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Rice Soccer: Lianne Mananquil named to 2019 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List

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Rice soccer’s own Lianne Manaquil has been named to the 2019 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch list for the most outstanding player in women’s collegiate soccer.

It’s been a busy offseason for Rice Soccer. The Owls hired Brian Lee from LSU to be their new head coach. He brought assistant Travis Curson with him to South Main.

Rice Football Season Preview
Buy Now | 2019 Rice Preview

Since then, Lee has been diligently working to improve the program including the recently announced addition of Boston College transfer Mijke Roelfsema. With things already going well, Rice received further reason to be optimistic about the upcoming season on Thursday.

Senior midfielder Lianne Manaquil was among 61 players named to the watch list for the 2019 MAC Hermann Trophy, awarded annually to the most outstanding player from the men’s and women’s college soccer. This comes on top of Manaquil’s 2018 honors which included being named the Conference USA Midfielder of the Year.

The recognition is a tremendous honor for Manaquil and a positive for Rice Soccer as a whole. Coach Lee released a statement soon afterward, overflowing with praise for Manaquil and her accomplishments:

We are excited for Lianne and she is richly deserving of this preseason recognition. She is one of the top players I have ever coached and an even better person. Lianne is one of college soccer’s most dynamic playmakers, however she hasn’t reached her full potential quite yet. If her individual and our team growth continues on this path, it is easy to envision she and her teammates having a memorable season this fall.

Rice Soccer returns to action on August 13 at 7:00 p.m. in an exhibition against TCU. The regular season begins on the road against Oral Roberts on August 22. The Owls host Houston in their regular season opener on August 25 at 7 p.m.

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The Roost Podcast | Episode 1 – 2019 Rice Football schedule review

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We’re excited to introduce The Roost Podcast, hosted by Rice grad and football guru Carter Spires and Matthew Bartlett, Director and Managing Editor from The Roost. In our first episode, we take a big-picture view of the upcoming Rice Football season and talk through the opportunities (and challenges) provided to the Owls with their challenging opening schedule.

It’s been a busy summer for The Roost. We launched our 2019 Rice Football Season Preview and The Roost Shop with shirts and gear. Yet again, there’s more. Give a listen to the first episode below.


Episode 1 Notes
  • Host introduction
  • Aaron Cephus’ suspension
  • 2019 Schedule outlook
  • Season expectations
  • One thing we’re looking for
Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. At the moment the show is available on Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. We’re in the process of getting things set up with iTunes and Google Play and expect to have those channels operational soon.

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2020 Rice Football Recruiting Class well positioned as summer ends

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After a successful summer, the 2020 Rice Football Recruiting heads into the fall with record-setting aspirations. #FlightSchool20 is taking off.

The countdown to fall camp has reached single digits. The 2019 Rice Football team will hit the ground running for their first day of practice on August 1. The return of football signifies a shift in the recruiting cycle as well. Once practices wrap up and September arrives the final sprint to the early signing period in December will begin in earnest.

That time will come. First, a quick snapshot of what the Rice Football staff has built so far.

According to 247 Sports, the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class is the third-best class in Conference USA and a Top-75 class in the nation. If the Owls can hold those marks, it’ll be their best finish in both regards since the service began compiling class rankings.

Rice has yet to finish with a recruiting cycle ranked in the top four of their conference. Their highwater mark in the national rankings came in 2009 when they finished 83rd. That class was highlighted by QB Taylor McHargue, CB Phillip Gaines and placekicker Chris Boswell.

The 2019 class was filled with potential gamebreakers like De’Braylon Carroll, Izeya Floyd, Jawan King and others. [Read more about our freshmen breakout candidates in our 2019 Rice Football Season Preview]. The 2020 class might be even more star-studded than their predecessors.

Even with a departure from the class in late July, the 2020 class is star-studded. Safety Plae Wyatt and corner Sean Fresch are going to be differen makers in the secondary. Wide receiver Andrew Mason and running back Khalan Griffin are offensive weapons. And the intensity of guys like Geron Hargon and Braedon Nutter is through the roof.

All things considered, Rice is poised to enter the fall in an excellent position for a historic class. Things are looking up at South Main. Who’s next?

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Rice Football Recruiting: O-Line class steady after late-summer decommit

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The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class suffered a blow over the weekend, but one decommitment won’t shake what the Owls are building.

More: Complete list of 2020 Rice Football commits

In what has become a rare occurrence for the Owls under Mike Bloomgren, offensive lineman Brady Feeney decommited from the 2020 Rice Football Recruiting class over the weekend. Even with his abscence, the Owls incoming class ranks among the best of their peers. Rice has the No. 3 class in Conference USA and the No. 72 class in the nation with days remaining before fall camp begins on August 1.

Houston we don’t have a problem

Feeney’s departure is disappointing, but it’s not a sign of any significant problem in the ranks. The Owls remain confident for a number of reasons. First, this situation hasn’t proven to be an area of concern. In the past two recruiting cycles (2019 and 2020), four players have decommitted from Rice:

  • Feeney left the fold, committing to Indiana on Sunday
  • One reached a mutual understanding with the coaching staff that the Owls weren’t the right fit
  • An east coast cornerback flipped to Vanderbilt from Rice last September. He was committed for less than a month.
  • One of the Owls’ 2019 quarterback targets fell back into an offer during the early signing period to play for Buffalo, a local team with connections to his family

Altogether Rice brought in 40 players with their 2019 class. They have a little more than a dozen in the 2020 group, and counting. Rice doesn’t have a decommitment problem — and that’s a sign of a strong culture which players don’t want to leave.

Rice Football Season Preview
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More in the pipeline

Feeney first caught the Owls’ eye at a Stanford camp when coach Mike Bloomgren was working out west. He’s a good player who will be missed, but he projected as a guard at the next level, a position not as important for Rice right now as an outside man.

The Owls’ already have two guys in the wings ready to fill that tackle role, commits Trey Phillippi and Cole Latos. Both players are raw, ulta-athletic types with the physical frame ready for the college game. From a size and measurables perspective, they’re ready to hold down a side on the Owls’ offensive line.

Phillippi is a converted tight end and Latos can play both sides of the ball. They’ve yet to log a ton of film at the tackle spot, allowing the Owls’ to get in early and bring them on board. They’re raw talents with tremendous upside, fitting the position of greatest need for Rice on the offensive line.

Feeney’s decommitment wasn’t good news, but the future of Rice Football recruiting remains rock solid.

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Rice Football: Owls seek answers during fall camp

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Rice Football is set to begin fall camp on August 1 marking the unofficial end of the offseason. It’s finally time for offseason questions to be answered.

There were plenty of question marks when Mike Bloomgren’s staff took the reigns for their first fall camp last season. The staff had been through spring ball, but the weeks leading up to the regular season were supposed to be the time for the team to get answers.

Some questions were resolved rather quickly. Shawn Stankavage wasn’t named the outright starter during camp, but it the staff finalized that decision soon after the season began. The running back rotation was set with Emmanuel Esukpa taking the bulk of the carries, complimented by the speed and versatility of Austin Walter. Veterans in the secondary were trusted to start the season, even though several of them would quickly be replaced.

Fast-forward one more season and Rice finds themselves in a similar situation. No quarterback has been named the starter, yet, and the running back hierarchy is still up in the air. The secondary is more defined, at least by name, but the proven production isn’t there.

Rice Football Season Preview
Buy Now | 2019 Rice Preview

If you want a sneak peek at how those positions look entering camp, purchase our 2019 Rice Football Season Preview. 

This year Rice has the benefit of experience. With the exception of some incoming transfers, the players being evaluated to fill the open roles understand what will be asked of them, both during camp and this fall. They know the scheme and their responsibilities in it. That should, in theory, make the process of selecting starters and preparing for the season more streamlined than it was a year ago.

Rice is going to be young again in 2019, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be inexperienced. In time, the Owls will have their answers.

Have questions? Join the discussion on the forum.

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