SAN ANTONIO, Texas (October 30, 2021) – The night before Halloween was anything but spooky for the Lubbock Christian men's soccer team, which won 4-2 against No. 24 St. Mary's at Sigma Beta Chi Field on Saturday.
 
It's the second time in a week that the Chaparrals (7-5-1, 4-2-1) scored four goals in a single game, matching their season high set last Saturday at UT Tyler. This time though, the goals came from four different players as Jacopo Ghezzi, Pablo Galietero Diez, Niklas Neumann and Juan Jose Valdez Lopez. Both Neumann's and Valdez's goals were the first of their collegiate careers.
 
The loss for St. Mary's was just their fifth of the season and only their second in Lone Star Conference play. LCU vaulted over StMU in the league standings and now sits in second with 13 points heading into the final week of the season. It was also LCU's second win this season over a team ranked in the top-25 nationally. They also beat No. 6 West Texas A&M 3-0 on Oct. 9.
 
Lubbock Christian's first goal of the match came on 4:32 after the opening kickoff. Hector Rodriguez-Cabo pushed the ball down the touch line and passed inside to Ghezzi. The freshman split a pair of Rattler defenders and shot from just outside the 18-yard box. StMU's keeper Andre Schaefli got one hand on the ball, but it snuck inside the back post to give the Chaps the lead. They would never lose it.
 
Diez was the one to double the lead, scoring in the 21^st minute. Luciano Rodriguez started the scoring effort, taking a through ball out wide on the right side of the goal. Rodriguez cut back inside and passed to Diez at the corner of the box, where he chipped it on goal. Again the St. Mary's keeper got a hand on it before it found the back of the net, and Schaefli was removed from the game for Raul Bejar-Guillamon right after the goal.
 
Valdez had one more shot on goal for the Chaps before halftime, but it was saved and LCU went into the break up 2-0.
 
Not long into the second half though, St. Mary's got back into the game as Alonso Rodriguez scored less than a minute in.
 
In the 58^th  minute, Lubbock Christian went back in front by two goals. The play started on the back line when Ivan Muanze-Bengono sent a long pass out wide to Neumann. He drove up the end line and passed into the middle to Rodriguez. Rodriguez took one touch toward the right post before passing back to Neumann, who drove the ball past the new goalkeeper.
 
Still, the Rattlers did not quit. Deni Cresto got them right back in the game in the 66^th minute with an unassisted goal, setting up for a tense final 24 minutes. St. Mary's had two shots not long after the Cresto goal, but both missed out left. Their last offensive chance of the game was a shot by Andrick Ferrer in the 78^th minute, but it missed high.
 
The game was put out of reach for good in the 89^th minute. Chap goalkeeper Braxton Thorne punted the ball into the midfield, where Rodriguez settled it and sent a pass through to Tariq Bakkali. He was behind every StMU defender along with Valdez. The Rattler goalkeeper came out to meet Bakkali, but he timed the pass to Valdez perfectly for an easy goal.
 
Lubbock Christian will now return home for their final game of the regular season at the LCU Soccer & Track Complex. The Chaps will take on Dallas Baptist at 7 p.m. on Wednesday for Senior Night.