EDINBURG, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi soccer team begins its final road trip of the 2025 season on Sunday morning, getting things started in Edinburg to take on UTRGV in the South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union.
Sunday's match marks the first head-to-head matchup in the 2025-26 version of the South Texas Showdown, the annual institutional rivalry between the Islanders (3-8-4, 1-4-2 SLC) and the Vaqueros (5-8-2, 2-4-1 SLC). The soccer team will be looking to kick off the school's title defense on a high note, as A&M-Corpus Christi managed to take home the trophy last academic year to make it seven wins in the nine-year history of the series.
This weekend provides a chance for the Islanders to get back in the win column after falling to Northwestern State and Stephen F. Austin last week. The match is an important one with the season winding down, as the Vaqueros currently sit two points ahead of them in the Southland Conference standings, with both teams currently trying to chase down UIW and HCU for the final two spots in the conference tournament.
"I'm proud of the team," Islanders head coach
Daniel Clitnovici said. "It's been a season where some results just haven't gone our way even though we have played well and deserved more than what we have got. Several games this season, especially in conference play, we dominated our opponents but ultimately lost. That's hard to take, but we will continue to grow from these experiences and show up better for the next game, because that's the way our sport goes."
As for their opponents, the Islanders take on a UTRGV squad trying to get back on track after tying with Nicholls and falling to McNeese in its last two matches. A&M-Corpus Christi took home the last meeting between the two on November 1 of last year, closing out that regular season with a 2-0 win at the Dr. Jack Dugan Family Soccer and Track Stadium, their fourth victory in what would end up as a program best five-game streak. The team was powered by a goal from current junior
Ashley Wilson in that match, with the midfielder putting one in the back of the net after just 84 seconds of play to help grab a lead that would not be relinquished the rest of the night.
"We head to UTRGV knowing we are going to face a tough opponent who will look to defend well," Clitnovici said. "We will need to try and break their defensive strategy and also be responsible defensively ourselves. It's going to be a good derby!"
Sunday's match can be watched live on ESPN+. The live stats will also be available to follow along as they happen.
Match 16 // A&M-Corpus Christi at UTRGV
Date: Sunday, October 19
Time: 11:00 a.m. CT
Location: UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex
Match Notes
Watch Live
Live Stats
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