RIO GRANDE VALLEY – For the first time in 699 days, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's soccer team will host a conference match when the Lindenwood Lions visit the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
New Conference, New Look
The Vaqueros (2-2-1) spent the 2025 season as an NCAA Div. I Independent, before joining the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) for the 2026 season and beyond.
UTRGV joined the conference which features the reigning regular season and tournament champions Lindenwood, Eastern Illinois, Houston Christian, SIUE, Southern Indiana, UIW, and Western Illinois.
The Vaqueros have spent the non-conference season preparing for the conference slate and the chance at a championship and automatic bid for the first time in two years.
The Vaqueros boast a squad of 16 newcomers to pair along with nine returners from the 2025 season as they enter this new era of men's soccer. The Vaqueros have received standout play from NCAA Div. I transfers sophomore centerback
Emmanuel Gore Bi and sophomore forward
Sammy Jadid.
UTRGV has also put a lot of faith in` a talented freshmen class, with defender
Victor van der Aa leading the position players in minutes played this season and midfielder/forward
Mauricio Arreguin starting the last two matches and appearing in all five.
In the non-conference, UTRGV found early season success against a trio of NCAA Div. I Florida teams, defeating West Florida (UWF) in the season opener 3-2, drawing 1-1 with Stetson in their lone home match, and blowing out South Florida (USF) 5-0 on the road. UTRGV closed the non-conference slate with losses at Oral Roberts and Air Force
Leading the charge for the Vaqueros is senior captain
Mouhamed Pouye who has a team-high three goals and seven points.
Junior
Elias Taj racked up six points, recording two goals and two assists, in his stellar outing against South Florida which earned him College Soccer News Offensive Player of the Week and a spot on the TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week.
The only other Vaquero with multiple goals this season is Jadid, the Florida native. Jadid assisted on Pouye's game-winner at UWF, scored the 88
th minute equalizer against Stetson, and knocked in a goal in his homecoming at USF.
Team Trends and Notes
The Vaqueros have tallied more points in the 2026 season (7) than it did in the 2025 season (5) as an NCAA DI Independent.
Lindenwood (.562) and UTRGV (.500) currently top the OVC in winning percentage this season and both teams were picked to qualify the conference tournament.
Lindenwood – Sept. 26, 6:30 p.m. – UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex
UTRGV is 1-0-1 all-time against Lindenwood in a series dating back only two seasons. The Vaqueros won the first matchup 3-1 at Lindenwood in 2024 and battled to a 0-0 draw in Edinburg in 2025.
The Lions are 3-2-3 this season, earning wins against Blackburn College, Butler, and Chicago State. The Lions have also fought to draws with Seattle U, Tulsa, and Wright State throughout in their competitive non-conference slate.
The Lions feature one of the OVC's top attacking threats in Luca Bartoni. The reigning OVC Forward of the Year, All-OVC First Team Selection, and 2025 OVC Tournament MVP is off to a hot start in 2026, scoring five goals through the team's first five matches.
Two other Lions have scored multiple goals this season including
David Magalhaes (2) and
Philip Viberg Rasmussen (2). Meanwhile,
Quinn Closson has started every match in goal, allowing only six goals in eight matches and recording three clean sheets.
All matches at the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex are free and open to the public. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m.
UTRGV Athletics has a clear bag policy for spectators attending all athletic events hosted by UTRGV. You can get all the details
here.
Fans can watch live domestically on
ESPN+ or internationally via
Southland International. Fans can also follow along through
live stats.
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