support.
“We do hope that the University, and I know that they will, increase their footprint in the city of Brownsville and we are here to support them any way that we can,” Galonsky Pizana said. “There are a lot of students from Brownsville that come to UTRGV so we need more of these events to foster the sense of community for the people that live here.”
The initiative not only helps UTRGV Athletics but the lower Rio Grande Valley, specifically Brownsville, as the area and city continue to grow.
“It’s very important,” Galonsky Pizana said. “For all the growth that is happening in Brownsville, we need UTRGV as a partner because we can’t do it alone. Education is a big component of why we are getting a lot of businesses to come here and why all this growth is happening, so with UTRGV’s help we can only do better.”
The Vaqueros wrapped up the night with a 1-0 victory as freshman Enock Asante scored the lone goal of the match in the first half.
UTRGV will open its season on Thursday, August 26 at Central Arkansas at 6 p.m.
