Men's Soccer Honored at National Championship Ring Ceremony
2023 Richland Men's Soccer Schedule
Head coach Raul Herrera Interview
DALLAS – Dallas College Richland men's soccer team received its National Junior College Athletic Association Division III national championship rings Thursday in a ceremony inside Guadalupe Hall.
Richland president Kay Eggleston and Dallas College Athletic Director Sadiaa Jones were on hand to present the Thunderducks their rings, and laud their accomplishments.
The Thunderducks won their sixth straight national title in the fall. It was the program's 12th overall.
"It's definitely an exciting time, and it's easy to sometimes take it for granted," head coach Raul Herrera said, "but I was here nine years when we went without winning it as an assistant, and that was difficult."
For the past six years, it's been difficult to beat the Thunderducks, who shut out each of their three opponents at the national tournament to claim another title. Richland beat its last six opponents all by shutouts en route to the title and a 12-3-1 overall record.
"We had the biggest bullseye we ever had," Herrera said of the 2023 season. "We had to challenge our team to raise the standard."
It was the first time in four years the Thunderducks lost a game, ending a run of dominance that others are still playing catch up, attempting to mimic.
"Every year is different," Herrera said. "There's a lot of turnaround in the junior college game. I think it's a positive that we get to bring a new batch of kids with new experiences and new goals to give them. That's what's motivating."
That's what has kept this string of titles going – that hunger to continue to do what the class before them accomplished.
"We have a proven track record if you come here, if you take care of your business academically, do well on the field … good things are happening," Herrera said. "We need guys who are motivated, and looking for those challenges, and looking to give themselves better opportunities on and off the field."