COMMERCE – Southland Conference play begins this week for the East Texas A&M University soccer team on Thursday at Lamar.  

WHO: East Texas A&M at Lamar
WHERE: Beaumont | LU Soccer Complex
WHEN: Thursday, September 18 | 7 p.m.
RECORDS: The Lions went 3-5 in non-conference play, while the Cardinals are 3-4-1 entering SLC action. 
RANKINGS: Neither team is nationally ranked. 
 
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+ | https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/eventCalendarId/401797108
LIVE STATS: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=605871&vislive=tame

FULL DIVISION I MEMBERS
East Texas A&M University received approval from the NCAA in June 2025 for its expedited transition process to become full NCAA Division I members and become immediately eligible for NCAA sponsored postseason events. The Lion soccer team has played in the Southland Championship match twice in the last three seasons. 

TWICE THE FUN
Sisters Mya Mitchell and Nya Mitchell (Dallas - Mesquite Horn) are entering their fourth season in the Blue & Gold. They are among 35 sets of sisters in NCAA Division I. 

PACIONE NAMED SLC KEEPER OF THE WEEK
Veronica Pacione (Birdville) recorded 12 saves in 135 minutes of play in two weeks against Grambling and Abilene Christian, including career-best nine saves in the 1-0 shutout win over the Wildcats. As a result, she was named the Southland Goalkeeper of the Week, the first career weekly honor for the sophomore netminder. 

MODEL OF CONSISTENCY
East Texas A&M played in the Southland Tournament for the third straight year last year and made the championship match for the second time in three years.The Lions are the only team in the conference to be a top three seed in each of the last three conference tournaments.

PROTECTING HOME FIELD
The Lions started 3-0 at home this season, which was its best start at home since 2017. 

A FIRST IN THE DIVISION I ERA
Coming into this week, East Texas A&M has won three regular season non-conference matches this season, which is the most in the four seasons of Division I soccer. The Lions have not won four regular season non-conference matches in a season since 2015. 

1-0 FOR SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR
The Lions picked up a 4-1 win over Little Rock to win their season opener for the second straight year. It is the first time since the 2014 and 2015 seasons that the Lions won their season opener in back-to-back seasons. 

MITCHELL CONTINUES TO MAKE STATEMENT TO START 2025
After being held to just one goal in 22 matches over the last two seasons, Mya Mitchell (Dallas - Mesquite Horn) scored twice in the win over Little Rock and then scoring in both wins at home against Grambling and Abilene Christian. The 2022 Southland Freshman of the Year has five goals on the season and the Lions are 3-1 in matches that she scores in. 

FOUR SCORE ONCE AGAIN
In the win over Little Rock, the Lions scored four goals, which is the second straight season opener that they tallied four. The four goals are also tied for the most in a match in the Division I era. 

WE KNOW EACH OTHER
The starting 11 against Little Rock featured nine players that were on the team last season. The two newcomers to start the match were Alyssa Cox (Plano Senior), a transfer from Louisiana, and Payton Joost (Wylie), a transfer from Lamar. 

HELLO NEWCOMERS
Along with Cox and Joost, newcomers Malaya Ring (Malaya Ring), a transfer from Gardner-Webb, also appeared in the match against the Trojans, while freshmen Grace Robertson (Fulshear - Jordan) and Kelsey Lefever (Princeton) came off the bench to make their Lion debuts. 

Newcomers Makayla Gonzalez (South Grand Prairie), Kaylee Humble (Harker Heights), Brooke Shields (Wylie East), and Judtih Nandwa (Mumias, Kenya) did not appear in the match against Little Rock, but Gonzalez and Humble made their Lion debuts last weekend. 

RAMIREZ MAKES HISTORY, NAMED SLC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kaydence Ramirez (Waxahachie) was named the Southland Conference Player of the Year and Forward of the Year in 2024, becoming just the second player in program history and first since Vicky Back in 2016 to earn conference player of the year honors. She led the conference in goals.    

FOUR NAMED TO ALL-SLC TEAMS
Along with Ramirez, who was named first team all-conference, the Lions had three players on second team all-conference in Hannah Bell (Duncanville), Mindy Shoffit (Wichita Falls - Rider), and Melissa Storey (Tyne and Wear, England).

THIRD TIME WAS THE CHARM
The Lions and Oral Roberts began the season against each other for three years. After a 4-0 ORU win in 2022, a 2-2 tie in Commerce in 2023, the Lions finally got over the hump to take their first win in the series last season. The Golden Eagles returned serve with a 3-0 win on August 23 as both teams are undefeated on their home fields over the last four seasons. 
 
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS