Rams place five on preseason HBCU Athletic Conference women's soccer team

NEW ORLEANS – Huston-Tillotson University's women's soccer team placed five players on the preseason All-HBCU Athletic Conference team, the most of any of the league's institutions.
 
The Rams also received 27 points in the preseason predicted order-of-finish of the league's six soccer-playing schools, which tied for second with in-state rival Wiley. Talladega (Ala.) received 36 points and all six first-place votes.
 
Sophomore goalkeeper Juliet Morales-Martinez (Burnet, Texas/Burnet) was named the Preseason All-HBCUAC Goalkeeper of the Year, leading the Rams' five honorees. She was named to the All-Red River Athletic Conference Freshman Team at the end of 2024 season after leading HT in wins and ranking fourth in the RRAC with 75 saves.
 
The Rams placed two midfielders, a striker, and a defender on the preseason All-HBCUAC team. Seniors Neydelyn Bonilla (Austin, Texas/KIPP Austin) and Izabella Olivo (San Marcos, Texas/San Marcos) were named all-conference midfielders. Bonilla led HT with three assists last season, while Olivo scored two goals and tallied two assists during the Rams' 2024 season.
 
Alondra Quiroz-Martínez, a junior from Austin, Texas (Connally) earned preseason recognition as a striker after scoring three goals for the Rams last season. Senior defender Gonzalez (Kearns, Utah/Neosho County [Kan.] CC) anchored HT's defense in her first season with the Rams in 2024.
 
Rounding out the predicted order of finish in the conference was Tougaloo (Miss.) (fourth place, 17 points), Paul Quinn (Texas) (12 points), and Oakwood (Ala.) (seven points).
 
The HBCU Athletic Conference, whose schools are member institutions of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), will sponsor soccer this season for the first time since 2009. The additions of Huston-Tillotson and Paul Quinn in July gave the league six soccer-playing institutions.
 
Oakwood, Talladega, Tougaloo, and Wiley fielded soccer teams in the NAIA's Continental Athletic Conference last season. The CAC groups all independent institutions, as well as other schools fielding sports not offered by their primary conference, into a conference format to give teams access to berths into the NAIA's national tournaments.
 
The HBCU Athletic Conference will split its teams into two divisions in the 2025 season, with the three Texas institutions placed in the league's West Division. The Rams will play home-and-home series with both Wiley and Paul Quinn in October.
 
The Rams return to action Saturday, Aug. 30, when they make the relatively short trip (by the standards of typical Austin traffic) across Interstate Highway 35 to face NCAA Division II St. Edward's. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. on the St. Edward's campus.
 
HT will then travel to Hawkins, Texas, on Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 1) for a 4 p.m. match at former RRAC rival Jarvis Christian.
 
– HT –