SPORTS EDITOR – OTONIEL GONZALEZ DE LEON
ORIGINALLY PRINTED ON NOV 22, 2022
With the fall semester coming to an end, soccer is now one of the hottest topics around the world sports-wise. As of today, we are just two weeks away from what is
known as the historic World Cup. It is the first time in its history that the event will take place during winter, which means it’s in the middle of all club-level competitions. This decision has been the cause of discomfort and controversy. Federaion Internationale de Football Assocciation (FIFA) has faced criticism for allowing this to happen. Many believe this criticism has caused the wave of injuries that all the clubs are facing currently because of the tight schedules. Nevertheless, it is still the largest scale event in soccer. Fans are eagerly waiting for the tournament to start.
We gather one more time for the biggest celebration of soccer. After four years of qualifiers, the time has come. France will aim to retain their crown with a stunning team led by Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappé. It will be an emotional moment for all soccer fans since Ronaldo and Messi are playing in a World Cup, where all indicates it is their last time doing so. They try once more to win the cup that eluded them for far too long. For many, winning this cup will grant either of them the title of the greatest of all time.
As the semester ends, the university’s soccer team’s season comes to an end as well. It has been an excellent season, where the men’s team clinched another regular
season. By taking first place, the Rattlers have a first-round bye in the Lone Star Conference Championship. It is the team’s second regular season championship in four years. They finished with an overall record of 11 wins and zero losses. In conference matchups, they finished with a record of seven wins, zero losses and two draws. Two
men’s soccer players, Dani Gimena and Ariel Cardozo, won LSC Championship Men’s Soccer Players of the Week. Dani Gimena was named Offensive Player of the Week as a reward for his two crucial goals that helped the team remain undefeated. Ariel Cardozo won the Defensive Player of the Week for helping the team earn their 11th clean sheet of the season. The Rattlers ended the regular season with 12 clean sheets and only receiving five goals.
Our team has been consistent throughout the season. It is the first time in history that a St. Mary’s team is unbeaten in the regular season. As the winner of the conference, we are the hosts of the Lone Star Conference Championship, having the home advantage. If the team wins the semifinals, they will also seize a first place on the regionals rank, earning a first-round bye and assuring they will play all their games here at St. Mary’s University. In the LSC Tournament hosted at the university, the Rattlers would eventually fall to the Oklahoma Christian Univeristy Eagles. The Rattlers are now waiting for their fate in the upcoming National Collegiate Atheltics
Association (NCAA) Tournament.
Our women’s team has an overall record of 11 wins, three losses and four draws. The team has shown they are strong on offense and defense, scoring 32 goals while only receiving ten goals. They ended fifth in the regular season out of 13 conference teams. Against their conference rivals, they had a record of five wins, three losses and four draws. They made it to the semifinals of the LSC tournamnet before being eliminated.