LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (2-0) at
SOUTHERN NAZARENE (1-1)
Thursday, Septmeber 12 – 7 p.m.
Wanda Rhodes Soccer Complex
 
 
CHAPARRAL HEADERS
• Lubbock Christian has started the season with two straight wins for the first time since 2015, when they opened the season with victories over Southwest (NM) and Colorado Christian
• Chap goalkeeper Braxton Thorne is closing in on both his 100th collegiate save as well as his 10th collegiate shutout, currently posting 89 saves and nine shutouts
• Three LCU field players were in for every minute of the opening two games, including Jonathan Woods, Niklas Neumann and Ivan Muanze-Bengono, all of which are defenders
• Forward Tariq Bakkali had the first game-winner and second multi-goal game of his career in last Sunday's 3-1 win against Colorado Christian
• LCU is averaging seven shots on goal per game so far this season, which is the third most in the Lone Star Conference and ranks No. 32 nationally
 
AWAY FROM THE HUB CITY
Lubbock Christian will be playing its first two games on the road this weekend after starting the season with two wins at the friendly confines of the LCU Soccer Field. The Chaps are coming off a 2018 season that saw them above the .500 mark in road contests, going 5-4-1 away from home. LCU will not be back at home for matches for another two weeks, as next week the schedule takes them to the northeast, before they return home for a match against UTPB on September 26. In total, the Chaps will play 10 total road matches this year.
 
HE'S A KEEPER
Although he is just two games into his sophomore season, goalkeeper Braxton Thorne already has career numbers worth keeping an eye on. The Lubbock native has already racked up 89 saves in just 21 career games, which ranks as the third most in LCU program history. He is quickly closing in on Erik Mozzo, who is second on the list with 111, and could pass Hunter Ganze's 120 career saves by the end of the season. Thorne also currently sits four all-time in goalie minutes played, but will move up to third with 74 minutes in goal.
 
FINAL FORTY-FIVE
So far this season, every goal scored in a Lubbock Christian men's soccer game has come in the second half of a game. LCU's lone goal in the season-opening win against UCCS came 10 minutes into the second half (in the 55^th minute). The first LCU goal in Sunday's game against CCU came in the 61^st minute, and the other two were scored in the 81^st and 82^nd minutes of the game. LCU's only goal allowed so far this season also came in the second half (70^th minute vs. CCU).
 
WHERE THE WIND BLOWS SWIFTLY
LCU will be playing in the state of Oklahoma this weekend for the first time since October 7, 2017. That game, against Oklahoma Christian, went two overtimes and ended in a 1-1 tie with the Eagles. Since moving to NCAA Division II, LCU has played just four games in the Sooner State, posting a 2-1-1 record there in that time.
 
SCOUTING SOUTHERN NAZARENE

• SNU is 1-1 so far this season with a loss to Oklahoma Christian (0-1) and a win against Southwest Baptist (4-3)
• Thursday night's contest against LCU will be the first home game the Crimson Storm have played this season
• Scoring has been spread around for SNU, as their four goals against Southwest Baptist all came from four different players
• Eric Romero leads the team in points with three. He scored one of the goals against Southwest Baptist and assisted on another
• SNU was 6-12-1 during the 2018 season, including a 4-5-0 record at the friendly confines of the Wanda Rhodes Soccer Complex 

 
THE SERIES WITH THE CRIMSON STORM
Once upon a time, a matchup between Lubbock Christian and Southern Nazarene would have been a conference battle, as the two teams both previously competed in the Sooner Athletic Conference in the NAIA. The Chaps and Crimson Storm faced off in LCU's first-ever season of men's soccer, with LCU coming back from down 2-0 for the win. SNU won 2011's matchup, and the two teams did not face off again until 2018, when the Chaps won 4-1. Overall, LCU leads the series two wins to one.