Men´s Soccer Drops Physical Match to ENMU

Rodrigo Ramos (9) scored his second goal in three games. (Photo by Robin Johnson/St. Mary's Athletics)

SAN ANTONIO — The St. Mary’s men’s soccer team fell in an aggressive, yellow–card– and– foul–heavy battle against Eastern New Mexico on their home field, 2–1, on Sunday.

The Greyhounds (6–3–4) started their offensive game play quickly with Anthony Bardon putting the first goal on the board five minutes into the game. The Rattlers (3–9) capitalized on a free kick shortly after with senior Rodrigo Ramos connecting with a header assisted by Fernando Arias–Williamson (Fr., Houston) in his second goal of the season.

Eastern New Mexico returned in the second half with another offensive surge with Alvaro Joly connecting in the 51st minute to give the Greyhounds an advantage, 2–1, that the Rattlers would not overcome.

While Eastern New Mexico was an offensively strong team, the game was more defined by the fierceness and highly aggressive 90 minutes of play exhibited by both teams. Several players from both the Greyhounds and the Rattlers fell to the ground in injury every few minutes due to hard scuffles that resulted in 31 total fouls for the game.

In addition, five yellow cards were issued to try to settle down the growing rivalry between Eastern New Mexico and St. Mary’s, but the aggressiveness continued. During the second half while the Rattlers were scrambling to tie the game, a prolonged discussion between the refs and the Greyhounds’ head coach lost precious time for the Rattlers due to the lack of a call to stop the clock. After the final horn blew, Rattler Aaron Stares (Jr., Swindon, England), still upset with the lost time, was issued his second yellow card, resulting in a red card being drawn.

However the 31 fouls, five yellow cards and one red card was exactly what Ramos said the Rattlers anticipated.

“Pretty much what was on my mind and on the mind of the whole team was that this was a good team and we all needed to bring it,” Ramos said. “This is one of those most physical games you know you want to be in. You live for these kind of games where they’re physical and they’re hard and you’re tired and you’re hitting each other.”

Through the elbows and pushes, Stares led the Rattlers with two shots on goal followed by Arias–Williamson and Omar Sanchez (Fr., San Antonio) with one apiece.

The Rattlers take on Texas A&M International at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Culebra Creek Park.

St. Mary’s University, as a Catholic Marianist University, fosters the formation of people in faith and educates leaders for the common good through community service, integrated liberal arts and professional education, and academic excellence. The University has six athletic national titles: men’s basketball (1989–NAIA), baseball (2001–NCAA Div. II), softball (1986–NAIA and 2002–NCAA Div. II) and an individual national champion in men’s golf (2006–NCAA Div. II) and a national academic championship in men’s golf (2009–NCAA Div. II). St. Mary’s also had more than 40 percent of its athletes named to conference, regional and/or national honor rolls this past year. St. Mary’s student–athletes graduation rate is 65 percent, higher than the NCAA Division II average of 55 percent. To learn more about St. Mary's, visit www.stmarytx.edu/athletics.

    

Coaching Staff

Head Coach Que Willis

Querande "Que" Willis enters the 2012 season as the longest-tenured coach in the history of the St. Mary's men's soccer program, racking up over 50 victories along the way.

In fact, Willis, in his 10th year with the school, needs just eight more victories to become the winningest coach in the program's history. He has guided the Rattlers to a 53-97-6 record over the past nine years.

Willis has helped 34 Rattlers earn all-conference honors since 2003, including five last season -- and 29 since 2006. In addition to the team's on-field successes, Joseph Diaz was honored in 2010 as an ESPN Academic All-District pick.

St. Mary's went 4-12-0 in 2011, upsetting rival on the Rattlers' makeshift home field, the Northside ISD Sports Complex. The Rattlers spent a season without a real home in 2011, and will again do so in 2012 as their home field at St. Mary's is undergoing renovations as part of the new outdoor sports complex.

St. Mary's went 4-13-0 in 2010, again upsetting rival St. Edward's on the road and nearly knocking off nationally ranked Midwestern State in a 2-1 defeat at home.

In 2007, the Rattlers posted their highest win total in six years, going 8-11 overall and finishing third in the Heartland Conference. St. Mary's started the season 4-2 and had a 7-2 record at home. Six Rattlers earned All-Heartland Conference honors that season.

During the 2004 and 2005 seasons, the team played in the Southwest Soccer Conference, one of the top leagues in the nation as it was made up of teams from both the Heartland Conference and Lone Star Conference.

Prior to taking the reins as the Rattlers head coach, Willis served as an assistant coach in the Rattler soccer program for two years. He assisted coaching both the men's and the women's teams.

During those two years, he helped the men's team to a 19-13-4 record, including a 12-5-3 mark in 2002, good for second place in the Heartland Conference standings. They advanced to the Heartland Tournament Championship game both seasons with Willis on the staff.

While assisting the women's soccer team, Willis helped the squad to a 20-13-1 record over two seasons. The Rattlers advanced to the Heartland Conference Tournament in 2002, then won the tournament in 2003, defeating Incarnate Word, 2-1.

As a four-year letterwinner for the Rattler soccer team from 1996-99, Willis earned two All-American awards and two Heart of Texas Conference Most Valuable Player awards. In his freshman season, Willis was named Heart of Texas Newcomer of the Year, paving the way for what would become one of the most dynamic careers in the program's history.

Willis came to San Antonio from Plano East High School in Plano, Texas. In addition to assisting Corwyn Ritch for the three years prior to becoming head coach, Willis has coached numerous club soccer teams in San Antonio and Dallas. He also currently coaches the Dallas Texans Football Club "Blues".

Willis is a 2001 graduate of St. Mary's with a bachelor of arts degree in computer science.

2012 St. Mary's Men's Soccer Roster