LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (4-8-1, 3-5-1) at ST. MARY'S (4-6-2, 3-5-1)
Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016 – 1:30 p.m.
Sigma Beta Chi Field (San Antonio, Texas)
LCU TWITTER: @LCUchaps, @LCUmensSoccer
StMU TWITTER: @StMarysRattlers,
NSCAA South Central Regional Rankings
LCU: N/A
StMU: N/A
CHAPS FLIGHT DECK
• LCU looks to establish a season-best win streak and also aims to garner their first road win streak of the season, as they close a two-game road trip Saturday at St. Mary's for a Heartland Conference tilt.
• The Chaparrals are 4-8-1 on the season and are 3-5-1 in Heartland Conference play after a 1-0 road win over Texas A&M International Thursday. The Chaps are tied for eighth in the Heartland Conference standings (10 points) and are in last in the West Division (0-2-0 / 0 points, four points behind division leading West Texas A&M). The West Division is the only division in the conference that has all four teams with at least 10 standing points (conference standing points).
• LCU, who went 6-3-0 last season in road competition, is 2-7-0 in road play this season and are 34-24-5 all-time in road play.
STORY LINES
• The Chaps are 20-13-1 all-time in Heartland Conference contests and 12-6-0 all-time in Heartland Conference road contests (LCU went 2-2 in conference road games last season). LCU is 1-4 in road conference games this season.
• LCU's 1-0 win Thursday marked their fifth shutout of the season. The Chaps have been involved in eight shutout results this season (13 games played), with four shutout wins, three shutout losses and a scoreless draw. They enter Saturday with an active shutout sequence of 180:18.
• The Chaps rank 40
th nationally in fouls per game, with an average of 10.7 per contest. Breaking it down even more, LCU is averaging 15.3 fouls at home and 8.7 per game away from home. Thursday at TAMIU, LCU committed 17 fouls, which was a season high on the road, which dropped them from 28
th nationally to 40
th.
• On the road, LCU is led offensively by
Mickey Brunton (2g,1a) and
Brandon Couling (2g,1a), who each have five points in road games. Each player previously played at Salem International prior to transferring to LCU.
• Of LCU's 11 goals on the season, eight have come in the second half. Couling's goal Thursday at TAMIU came in the first half, marking LCU's first first-half goal since
Erwin Regules' goal on Sept. 29 at West Texas A&M. All of LCU's goals in the first half have been scored on the road.
•
Fernando Rios, ranking 33
rd nationally in saves (52), is in sixth nationally in goalkeeping minutes played with 1190:00. Second in the conference by 9:57.
SCOUTING StMU
• The Rattlers are coming off a 8-9-0 mark last season. They are 4-6-2 this season, which includes a 3-5-1 conference record (tied for eighth, 10 points). StMU has three of their 10 standing points in South Division play, where they are tied for third place.
• StMU, who went 6-3-0 last season at home, is 2-4-1 at home this season. They are coming off a 2-0 home win Thursday over Texas Permian Basin.
• The Heartland Conference has StMU preseason picked seventh in the conference preseason poll.
• Goalkeeper Jack Moore ranks 16
th nationally in saves (63) and ranks 25
th in saves per game (5.3). As a team, the Rattlers rank 30
th nationally in saves per game (5.4).
• The Rattlers are coached by for LCU head coach Matt Barnes. He is in his first season at the helm of StMU. He coached the Chaps in 2013 and led LCU to a first place finish in the conference standings. This meeting marks the first ever meeting in which LCU has faced a former head coach (in men' soccer).
SERIES HISTORY WITH StMU
• LCU leads the all-time series 3-1-0, with StMU claiming their first series win last season (Oct. 1, 2015) in their prior meeting.
• In the prior meeting in San Antonio, Texas, (Oct. 13, 2014) Corey Hutchinson scored the game winning goal for LCU, as LCU scored a pair of goals in the final five minutes to win 3-1.
