LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (4-2, 0-0) vs.
UT PERMIAN BASIN (2-3, 0-0)
September 26, 2019 – 3 p.m.
LCU Soccer Field
 
CHAPARRAL HEADERS
• Lubbock Christian will begin Lone Star Conference play with this week's game against UTPB after previously competing for six seasons in the Heartland Conference
 
• The Chaps were picked to finish sixth in this year's LSC preseason poll, receiving 154 points. Midwestern State was picked to be the league winner
 
• LCU ranks 34th in all of Division II with 12 total goals this season. Half of those have been scored by forward Fernando Flores with four other players scoring as well
 
• Goalkeeper Braxton Thorne surpassed the triple-digit save mark in the Chaps' last game and now needs just 17 more to become LCU's all-time leader
 
• Of the 11 teams in the Lone Star Conference, eight (including LCU) will enter league play this weekend with above .500 records, led by Eastern New Mexico at 6-0
 
NEW ERA
Like the rest of LCU's NCAA sponsored athletic teams, the Chaparrals will be competing in a whole new league this year… sort of. The men's soccer program will see the least amount of change out of all the LCU teams because the Lone Star Conference did not previously sponsor men's soccer. Previously, any LSC schools that played men's soccer did so as affiliate members of the Heartland Conference, where Lubbock Christian was playing. The only additional foe added to the league schedule this season was UT Tyler, a school that is beginning the transition from NCAA Division III to Division II this year.
 
A HELPING HAND
Lubbock Christian heads into the weekend's game tied for second in the Lone Star Conference with nine total assists, and they also rank 34^th nationally in that category. One difference, however, is that all nine Chap assists have come from different players. Position-wise, midfielders lead the way with four assists, followed by defenders with three and another two from forwards. LCU's last assist came from midfielder Richie Vaca-Cordova.
 
HOME AGAIN
After four straight games on the road, the Chaparrals are returning to the friendly confines of the LCU Soccer Field for one game this weekend. They are a perfect 2-0 at home so far this season, winning games against UCCS and Colorado Christian. Their last loss at home was almost a full year ago, when they lost 1-3 against then-No. 4 Midwestern State on September 29, 2018. Lubbock Christian also had more wins than losses at home last season, going 4-2-2 at the friendly confines. The Chaps have had winning home records five times in their program's history, including a best-ever home record of 8-1-1 in 2011.
 
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST
After scoring just three goals and assisting three others in his freshman season, sophomore forward Fernando Flores has burst onto the scene to lead the LCU offense this year. Flores has already doubled his goal total from a year ago, scoring six times this year and adding an assist as well. His 13 total points are the second-most in the Lone Star Conference, and he ranks eighth nationally in goals per game. Three of his scores have been to win the game, and his game-winning goal total is tied for the second most in all of Division II. He also ranks second in the LSC with 24 shots, 11 of which have been on goal
 
STRONG START
Lubbock Christian got off to its best start in program history at the beginning of the 2019 season, winning four games before ever suffering a loss. The four wins came against UCCS, Colorado Christian, Southern Nazarene and Oklahoma Baptist, with two taking place at home and two on the road. LCU's previous best starts were in 2010 and 2011 when they went 3-0-1 through their first four games
 
SCOUTING UTPB

• Falcons are 2-3-0 so far this season with wins over Colorado Christian and Stanislaus State
• Salvador Vargas Ramos leads the team in shots and shots on goal, but is tied for the team lead with three other players who all have one each
• UTPB received 69 points in the LSC Preseason Poll, including one first place vote, as they were picked to finish 10^th overall
• The Falcons are one of just two LSC teams with a negative scoring margin, averaging .80 goals per game while giving up 1.80 per game to opponents
• Head coach Dennis Peterson has been leading the UTPB men's program since 2000

 
THE SERIES WITH THE FALCONS

• LCU is 6-4-2 all-time against UTPB
• First matchup between the two teams was September 23, 2013 (3-0 W for LCU)
• Chaps have not won in the last four meetings (0-3-1)
• Lubbock Christian's last win was a 3-1 victory in Odessa on October 29, 2016