San Antonio Soldados Season Preview: Remember the Name
Author: Whitney Ho
Last Season:
The 2024 Season for the San Antonio Soldados proved to be one for the history books. The season started off hot as the Soldados went undefeated in their first series against the Kansas City Stampede before falling 2-1 against the Austin Outlaws, but the team bounced back quickly. San Antonio was able to sweep their next two conference series against the Houston Legends (formerly League CIty) and the New Orleans Curse to clinch the Southern Division Championship for the first time in program history. After finishing the regular season with their best record to date (11-2), the Soldados went into MLQ Champs with high hopes and took care of business by sweeping the Stampede again in the quarterfinals. The Soldados then met the New York Titans in a battle to reach the final, unfortunately losing two tight games to end their season as semifinalists.
The results of last season, while not exactly what the Soldados had hoped for, still set a successful precedent and high standard for many seasons to come. With the team mostly made up of current and former collegiate players from Texas State and UTSA with quite a few valuable additions compared to last year, the Soldados boasts one of the most talented rosters in all of MLQ and are a clear favorite to do well during MLQ Champs. This season’s question isn’t if the Soldados will be successful, but rather, how far will they go?
Returning Players:
Alyssa Villalba (Texas Hill Country Heat)
Catherine Hay (Texas State)
D’Adrian Avila (Texas State)
Daniel Williams (The Warriors)
David Avila (Texas State)
Hailey Davis (UTSA)
Javi Tijerina (UTSA)
Kristopher De La Fuente (Unaffiliated)
Kyle Bryant (UTSA)
Luke Langlinais (Texas Hill Country Heat)
Matthew Blackwood (Texas Hill Country Heat)
Miguel Esparza (The Warriors)
Milena Sousa (Unaffiliated)
Riley Moehlmann (UTSA)
Terra Robinson (UTSA)
Trevor Smith (Texas Copperheads)*
New Players:
Baldemar Nuñez (Texas Copperheads, played for the Soldados in 2022)
Brandy Gomez (Texas State, played for the Soldados in 2023)
Christian Cortez (Texas Hill Country Heat, played for the Soldados in 2023)
David Rodriguez (UTSA, played for the Soldados in 2023)
Hayden Boyes (Texas Copperheads)
Isabella Ramirez (Texas State)
Javien Stewart (Texas Hill Country Heat, played for the Soldados in 2023)
John Alvarez (Texas Hill Country Heat, played for the Soldados in 2023)
Julie Picasso (Texas State, played for the Soldados in 2023)
Louis Sanchez (Connecticut Quadball)
Nate McCall (Texas State)
Nate Targonski (Texas State)
Tamia Griffin (UTSA)
Theron Ratliff (Texas State)
Breakdown:
College: 16
Texas State: 9
UTSA: 7
Club: 12
Texas Hill Country Heat: 6
Texas Copperheads: 3
The Warriors: 2
Connecticut Quadball: 1
Unaffiliated: 2
Notable Losses:
Emme Gouveia
Jess Markle
TJ Martinez
Carlos Prado
*Trevor Smith was on the official roster at the time of release, but due to recent injury, he likely will not be an active player this year.
The Season Ahead:
The Soldados begin their season on the road against the Legends on June 28th. The late start to the season is unfortunately due to the temporary hiatus of the New Orleans Curse, who the Soldados were supposed to face on June 7th. Last year’s series against the Legends finished with a 3-0 Soldados victory, but all three of the games were within 35 points, with one even coming down to golden goal. However, Houston placed last in the South last year, and the Texas border redraw allowed for a few Houston players, including 2024 regular season lead goal-scorer Hayden Boyes, to relocate to San Antonio. The strength of this new roster certainly makes the Soldados the favorites, but it will be interesting to see how well the team works together.
After a month-long break, San Antonio will travel north to play against Kansas City on August 2nd. The Soldados have a history of handling the Stampede in both the regular season and last year’s MLQ championship, defeating the Stampede to advance to the semi-finals. Unfortunately, Kansas City has seen some major collegiate losses as many of the players from Creighton’s 2025 D1 National Championship team aren’t returning. However, the bitter rivalry between the two teams is still alive and well, and when the Stampede travel to Texas for this series, all eyes will be on San Antonio as they gear up for another hard fought victory.
The final series of the year for the Soldados is only a week later, a fast turn-around compared to the month they had between their first two. San Antonio will stay home to face off against the Austin Outlaws on August 9th in the last MLQ weekend of the year. A combination of the border redraw, college decline, and retirements proved to be rough for Austin, with this year’s official roster only consisting of 13 players compared to last year’s full 30. The Soldados have historically struggled against the Outlaws, the latter winning five MLQ Championships during that time period. Last season, the Outlaws handed the Soldados their only two losses of the year, winning their series 2-1, but San Antonio were able to bounce back and clinch the Southern Division Championship. When looking at this upcoming season, it’s hard to see a future where Austin wins this series, but it will still be one to watch.
Season Predictions:
This year, the Soldados will look to defend their Southern Division Champion title and compete for their first MLQ Championship. The strength of this roster will certainly allocate San Antonio as early favorites to make the final. Their main obstacles to the Benepe Cup are outside of their division, including defending champions, New York, and 2024 runner-ups, the Chicago Prowl. The Soldados will be expected to come out on top again for the South, and this team has the potential to go undefeated in the regular season. The late start may mean a slow start for the Soldados, especially since their Houston opponents will start their season early against the Stampede on June 7th. But San Antonio will definitely be the team to beat in the South this season.
One of the main goals that San Antonio will definitely set for themselves is to walk away from the 10th annual MLQ season with a championship. However, if the Soldados want to accomplish their dreams this season, they’ll have to have a strong showing in the regular season and keep that momentum as they continue into Champs. The defending champions, the Titans, will also be favorites this year, and their established roster will be a challenge for San Antonio — a welcomed one, but a challenge nonetheless.
The Soldados will obtain an automatic bid to Buffalo this year due to New Orleans going on hiatus. This allows them to focus less on qualifying for Champs and instead building chemistry and recreating their identity with the new additions to the roster. One of the hidden problems that the Soldados may have to deal with is potential coldness between UTSA and Texas State, as the friendly competition between the two schools has grown into the biggest collegiate rivalry in Texas in the post-COVID era. Off the pitch, the two teams have a fun and friendly relationship, but on the pitch, tension between them can lead to multiple cards and timeouts to diffuse the situation (as seen at the 2025 Garland Qualifier). However, in recent years, both of these two college teams have predominantly funneled into the Texas Hill Country Heat, so the vets of the sport will have to lead by example and help the youngsters mesh as they grow together.
Why They Will:
The Soldados are one of the many MLQ teams represented on Team USA, with USNT players Miguel Esparza, Louis Sanchez, Daniel Williams, Hayden Boyes, Alyssa Villalba and Javien Stewart returning to San Antonio. Additionally, three more players — David Avila, Matthew Blackwood, and Milena Sousa — represent the Soldados on the USNTDA. The team’s collegiate foundation is made up of both Texas State and UTSA, something the Soldados are used to, but the redraw of the Texas MLQ border changed things for many Texas State players. Last year, the border ran along the San Marcos river, allowing for students that live south of the river to become Soldados and those that live north to become Outlaws — a pretty even split. However, the new franchise borders place the division of San Antonio and Austin north of San Marcos, leading to the majority of the Texas State core heading south. The addition of these young players to an already strong franchise has the potential to secure victory in not just this season, but many seasons to come.
Both collegiate teams saw success this past USQ season. Texas State walked away from the 2024-2025 season with a South Regional Championship and a D1 bid for Richmond, and they finished 4-2 overall at Nationals, falling only to Creighton and Virginia. The team’s MLQ veteran foundation, composed of David Avila, Catherine Hay, Brandy Gomez, Julie Picasso and others will be a strong addition to this already stacked roster. MLQ rookies Isabella Ramirez and Nate Targonski, who were crucial to Texas State’s success this past season, will add fresh chasing experience to San Antonio.
Due to fundraising difficulties, UTSA was not able to accept their D1 bid and did not go to the 2025 Nationals. However, the collegiate talent that brought the Roadrunners to back to back finals appearances in previous years will still be present on the Soldados this year in the form of Kyle Bryant, Javi Tijerina, David Rodriguez and Riley Moehlmann. The women of UTSA refuse to be overlooked as well, with Terra Robinson providing chasing and seeking skills and beater Tamia Griffin joining the squad.
The Soldados may have a very strong collegiate foundation, but the club side of this roster will be just as crucial for success this season. The majority of the club players on this team come from the Texas Hill Country Heat, who made a semifinal run at the 2024 USQ Nationals. Key players include Javien Stewart, Matthew Blackwood and Alyssa Villalba, who have not only made their mark on USQ, but are all involved in either Team USA or the USNTDA. Other players, like reigning top goal-scorer of the regular season Hayden Boyes, come from the Texas Copperheads, who surprised everyone at Nationals after defeating Boom Train, the reigning club champions, to secure a number one seed out of day one before falling to the Bosnyan Bearsharks in the quarterfinals. Finally, three players who made appearances at the club final round out this squad, including Miguel Esparza and Daniel Williams from Warriors and Louis Sanchez from Connecticut Quadball. Fans will look at this superstar roster and hope that the success that these three teams saw this past USQ season will continue with the Soldados.
The team’s foundation of strong players will certainly help them go far this season, but the keys to their victory lie in their playing style. The Soldados are known for their high powered offense and passion, leading to a fast game pace that wears out their opponents. The depth on this team will only make the speed of play faster and more consistent, allowing for top players to take breaks with confidence as players who come off the bench can keep the momentum.
The chasing core of this team is easily one of the best in the country. Esparza and Hayden Boyes combined for 107 goals last season, and the women of San Antonio, including Villalba and Hay, were crucial to their success. Other chasers, including Stewart, Blackwood, Avila, and Rodriguez are not to be overlooked, as their experience and skill will only elevate the team. It’s not crazy to say that almost every single chaser on this roster has the potential to be a starter at a different franchise.
The beaters of this team are just as strong as the chasers. Williams, a long-time Team USA member, will lead this group alongside collegiate assets Gomez, Javi Tijerina, Bryant and more. One of the best parts about this beating squad is the depth of both men, women and gender non-conforming players, allowing for quick reps and aggressive control. On offense, expect this beating team to open up passing lanes and provide opportunities for dunking and on defense, the game IQ and awareness of these players will force their opponents to work for every goal.
The seekers of this team will also be a dangerous threat to their opponents. Kristopher De La Fuente will lead the group after catching three times last MLQ season, and he will likely be supported by John Alvarez and Robinson, who both had huge impacts on their teams’ success. The experience and confidence of these players will allow for the team to focus more on scoring, trusting their seekers to deliver during crucial moments.
Leadership has also changed for the Soldados as new head coach Hayden Boyes takes the wheel with assistance from manager Joan Boyes. Hayden Boyes has seen success in coaching with both Copperheads and League City, but this is his first season with San Antonio, and it will be interesting to see how he begins his tenure. However, the husband and wife duo is made up of two players that are widely respected throughout all of Texas, and if the Soldados place their trust in the hands of the Boyeses, the couple will do everything they can to bring home a trophy.
Why They Won’t:
The question that will be on everyone’s minds as they watch the Soldados progress through their season is if they will be able to perform against top teams from outside of their conference. With a weakened Austin and absent New Orleans, the only real challenges for San Antonio will be Houston and Kansas City, teams that they have historically had little trouble defeating. Additionally, the Soldados start their season off in late June, nearly a month after the opening weekend of MLQ. If success is possible this season, it will rely heavily on the work that the Soldados put in during practice throughout the summer, and with few challenges facing them in the regular season, it will be hard to tell if they’ve prepared enough once MLQ Champs rolls around.
Last year, one of the key aspects of the game that the Soldados struggled with was control of the dodgeballs in relation to the Quadball game. The talented beaters did a fine job of holding their own, but there was the occasional disconnect between them and the chasers that led to goals against and turnovers on offense. To rectify this, the Soldados chasers must continue to work on being aware of the dodgeballs at all times and the beaters will have to focus on not getting too caught up in the dodgeball game.
The Soldados also have a reputation for their fiery nature and passion for the game. While the roster’s emotion is one of the things that can make them great, it can also hurt them, and the coaching staff will have to make sure that they are able to keep their cool in high pressure situations. The team chemistry will also be a hoop for head coach Boyes to jump through, and he must manage lines in a way that highlights each player’s individuality and skill while also considering their physical and mental limitations. When this team is at its strongest, it is one of the best in the league, but one bad situation could send them spiraling. But at the end of the day, in big moments, the Soldados will give it everything they’ve got.
Final Predictions:
7-2 regular season record
Southern Division Champions
