LUBBOCK, Texas (May 22, 2019) – The Lubbock Christian University men's soccer program and head coach Paul Gilbert have finalized the 2019 schedule, which opens at home on September 6 against UC-Colorado Springs.
 
The Chaps are coming off a successful 2018 campaign that saw them go 9-7-3, wining the Heartland Conference's West Division and advancing to the semifinals of the Heartland Conference Tournament. Two players were named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Region Team and will be returning for 2019 in Ivan Muanze-Bengono and Richie Vaca-Cordova, and forward Fernando Flores will return for his sophomore season after garnering an All-Conference selection in 2018.
 
Lubbock Christian will begin the season with a pair of home games this year, taking on UC-Colorado Springs and Colorado Christian at the LCU Soccer Field. The two games kick off a schedule that includes 16 total regular season games, seven of which are at home. The schedule includes early season road trips to Oklahoma as well as the West Coast, where the Chaps will take on Concordia (Oregon) and Saint Martin's. LCU's home schedule will include matchups with UCCS, CCU, UT Permian Basin, MSU-Texas, Oklahoma Christian, UT-Tyler and West Texas A&M.
 
"I am very excited about our 2019 schedule," Gilbert said. "I think our non-conference games will prepare us very well for what is always a difficult conference schedule, and heading to Portland for games against Concordia and St. Martin's will be a great experience for our team as we look to take our program to the next level."
 
The 2019 season will also see a new conference affiliation for the Chaps as the Heartland Conference merges with the Lone Star over the summer. LSC play will open at home for the Chaps as they take on 2018 Heartland Conference Regular Season Champion MSU-Texas on October 5. The conference schedule features 10 total games leading up to the Lone Star Conference Tournament November 12-17.
 
"I think with only ten conference games this year our league is going to be even more competitive than in years past," Gilbert added. "We are really looking forward to having our athletes back on campus this fall. With a core group of returners and some very good newcomers added to the roster, our hope is to build on last year success both on and off the field."