Yancy named HBCUAC's Men's Soccer Coach of the Year, Cruz named to all-conference team

By Alan Wiederhold
HT Athletic Communications

SHREVEPORT, La. – Huston-Tillotson University men's soccer coach Aaron Yancy was named the HBCU Athletic Conference's 2025 Coach of the Year while freshman Alejandro Cruz was named to the league's all-conference team, the league announced Tuesday.
 
In his third season as the men's soccer coach, Yancy, a 2011 HT alumnus, has guided the Rams to their best season and first conference postseason appearance since 2022. HT's 2022 team finished 8-7 and participated in the Red River Athletic Conference tournament.
 
Yancy's squad finished the 2025 regular season with a 7-7 record and went 2-2 in conference play in the Rams' first season as member of the HBCUAC. The Rams open HBCUAC Tournament play Tuesday against Tougaloo (Miss.), which went 1-5 and played only five matches this year, with one forfeit loss.
 
The Rams are seeking their third conference tournament title, and first since winning the 2011 RRAC Tournament. Yancy was a key player for the Rams when they won their first RRAC Tournament title in 2006.
 
One of HT's key contributors to this season's success has been Cruz, a freshman from Lockhart, Texas. He was named to the All-HBCUAC team as a midfielder, having scored two goals and tallied two assists for the Rams in his first collegiate season.
 
Cruz has logged 1,056 minutes of playing time for the Rams, which ranks third on the team behind midfielder Dominique Munson-Garza and striker Manuel 'Lito' Guevara.
 
The Rams kickoff against Tougaloo at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Lee Hedges Stadium in Shreveport. The game will be broadcast on the Urban Edge Network.

– HT –