Trojan Shield Weekly Update: September 10, 2018

Greetings from Trojan Country!

Trojan Cross Country

It was a very busy week for the Trojan Athletes. If they were not competing they were helping with the other events on campus and in town. You can see by the length of this newsletter that we had a lot going on, and you can also see from the results that we had a better week as well. All of the teams competing did a great job.

I would like to thank everyone who came out to support and help with the SOCO Classic, the home soccer games and the cross country meet in Alamosa. We got a great deal of support from the staff and faculty as well as the communities. We can’t do it without you.

Last Week's Results

Cross Country – Teams each placed fourth at the Joe Vigil Invitational in Alamosa. Here are the TSJC individual results –

Men's 8K
18. Godfrey Chama 26:17.0
20. Riley Allen 26:21.7
37. Derek Holdsworth 26:59.7
40. John McMahon 27:17.6
41. Bailey Smith 27:27.4
45. Cody Danley 27:52.8
48. Joseph Enright 28:27.6
50. Brandon Cardenas 29:00.3
53. Richard Sais 30:15.6

Women’s 5K
16. Benadine Chelimo 19:14.2
28. Toni Moore 20:31.2
36. Mary Baldwin 21:24.3
44. Kathryn Sauerwein 22:17.7
46. Camille Ruggles 22:33.5
47. Vanessa Davis 22:50.5

Women’s Soccer –

Defeated Northeastern JC - 4-1
Lost to Western Nebraska - 1-0

Men’s Soccer –

Lost to Northeastern JC - 1-0
Lost to Western Nebraska - 1-0

Volleyball –

Defeated Adams State JV – 3-0
Defeated Dodge City – 3-1
Defeated Clarendon College – 3-2

This Week

Wednesday -

Women’s Soccer hosts Otero JC at 1pm at Los Niños Park
Men’s Soccer hosts Otero JC at 3pm at Los Niños Park

Thursday -

Volleyball travels to Garden City, Kansas to take on Garden City CC

Friday -

Men’s Soccer travels to Columbus, Nebraska to face Central CC

Saturday -

Cross County competes at the Western State Colorado Open in Gunnison, Colorado
Volleyball hosts the 2018 Alumni Scrimmage at Scott Gym at 10am
Softball will play at the Adams State Tournament in Alamosa, Colorado
Baseball travels to Pueblo, Colorado for a scrimmage with the CSU-Pueblo

Sunday -

Baseball hosts the Cherry Creek Club team at noon at Central Park
Softball will play at the Adams State Tournament in Alamosa, Colorado

Volleyball undefeated at SOCO Classic

Volleyball

The Trojan Volleyball team hosted the second annual SOCO Classic Volleyball Tournament in Scott Gym this past weekend. TSJC looked strong, picking up wins over Adams State JV, Dodge City and Clarendon College.

Here are the results from the weekend:

Friday –
TSJC defeated ASU JV – 25-9, 25-6, 25-9
Otero defeated Dodge City – 25-13, 25-12, 25-16
Clarendon defeated ASU JV – 25-21, 25-20, 25-8
TSJC defeated Dodge City – 25-22, 20-25, 25-23, 25-19
Otero defeated Clarendon – 25-22, 25-10, 25-20

Saturday –
Clarendon defeated Dodge City – 23-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-10
Dodge City defeated ASU JV – 18-25, 25-12, 25-23, 25-17
TSJC defeated Clarendon – 16-25, 25-21, 25-15, 20-25, 17-15

Earlier this week the NJCAA released the statistical leaders in Division I volleyball through the first two weeks of the season. Trojan Paola Maradei Mejia from Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil was mentioned as topping the nation in blocks with 66 after nine matches.

Cross Country starts season at Vigil Open

Godfrey Chama

The Trinidad State Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams got their seasons underway in Alamosa today at the 2018 Joe I. Vigil Open. The men’s collegiate race went off first at the Cattails Golf Course with an extremely strong field of 4-year schools. The Trojan men were led by a breakout performance from Godfrey Chama who finished in 17th place in a time of 26:17.0. Riley Allen was hot on Chama’s heels running 26:21.7 for 19th place. Derek Holdsworth, John McMahon, and Bailey Smith rounded out the Trojans scoring five with places of 36th, 39th, and 40th respectively. The 8,000 meter race was won by Adams State’s Sydney Gidabuday, and likewise Adams State’s men took the team victory. Western State and Colorado Mesa placed second and third respectively, with the Trojans only 16 points behind. Adams State University is currently ranked first in NCAA Division II while Western State is ranked 5th.

“Our men got off to a fantastic start,” said coach Lauren Masterson. “Godfrey Chama and Riley Allen ran the best races I’ve ever seen out of them. They set the tone for us.”

Coach Masterson also was pleased with the way the rest of the Trinidad State pack performed, “Our men all did a great job today. I’m proud of the way they competed. We have a lot of work yet to do, but I believe these guys can take TSJC to new heights this season.”

The Trojan women got their season started 70 minutes after the men. The race was full of stellar competition with Adams State currently ranked first in NCAA D2 and the Western State ladies ranked third. Nonetheless, the Trojans competed very well finishing fourth overall as a team. Benadine Chelimo was the first TSJC runner across the line placing 16th in a time of 19:14.2. Toni Moore followed shortly after in 28th place despite battling a side stitch for the entirety of the race. Mary Baldwin ran a strong first race of the season finishing in 36th place. Kathryn Sauerwein (44th), Camille Ruggles (46th), and Vanessa Davis (47th) completed the Trojan runner’s great day of racing.

“I’m very proud of how our ladies performed today,” Masterson praised. “We have had a tough few weeks of training in which I’ve pushed our ladies harder than ever. I’m sure they’re still not fully rested from that, but they brought their best today anyway.”

Coach Masterson believes the team has a lot more they can achieve this season. “It’s not about how you start, it’s how you finish. We’ve got more training to do but I know once we get a few weeks down the line our ladies will really take off. I have no doubts about that.”

Both teams will compete again next week in Gunnison, Colorado at the Western State Colorado Open.

Women’s Soccer splits home weekend

women's soccer

The Lady Trojan soccer team opened Region IX play at home this Friday and Saturday, splitting with Northeastern and Western Nebraska. On Friday afternoon Trinidad took an early lead when Ashlee Minne converted a penalty kick, taking the teams into halftime 1-0. In the second half Northeastern ran a counter to tie the score in the 57th minute.

The Lady Trojans quickly moved to put the game away, as they pressured the Plainswomen and earned a corner kick. Minne sent the ball into the box and captain Bailee Fowler headed the ball past the keeper for the 2-1 lead. Minutes later, Wendy De Loera converted a penalty to make it 3-1. Minne would wrap up the scoring with a header of her own, off a corner from Corina Enriquez. The final score was 4-1. Cambri Curtis recorded 13 saves in the contest.

The next afternoon the Trojans got plenty of shots against the Cougars from Western Nebraska but couldn’t find the back of the net. Western scored the only goal of the game late on a long free kick. The final was 1-0.

The Lady Trojans (2-3, 1-1) will host Otero (2-2, 1-0) on Wednesday afternoon at Los Niños Park. Kickoff is set for 1pm.

Men’s Soccer struggles to score at home

men's soccer

The men’s soccer team played at home for the first time in 2018 as they opened Region IX play on Friday and Saturday, falling to both Northeastern and Western Nebraska by identical 1-0 scores.

Friday’s game with Northeastern was decided early when Plainsman Dani van Steijn got a shot past the Trojan defense in the third minute. Both teams played well the rest of the contest but the keepers were up to the challenge and the early 1-0 lead would stand. TSJC’s Eric Estrada had six saves in the game. On Saturday the Cougar men scored the only goal of the match on a Ramses Atahualpa penalty kick in the first half. Western held the Trojans at bay late for the 1-0 win. The Trojans outshot the Cougars 19-8, with 14 of those shots on frame compared to just two for the Cougars.

Despite the losses the Trojans were much improved defensively over the weekend. They will see if they can get the offense going when they host Otero on Wednesday afternoon. Kickoff is set for 1pm at Los Niños Park.