North Texas Premier Soccer Association

Division 4 (Fall Season)

Sunday 2nd October 2016

Kick off 15.00 Actual 15.11

El Diablo Blanco 0 Lone Star Republic 1,  attendance 13

73′ 0-1

@ Samuell Garland Park, Pitch 15

11500, McCree Road

Dallas, TX 75218

No admission or programme.

This was my second visit here, having previously done a game on Pitch 7. Today’s game was on a pitch only used occasionally for N.T.P.S.A. matches and easy to see why. There are at least 2 plastic manhole covers on the pitch and the pitch markings themselves are certainly not done to correct measurements.

Lone Star Republic remain top of the league with this win, but left it late. According to their Manager they had five regulars missing today, but still had too much for the team in 4th place.

National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III

American Southwest Conference

Saturday 1st October 2016

Kick off 19.30 Actual 19.31

University Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders 2 Concordia University Texas Tornados 0,  attendance 348

4′ 1-0

41′ 2-0

@ Cru Soccer Field

University Drive

Belton, TX 76513

No admission

Programme free, 4 pages.

This was a perfect double with this afternoons game as it was on the way home and only a few miles off route. It always looked like a home win once the hosts went in front early on and it may have made for an interesting finish if Concordia had converted a penalty five minutes from time.

National Association Intercollegiate Athletics

Red River Athletic Conference

Saturday 1st October 2016

Kick off 15.00 Actual 15.10

Huston -Tillotson University Rams 3 University of the Southwest Mustangs 0,  attendance 85

3′ 1-0

17′ 2-0

85′ 3-0

@ Onion Creek Soccer Complex, Pitch 4

5600, East William Cannon Drive

Austin, TX 78744

No admission or programme.

Onion Creek Soccer Complex is a multi pitch job, Pitch 4 perhaps being the main one as it has the grass banking along the side giving it  a slightly more enclosed feel than the other pitches. One thing of note was how the crowd thinned out once the women’s game finished , having played on the same pitch our game would be on- they were into the last 10 minutes when I arrived.

National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II

Heartland Conference

Thursday 29th September 2016

Kick off 19.00 Actual 19.02

Midwestern State University Mustangs 2 Texas A&M International University Dustdevils 0,  attendance 729

38′ 1-0

55′ 2-0

@ MSU Soccer Field

Louis J. Rodriguez Drive

Wichita Falls, TX 76308

$6 Admission

Team Sheet, free.

After visiting S.M.U. Mustangs on Tuesday, it was a trip to M.S.U. Mustangs tonight. For me it was a mere 136 mile drive northwest, but for the visitors, based in Laredo, on the Mexican border, it was 537 miles. This just shows how vast the state of Texas is.

M.S.U. won it more comfortably than the score line suggests. Having already missed a penalty after 16 minutes, they then missed a second after 75 minutes following a red card for the visitors, the result of this one being awarded.

National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I

Tuesday 27th September 2016

Kick off 19.00 Actual 19.02

Southern Methodist University Mustangs 3 Oral Roberts University Golden Eagles 1,  attendance 603

32′ 0-1

67′ 1-1

75′ 2-1

87′ 3-1

@ Westcott Field

6000, Ownby Drive

University Park, TX 75205

$6 Admission

Team Sheet, free, double sided.

This is the first University ‘soccer’ match I have attended where car parking wasn’t free. $7 seemed a bit steep, parked in the multi storey that backs onto one end of the stadium.

Westcott Field hosted an F.C. Dallas match in this years U.S. Open Cup and is a venue under threat as S.M.U. are looking to build a new ‘soccer’ stadium elsewhere on the campus.

As for the game, despite trailing for most of the match, S.M.U. always looked like going on to win it once they had drawn level.

National Junior College Athletic Association

Monday 26th September 2016

Kick off 16.00 Actual 16.05

Paris Junior College Dragons 1 Hill College Rebels 3,  attendance 30

11′ 0-1

50′ 0-2

71′ 1-2 (pen)

89′ 1-3

@ Noyes Stadium

1230, 24th Street Southeast

Paris, TX 75460

No admission or programme.

I was only able to confirm the venue for this one at around 1.30pm, which was cutting it fine as it is a 108 mile drive northeast. It was well worth the effort though, for a stadium that was obviously used for American Football originally and also Athletics, judging by the old track round the pitch.

Hill were always in control and even missed a penalty of their own a minute before adding their third goal.

National Association Intercollegiate Athletics

Sunday 25th September 2016

Kick off 16.00

Dallas Christian College Crusaders v Southwestern Adventist University Knights,  MATCH POSTPONED

@ 2700, Christian Parkway

Farmers Branch, TX 75234.

There was no way of checking this one on the day, so I can only assume that the very brief rain shower at 9am was the reason for it being called off. Their website just says cancelled due to weather.

National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II

Heartland Conference

Saturday 24th September 2016

Kick off 13.00 Actual 13.03

St. Edwards University Hilltoppers 4 University Texas-Permian Basin Falcons 1,  attendance 188

@ Lewis-Chen Family Field

3001, South Congress Avenue

Austin, TX 78704

No admission or programme.

St. Edwards were far too strong, maintaining their 100% start with their eighth win of the season.

National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III

Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

Friday 23rd September 2016

Kick off 15.00 Actual 15.01

University Dallas Crusaders 2 Southwestern University Pirates 3 (OT),  attendance 202

2′ 1-0

45′ 1-1

73′ 1-2

87′ 2-2

93′ 2-3

@ Crusaders Field

1845, East Northgate Drive

Irving, TX 75062

No Admission

Team Sheet, free, double sided.

Well, as they say, just like London busses…..second consecutive game going into overtime. Letting in such a late equaliser didn’t affect Pirates too much as they scored with the first attempt on goal in overtime.

National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III

American Southwest Conference

Thursday 22nd September 2016

Kick off 19.30 Actual 19.40

University Texas Dallas Comets 2 Concordia University Texas Tornados 1 (OT),  attendance 293

6′ 1-0

41′ 1-1

92′ 2-1

@ UTD Soccer Field

800, West Campbell Road

Richardson, TX 75080

$5 Admission

Team Sheet, free, double sided.

This was my first University match scheduled as a double header with the Women’s match, which started at 17.30. I arrived at 19.10, just as the first game finished, so no reason for our match to start 10 minutes late, other than the incompetence of the match officials. It was also the first time I have encountered the fact that America doesn’t do draws. In the college system, games that are level (I won’t say tie, as that is something worn with a shirt) then go into ‘overtime’ (surely this is something done at work to earn a little extra cash). This consists of a possible two more periods of 10 minutes, unless someone scores at any stage, which is game over, much the same as the ‘golden goal’ method. Only had to wait 90 seconds for a winner, but at least there was only about 5 minutes faffing about before we got restarted at the end of normal time.