Lady Roadrunners, Roadrunners Earn Postseason Soccer Honors
Region XIV Releases All-Region, All-Conference Lists
By GARY STALLARD
AC Athletics
Both Angelina College soccer teams posted outstanding seasons in 2024, with both the Lady Roadrunners and Roadrunners earning berths in the conference tournament and the men holding onto Top 20 rankings throughout the year. The Lady 'Runners also finished as the Region XIV South Zone champions.
Because of their efforts, several players earned postseason honors:
Lady Roadrunners: Estephany Aguilar and Paula Suarez earned 1st Team All-Region honors, Sofie Iverson and Camila Rico earned 2nd Team All-Region and Brenda Izaguirre picked up Honorable Mention honors.
Aguilar, a sophomore from Bogota, Colombia, was her team's lead facilitator on offensive, finishing the season with five goals, eight assists and 18 accumulated points.
Freshman Suarez, also from Bogota, led the team in goals scored with 10, adding five assists to finish with 25 points.
Iversen, a freshman defender from Aabenraa, Denmark anchored an AC defense that allowed just 1.2 goals per match, with the Lady 'Runners holding opponents scoreless in six matches.
Rico, a sophomore from Ibague, Colombia, finished with five goals, two assists and 12 accumulated points.
Izaguirre, a freshman from Lufkin, posted four goals – including a game winner – and finished the season with eight points.
The Lady Roadrunners finished the season with a record of 11-5 – including a nine-game winning streak – under first-year head coach Sergio Gardea.
Roadrunners: Abdallah Traore and Patricio Villalobos earned 1st Team All-Conference honors; Elias Taj, Jacob Blach and Casper Madsen earned 2nd Team All-Conference honors; and Filliph Kamfjord landed on the Honorable Mention list for their work with the nationally ranked Roadrunners in 2024.
Sophomore Traore, of Trondheim, Norway, was a defensive mainstay for the Roadrunner back line throughout his two seasons. Traore added two goals – including a game winner – and four points in his 2024 campaign.
Villalobos, a freshman from Aguascalientes, Mexico, provided a steady presence in the AC offensive attack, finishing with a pair of goals, an assist and five points.
Taj, a freshman from Copenhagen, Denmark, led the team in goals scored with nine, adding three assists to finish with 21 points.
Blach, a high-flying freshman defender from Nykøbing Falster, Denmark, was a key player in a Roadrunner defense that allowed a miniscule .79 goals per match. Blach added a goal and two points on the season.
Madsen, the freshman goalkeeper from Slagelse, Denmark, allowed just six goals in 11 matches, finishing the season with 45 saves.
Kamfjord, a sophomore from Sandes, Norway, was second on the team in goals scored with five, adding five assists and a total of 15 points.
The Roadrunners under second-year head coach Martin Melchor finished the season with a record of 10-4-2 and reached as high as No. 5 in the NJCAA national rankings.
The email address for AC's Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu.