LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (3-4, 0-0) vs.
No. 6 WEST TEXAS A&M (7-1, 0-0)
Saturday, Oct. 9 – 7 p.m.
LCU Soccer & Track Complex – Lubbock, Texas
 
CHAPARRAL HEADERS

• Although Lubbock Christian and West Texas A&M have met once already this season, Saturday's match will be the Lone Star Conference opener for both teams
• The Chaps have scored multiple goals in four of their six games this season and are averaging 1.57 per game, which is the fourth-best mark in the league
•  Braxton Thorne has handled most of LCU's goalkeeping this season, posting a save percentage of .750 and a goals against average of 1.17 in over 400 minutes of work
• The matchup with West Texas A&M is LCU's third straight against a ranked opponent. The Buffs are currently No. 6 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll and have been as high as No. 3 this season
• Lubbock Christian has attempted just 70 shots so far this season, but an incredible 55.7 percent of those have been on goal, giving them an average of 5.57 shots on goal per game

 
(LONE) STAR-GAZING
Saturday's matchup is the Lone Star Conference opener for both the Chaparrals and the Buffs. LSC play for the 2021 season will feature one game against each of the other eight league members, with teams earning three points for a win, one for a tie and none for a loss. The top six teams by points at the end of the regular season will make the conference postseason tournament. The Chaps were picked to finish seventh in the league's preseason poll, which includes the views of LSC head coaches, sports information directors and various media members. West Texas A&M was picked to win the league with 171 points and 10 of the 21 first place votes.
 
FIRST THINGS FIRST
So far this season, Lubbock Christian is 3-1 in games where they have scored first, including wins over Adams State, CSU-Pueblo and Oklahoma Christian. They do not have a win yet this year when opponents score first (0-3). Looking further back, the Chaps are 13-7-0 when scoring first dating back to the start of 2019 season and 2-7-2 when opponents score first in that same time frame. LCU's only loss this season when scoring first was their previous matchup with WT on the road when they led 1-0 before a second-half comeback by the Buffs.
 
BALANCED ATTACK
Only two Chaparral players – Fernando Flores and Luciano Rodriguez – have scored multiple goals this season, and they both have two. Another seven players have scored at least once though, providing LCU a balanced offense. Jacopo Ghezzi, Kevin Mejias, Pablo Galietero Diez, Tariq Bakkali, Ezequiel Fidabel, Luca Hollenstein and Ivan Muanze-Bengono have all found the back of the net once. Hector Rodriguez-Cabo has the most shots on goal (7) of any LCU player who has not scored yet this year.
 
A SEPTEMBER TO REMEMBER
LCU has wrapped up the September portion of their 2021 schedule, which featured a 3-4 start to the season for the Chaps. They played almost as many games in the month as they did during the entire COVID-adjusted Spring 2021 season, when they were 4-5, and two of the LCU games in September were canceled. Lubbock Christian scored 11 goals during the month, with 10 individual assists and a goals against average of 1.71. The biggest win of the month was a 1-0 overtime victory against CSU-Pueblo, who has since moved up to No. 21 in the national rankings.
 
RIVALRY ON THE RANGE
The LCU/WT matchup Saturday is the third in the Rivalry on the Range series for the 2021-22 school year. Announced on August 6, 2019, the Rivalry on the Range is a year-long competition including 15 sports in which the two schools will compete against one another. The Rivalry on the Range series scoring components will include head-to-head battles in men's soccer, women's soccer, volleyball, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball and softball, with additional points available in postseason play. Fans can review the scoring system and follow the standings on rivalryontherange.com.
 
WHERE THE HEART IS
Even though they had two canceled, Lubbock Christian has played three home games already this season with a 2-1-0 record. The Chaps are averaging 14.0 shots and 1.67 goals per game at the friendly confines, while limiting opponents to just 1.00 goals per game. Two of the three Chap shutouts this season have been at home. All-time, LCU is 46-29-11 in home games, including an 20-14-4 home record under head coach Paul Gilbert.
 
LAST TIME THESE TEAMS MET
It was just two weeks ago when LCU went on the road to face the No. 5 Buffs at The Pitch. The Chaps took the lead just before halftime thanks to a goal by Diez. WT tied things up early in the second half and then took the lead thanks to two separate penalty kicks converted by Giancarlo Saldana. With just five minutes left, Hollenstein scored on a rocket from 40 yards out to tie the game, but the Buffs tallied one more goal off a corner kick in the 88^th minute to secure the win.
 
SCOUTING THE BUFFS

• West Texas A&M averages the most shots (17.63) and shots on goal (8.63) in the Lone Star Conference. The Buffs had 15 shots, eight of which were on goal in the first meeting
• Tom Miles has handled the majority of the goalkeeping for the Buffs, posting a save percentage of .652 and a goals against average of 1.29 in more than 500 minutes of work
• Buff forward Saldana is the conference leader in goals this season with nine
• Callum Doyle anchors the WT back line and leads the team with 732 minutes played on the year
• Butch Lauffer is in his 31^st season as the head men's soccer coach at West Texas A&M, holding a 357-158-39 record in men's competition all-time

 
A WIN ON SATURDAY WOULD:

• Be the 95th win in program history (94-79-21)
• Be the 36th win in head coach Paul Gilbert's career (35-45-9)
• Be Lubbock Christian's sixth win over West Texas A&M since the all-time series began in 2013 (5-8-0)