Xavier set to debut soccer teams; new coaches in place
March 17, 2023
Gonzalo Carranza and Ashley Cordeiro are the coaches of the first men’s and women’s soccer team in Xavier’s history. Their teams are set to have their first season in the 2023-2024 school year and will compete in the Red River Athletic Conference and the National Association of Intercollegiate Atheletics.
“It’s like we have the opportunity to start something at a university like how unique is that?” said Carranza, the new head coach for the men’s soccer team.
Carranza said he likes the excitement of building up a program from the ground up.
“That doesn’t happen all the time. So, one of the things that attracted me to Xavier. And it might also sound like a very difficult thing. I feel like that motivates me. Like it’s not an easy task, but it’s probably easier than maybe cleaning other people’s mess or maybe following a legacy,” he added.
Soccer at Xavier has grown from a club intermural team to becoming a varsity program that officially represents the university. Xavier will offer the city’s first intercollegiate varsity men’s program since the University of New Orleans in 1985. It will be the only men’s varsity program at a four-year school in the southern part of Louisiana.
Carranza is coming from Eastern Oklahoma State College with a 12-6-2 record, a district championship title, and a No. 19 national ranking. Cordeiro is coming from Pratt Community College in Kansas with a 2-season record of 23- 5-3, a National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Region VI championship, and a No. 14 national ranking.
Both coaches made a transition from predominantly white institutions (PWI) to an HBCU and recognized the impact on themselves as coaches and their athletes. Carranza is Argentinian but grew up in Brazil for most of his life and Cordeiro is a native of Scotland.
“I’m our minority myself like I said, but 90 percent of our roster will be as well. There’s going to be different religions, different tones of skin, different languages being spoken on the field,” said Carranza.
“So the fact that we can, you know, provide that for kids made it really attractive for myself and it makes it attractive to these kids that are coming,” he added.
With Xavier having their first soccer season both coaches are making sure they start off as strong as possible with team rosters representing the school as strong student-athletes. Cordeiro said she recognizes how strong Xavier’s athletics have been with the men’s basketball team winning their RRAC championship, the cheer team going for their third national title and the tennis team being nationally ranked as well.
“I feel like everyone’s kind of got this expectation and standard and we’re gonna be the same thing. You know, the top half of the playoffs, I feel like that’s got to be us every single year,” she said. “So, all the goals I’m going to set for us aren’t going to be unrealistic, they’re going to be reachable,” she added.
Both coaches said they are also looking forward to working together because they have known each other since 2017. They coached at club level together while they were in Kansas and operated like a family as Carranza’s wife was a part of Cordeiro’s wedding last year and her husband is one of Carranza’s best friends and going to be his assistant coach at Xavier.
The men’s soccer team announced their first commit on their Instagram page on March 3, 2023 – Juan Braz from Brazil. He has prior experience playing for professional youth academies in Brazil as a defender. On Xavier’s men’s soccer Instagram, he is said to be, “a solid asset to our back line.”
“I’m delighted to be part of Xavier and hope we have a very great season. I know Xavier is a good place to study and play, and I can’t wait to be there to start the work,” Braz said.
“Being part of the first-ever soccer men’s team is an honor. I’m anxious to be there and work hard to do an amazing season at NAIA and raise Xavier’s name in soccer,” he added.
