UTRGV women’s soccer is set to kick off the 2021 spring season at 7 p.m. Wednesday versus familiar rival Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Both programs share similarities such as palm trees, warm weather, and talented squads.
In a news conference via Zoom, UTRGV Head Coach Glad Bugariu said the Islanders hold the advantage in their first of two matches this season.
“They were able to play fall friendlies,” Bugariu says. “That goes a long way to their ability to be in a much further advanced point in terms of team preparation and team cohesion than we can be.”
Despite the advantages that the Islanders hold, Bugariu explains that this is not unfamiliar territory for a squad that traditionally plays up to its competition.
“We know how to use what we have very well, and we are always very well prepared,” he says. “We’re a team that may not always get the respect… we’ve got all of these accolades and yet we still go into these games as underdogs and we’ll take that role because if you don’t take us seriously, we are going to give you a pretty hard bite.”
Bugariu says the constant doubt surrounding the program over the years has created an edge with the players to prove the doubters wrong.
“They [UTRGV players] know, they fight against these odds, they’re successful against these odds and to be fair that’s the kind of place where we want to be in,” he says. “It’s our team DNA to defeat teams that have advantages over us in many ways.”
The last official match for the Vaqueros took place on Nov. 8, 2019, in 0-1 defeat in the semi-finals round of the WAC tournament versus then No.1-ranked Seattle U.
This will be the first of four non-conference matchups for the Vaqueros includings bouts against Incarnate Word and UTSA and they hold paramount importance for Bugariu as he seeks to iron out his starting XI.
“They [players] need matches to really solidify their place in the team and the first 11,” Bugariu says. “We are going to be looking at different ideas, different styles over the next few days and we’ll come up with the best formula by the time we play Seattle [U].”
UTRGV’s roster adds 17 newcomers who Bugariu says have developed good off-the-pitch chemistry in an offseason limited to Zoom meetings due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In addition, the Vaqueros will include 10 returners highlighted by Junior Forward Emily Zapata who was selected to the preseason all-WAC first team and has scored 19 goals in 30 starts in the last two seasons.
Bugariu says Zapata is on the path to the pros after her collegiate career and has the talent to take her game to another level.
“Over the next few seasons here I think Emily is going to offer a whole lot more than what you’ve seen,” he says. “I think she just warmed up in the first two years.”
You can watch the Vaqueros start the new season live on the Islander Digital Network.
Twitter: @Radio_Rubio
