UTB-TSC Capsules: Ayembillah named NAIA men's soccer offensive player of week
UTB-TSC freshman forward Abass Ayembillah was named NAIA Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week for his hat trick in the Scorpions’ 5-1 win over Southern Nazarene on Saturday.
Ayembillah scored three goals for UTB-TSC (3-0). SNU came to Brownsville sporting a No. 16 ranking in the NAIA preseason poll.
"That's great for him and awesome for the program," Scorpions coach Dan Balaguero said. "It's a great start to his career. He's so explosive, so quick and so dangerous. He comes from a great family, and it is a pleasure to coach him."
Ayembillah came to UTB-TSC after playing 2 1/2 years at Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchburg, Va., with Scorpions teammate Richard Nyarko. Both are from Accra, Ghana, where fellow Scorpions player Evans Frimpong is from.
Ayembillah is the all-time leading scorer in the history of Liberty Christian, which went 23-2-2 last year and advanced to the Virginia Independent School’s Final Four.
Ayembillah has scored four goals in three games for the Scorpions. He ranks 17th nationally in goals per game (1.3) and 19th in points per game (3.0).
Tanner Fox of Benedictine (Kan.) College was named defensive player of the week in the first installment of the weekly honors.
Scorpions climb the polls
UTB-TSC men's soccer cracked the top 25 at No. 25 in the NAIA Men's Soccer Coaches' Top 25 Poll on Tuesday.
The Scorpions women's volleyball team was three votes away from making the top 25, receiving votes　equivalent to a No. 26 ranking in the NAIA omen's Volleyball Coaches' Top 25 poll.
In men's soccer, the Scorpions recorded one of the program's biggest victories, a 5-1 win over previously 16th-ranked Southern Nazarene on Sept. 5 at Brownsville Sports Park. SNU was the first ranked team to visit Brownsville.
UTB-TSC, the two-time defending Red River Athletic Conference champions, is 3-0 after starting the season with three home games. They next play at Texas A&M-International on Monday.
In volleyball, the Scorpions (6-1) have recorded two big victories thus far -- defeating then-22nd ranked University of Mobile before knocking off NCAA Division I University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg. The Scorpions also defeated Savannah College of Art and Design, a team ranked 23rd.
Mobile dropped out of the top 25. The only loss thus far for Scorpions was to sixth-ranked Georgetown College. UTB-TSC plays ninth-ranked Madonna University (Mich.) on the road Friday.
UTB-TSC women play home opener
The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College women’s soccer team will face Texas Southern at 3 p.m. Wednesday at REK Center Field in the first home game of the season for the Scorpions.
This is the Scorpions’ first home game　since their exhibition match against the Border Bandits Aug. 29.
The Scorpions (0-1-1) are coming off a loss against Centenary College of Louisiana and tie against LSU-Shreveport last week on the road.
TSU, an NCAA Division I institution and member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, is 1-1 after a 4-0 win over Huston-Tillotson. The Tigers were 3-10 last season.
After Wednesday’s game, UTB-TSC hits the road for seven games in the next five weeks, starting with Texas A&M-International at 3 p.m. Sunday in Laredo.
