Aguascalientes, Ags., May 13, 2024.- We congratulate our men's soccer team, who once again became national champions after 10 years when they faced each other in an exciting game in the CONADEIP National Conference (Comisión Nacional Deportiva Estudante de Instituciones Privadas, CONADEIP ). (National Student Sports Commission of Private Institutions).
At the beginning of July 2023, the young athletes began to train hard to prepare for the National Conference, which brought together the 16 best private universities and the 6 best public universities in the country.
Throughout the preseason, the Panteras UP Aguascalientes managed to stand out with an excellent participation that led them to qualify and position themselves in third place in the overall standings.
An exciting match
"The first game of the quarterfinals was against Universidad Anáhuac Puebla, whom we beat; with this we advanced to the semifinals, where we faced Panamericana campus Guadalajara, the only team that beat us all season, then at home we beat them. This took us to the final, where we played against Tec de Monterrey, who were undefeated," said Pedro Cruz García, soccer coach and coordinator of representative teams.
"In the final in Monterrey, they beat us 1-0, that gave a 2-2 aggregate, so there were overtimes, we played the overtimes, chased the tie and then we went to the penalty shootout. In the penalty shootout we made an adjustment and we put Eduardo Pedroza -central defender- as goalkeeper. The first goal was scored by Josúe Rodríguez -the captain-, the second by Rodrigo Pérez and the third goal, which gave us the championship, was scored by Andrés Ruíz Velasco", the coach points out proudly.
"My father and I look at each other, eyes shining with shared pride and excitement. In his gaze I see the reflection of my own joy, the spark of determination that has always burned in his heart and now burns in mine. A father and son, teammates, allies in the pursuit of greatness, we are champions! Always remembering that all glory goes to God," said an emotional Pedro Cruz Cardona, right winger.
"We were the only institution that from 2012 until this year, we were uninterruptedly in the top four nationally. I believe this is the first time we have scored so many goals in the 21 years I have been in charge of the team," adds the coach.
"For me this achievement means a very special joy, it is several years of previous work and to have won the championship is a very nice satisfaction. I have a lot to thank the coach, Lucho, my family, all the people who have been with me during this time, because for me it is the last tournament in which I participated," said Carlos Alberto R. de León Quezada, right back.
We recognize the students who are part of the Men's Soccer Team:
- José Luis Valdez Villalobos
- Carlos Alberto R. de León Quezada
- Rodrigo Eduardo Pedroza Robles
- Alberto Diaz Loza
- Jorge Alejandro Márquez Márquez
- Luis Rodrigo Perez Esparza
- Pablo Azueta Almada
- Victor Emilio Torres Pedroza
- Juan Benjamín R. de León Quezada
- Pedro Cruz Cardona
- Aldo Rosales Mata
- Patricio Gonzalez Huizar
- Andrés Ruiz Velasco Velasco
- Jorge Antonio Calvillo Rojas
- Daniel Dávalos Rubín de Celis
- Axel Ariel Camacho Guzman
- Israel Verdín Rangel
- Kevin Yair Escobedo López
- Santiago Mojarro Galván
- Jorge Antonio Arenas Garduño
- José Eduardo Medrano Heredia
- Christopher Francisco Rodríguez Delgadillo
- Josué Alejandro Rodríguez Mauricio
"For me, it was not only a sporting achievement, but also a personal and professional one. This achievement puts the Universidad Panamericana on a high level and creates a reputation of excellence, since thanks to the awarding of my scholarship and the values learned through soccer, I have been able to develop myself academically to also put the school on a high level through professional and curricular achievements", highlights Alberto Diaz Loza, central defender.
"This achievement is a great joy because in the five years that I have been in the Sports area, this is the first championship won. I believe that what has awakened the soccer team since last year has been the support of the entire university community, especially the alumni. Not because of the title, but because of all the speculation that has been generated, it has generated a lot of interaction and many visits from alumni who were not close to the team and this has reconnected them," says Luis Enrique "Lucho" Rejas, coordinator of UP Sports.
We would also like to highlight the coaching staff of the Selective Soccer Team:
- Luis Enrique "Lucho" Rejas, UP Sports Coordinator.
- Pedro Cruz García, trainer.
- César Villalobos Coronado, physical trainer.
- Omar Segovia, physiotherapist.
- Joab, psychologist.
