The Teams: Tarleton Texans (2-1-1, 0-0 WAC) vs. Alcorn State (0-2-1, 0-0 SWAC)
Where: Stephenville, Texas
Stadium: Tarleton Soccer Complex
Time: 6 p.m. CT (Friday)
Video: ESPN+ (Friday)
 
TEXAN SOCCER GAME DAY
Just over a week removed from a memorable home opener for the ages, Tarleton Soccer is back home for its second home match of the season Friday night when the Texans host Alcorn State at 6 p.m. Live stats and video broadcast will be available for the match. Tarleton's home match will be broadcast on ESPN+. Fans are also encouraged to follow @TarletonSoccer on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
 
KID'S NIGHT
Local youth soccer leagues from all over the Cross Timbers area are invited to join the Texans on the field for postgame autographs after the match.
 
ABOUT TARLETON SOCCER
Women's Soccer is one of the newest programs at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas. The addition of the program was announced on January 19, 2021 after the university made the move to NCAA Division I and the Western Athletic Conference in July 2020. Pete Cuadrado was named the first head coach of the program after successful tenures at North Dakota State and the University of Wyoming.
 
QUICK KICKS

• Tarleton State University is in the midst of its NCAA debut season as part of its first year of existence. Tarleton made the decision to add women's soccer after making the leap from NCAA Division II to Division I on July 1, 2020. Tarleton made the announcement and the search for a head coach on January 19, 2021.
• Tarleton's debut roster includes 16 true freshmen and six transfers, including five with Division I experience: Nicole Fels, Macie Johnson, Macie Witter, Adriana Alonso-Gomez, and Kiki Baurmann.
• Tarleton received an unwelcome greeting from Pete Cuadrado's former club in their NCAA debut on August 19 when North Dakota State scored in the opening minute, but Tarleton battled back and got a goal from distance by Adriana Alonso-Gomez to give Tarleton a tie in its debut outing. The Texans followed up two days later with its first-ever win in program history. Rylee Low put one in the top right corner from distance in the 85' to put the first official win in the Tarleton history books.
• Through the first four games of the season, Tarleton has been the aggressor offensively. The Texans have made 48 shot attempts with 29 on goal for a 60.4 shot on goal percentage. In comparison, Tarleton has nearly as many shots on goal (29) as their opponents have total shots (30) this season.
• Kiki Baurmann, one of only two seniors on the roster, has been every bit as good as advertised this season. Baurmann leads the Texans with five points this season. She has scored one goal and dished out three assists, all coming against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the home opener. She also drilled the game-winning goal from distance in the exhibition victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
• Sydney Rouillard leads all Texans in total minutes this season with 342 through the first four games. The freshman from Wichita Falls has played all 90 minutes in three of four games this season.
• With her three assists in last Thursday's home opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Kiki Baurmann moved into a tie atop the WAC assist leaders (3). She joins Victoria Caucci and Ashley Rivera of Southern Utah for the WAC lead.

 
WAC PRESEASON POLL
Tarleton was picked to finish 12th in the Western Athletic Conference preseason coaches' poll. With 21 points, the Texans were picked last behind Southern Utah with 25 votes. Grand Canyon was picked to finish atop the league standings with 117 votes, followed closely by Utah Valley (110).
 

Rank	Team (1st)	Points
1.	Grand Canyon (8)	117
2.	Utah Valley (4)	110
3.	Stephen F. Austin	90
4.	California Baptist	84
5.	New Mexico State	74
6.	Seattle U	72
7.	Abilene Christian	62
8.	Utah Tech	46
9.	Sam Houston	42
10.	UTRGV	39
11.	Southern Utah	25
12.	Tarleton	21

 
"I can't believe they picked a team who has never lost a game to finish last, but I guess we'll just have to go out and compete," said Cuadrado with a smile.
 
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FOREVER
Tarleton made its long-awaited home debut and it did not disappoint. Tarleton set an impressive standard for attendance with 2,512 Texan fans in attendance for this historic night. A few other home facility firsts for the record book include:
 

Feat	Player
Shot	Kiki Baurmann (2') missed over top
Goal	Avery Harr (6')
Assist	Kiki Baurmann (28')
Save	Mikayla Kendall (33')
Card	Brishu Musungu (UAPB, 36') yellow card

 
NOTABLES

• OPENING AGAINST THE BISON: Pete Cuadrado's first official game as the head coach of Tarleton's newest program will be against a former team that he led to new heights – North Dakota State. Tarleton opened against the Bison, where Cuadrado was the head coach for nine seasons and led NDSU out of NCAA Division II and into the Division I ranks. During his time with the Bison, he went 93-62-18, remains the program's all-time wins leader, and was named the 2005 NCAA Division I Independent Coach of the Year. Cuadrado's Texans tied the Bison in their first game 1-1 on a late goal from Adriana Alonso-Gomez.
• BUILDING FROM SCRATCH: Pete Cuadrado was named the first head coach in Tarleton Soccer history on May 21, 2021. The veteran head coach made the choice to return home to Texas where he played his college career at TCU. Cuadrado was tasked with beginning a program from scratch with one full year to put together a complete roster. The first addition to the soccer team for head coach Pete Cuadrado was assistant coach Rex Carrell. The former Division III standout joined Cuadrado as a volunteer assistant coach for the first year before signing on as the first full-time assistant coach this summer. Cuadrado rounded out his coaching staff with Delaney Castor, who wrapped up her career as the most prolific goalkeeper in Howard Payne University (D3) history. Castor joined the staff in May.
• SCORING FROM DISTANCE: Three of Tarleton's nine goals this season have come from beyond the 18-yard box. Adriana Alonso-Gomez scored the first goal in school history to tie the game against North Dakota State and Rylee Low hit the game-winner against Nicholls State last Sunday. Both goals came from downtown, as did Kiki Baurmann's game-winner in the exhibition against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The first home goal in program history in the third match of the season was the first goal for Tarleton inside the box.

 
FROM COACH CUADRADO

• ON THE HOME OPENER: "The day we took the job, (Thursday) was the day I circled on my calendar. The excitement surrounding it for the last 12 months was what we talked about when we were recruiting. It is one of the best memories I'll have, and I've done this a long time."
• ON WHAT HIS TEAMS ARE KNOWN FOR: "We should be great defending. We should be organized when we defend. We should be deadly on our dead balls, and those are starting to come. That's how I've made my career. Defending is something you can always count on in the game of soccer because it's an effort thing. If you bring the defense and bring the effort, that's how you get on the field for this program."
• ON HIS SENIORS: "(Our seniors) are two veteran grad transfers. Macie (Witter) has been a great leader on and off the field. She comes from Georgia in the SEC program with a great pedigree. Kiki is a great person and player. She's super technical and can get in behind people. She scored one of the best goals I've seen against Corpus. I got quite a few texts and phone calls from all over the country after that goal. She's irreplaceable off the field for us. Unfortunately, we only get her for one year but we get Macie for two. That will be huge for us."

 
LOOKING AHEAD TO THE HOME SLATE
Tarleton will host eight home matches in its debut season, beginning with an inaugural season celebration on Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Admission is free for all during the debut season and here's a look at what is to come for the home games.
 

Promos and Theme Nights
Date	Promo/Theme
Sept. 2	Kid's Night	Local youth get postgame autographs
Sept. 18	Pups on the Pitch	Canines Welcome, Free Frisbees
Sept. 23	Greek Night	Join Tarleton Greek Life, Horn Giveaway
Oct. 21	Military Appreciation	Recognize Veterans, ROTC
Oct. 23	Senior Day	Recognize Soccer Senior Class

 
FREE ADMISSION ALL SEASON
To help us celebrate the first season of Tarleton Soccer, admission to all home matches this season are free for all fans.
 
UP NEXT FOR TARLETON
Tarleton will return home next weekend to begin a stretch of five of their next six at home, beginning with Alcorn State at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 2. That game will be Kid's Night, as all local youth soccer programs will be permitted onto the field postgame for autographs. Local youth organizations can call the Tarleton Ticket Office at (254) 968-1832 to RSVP attendance.