LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (10-6-1, 5-2-1) at
NO. 8 MIDWESTERN STATE (16-2, 7-1)
Sunday, Nov. 14 – 1 p.m.
Stang Park – Wichita Falls, Texas
 
CHAPARRAL HEADERS

• Lubbock Christian will play in the Lone Star Conference Championship game for the first time ever after joining the league in July of 2019
• Friday night's win was LCU's 10th of the season, despite having two games cancelled this year. It is the most by a Chaparral team under head coach Paul Gilbert
• Lubbock Christian's goals against average of 1.29 is the third-best in the conference, and their scoring average of 2.29 is the third-highest mark
• Midwestern State is led by Trevor Amann, who was named the Lone Star Conference Player and Forward of the Year for leading the league in both goals and points
• LCU freshman forward Luciano Rodriguez had two goals and an assist in Friday's semifinal match, becoming the first Chap since Corey Hutchison in 2017 with five points in one game

 
POSTSEASON PLAY
When the Chaps take the field on Sunday, they will be playing in a conference tournament championship game for the first time in almost exactly a decade. LCU's only other appearance in a conference championship was in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament on Nov. 10, 2011, in just their second season of a soccer program. LCU lost that contest 4-0 to the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. LCU is now 5-4 in conference tournament gams all-time after Friday night's win, including three wins in either the Heartland or LSC Tournament.  
 
EARLY BIRD
It took just three minutes and 36 seconds for Luciano Rodriguez to net the goal that eventually stood as the game-winner on Friday against West Texas A&M. It was not only his second-straight game-winning goal, but also the earliest goal scored by the Chaps this season, breaking the previous mark of 4:32, which came on Oct. 30 against St. Mary's. Eight times this season, Lubbock Christian has scored a goal in the first 15 minutes of play. The Chaparrals are at their best when they score first, boasting a 10-1-1 record in those games and an 8-1 record when leading at halftime. The only loss when scoring first was on Sept. 25 when they fell 3-2 at WT.
 
ANOTHA' ONE
The Chaps set a new program record as well on Friday night, recording their ninth shutout of the season, which topped the previous high of eight done in both 2013 and 2011. LCU's defense has posted a goals against average of 1.29 this season, which is the third-best mark in the conference. Chap opponents have attempted an average of 10.9 shots per game during the season, or 186 total. Only 32.8 percent of those, or 61, have been on goal. Senior Braxton Thorne has been in goal for all nine of the shutouts and made five saves on Friday. He has 37 on the season and a save percentage of .698, which ranks second in the league.
 
LONE-STARS
When the Lone Star Conference postseason awards were announced at Thursday night's championship banquet, there were eight Chaparral players among the honorees. Ivan Muanze-Bengono and Tomas Casas were the headliners, winning Defensive Player and Freshman of the Year, respectively. Muanze-Bengono was also an All-LSC First Team Selection, along with Luca Hollenstein. Thorne was named to the All-Conference Second Team, while Casas and Rodriguez were named to the Third Team. Casas and Rodriguez were also on the All-Freshman Team, along with Jacopo Ghezzi and Kevin Mejias. Finally, Thorne and Tariq Bakkali were named to the All-Academic Team.
 
NATIONALLY KNOWN OPPONENT
Sunday's game will be the seventh this season in which the Chaps have faced an opponent ranked in the top-25 nationally, as Midwestern State comes in ranked No. 8 nationally. LCU is 3-3 in those games so far, with wins over No. 6 WT (3-0 on Oct. 9), No. 24 St. Mary's (4-2 on Oct. 30) and No. 17 WT (3-0 on Nov. 12). They also have a win over CSU-Pueblo, who was not ranked at the time but is currently No. 24.
 
ROAD JOURNAL
Sunday's game will be Lubbock Christian's eighth on the road this season, where they are 3-4-1 this year. The three road wins came against Adams State (3-0), UT Tyler (4-0) and St. Mary's (4-2). The Chaps have averaged 2.33 goals per game on the road with 96 shots, 44 of which have been on goal. Stang Park is on the former grounds of Callum Stadium and has been the home of MSU soccer since 1972. It allows for 1200 spectators and features a 120x72 yard Bermuda grass playing surface.
 
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS

• MSU led the league with four All-LSC First Team selections, along with winning Player of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, Midfielder of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and Coach of the Year
• The Mustangs' only two losses this season both came against West Texas A&M. They lost 4-3 on Sept. 22 and 3-2 on Nov. 6
• Trevor Amann's 37 points lead the LSC, and he is 11 points ahead of the second-place player, Kristian Colaci
• Goalkeeper Marc-Antoine Huzen leads the conference with a save percentage of .712 and has allowed only 19 goals on the year
• Checking in at No. 2 in the most recent Super Region 4 rankings, Midwestern is pretty much guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Tournament, regardless of the outcome of Sunday's match

 
A WIN ON SUNDAY WOULD:

• Be the 102^nd win in program history (101-81-22)
• Be the 43^rd win in head coach Paul Gilbert's career (42-47-10)
• Be the first-ever win over Midwestern State since the all-time series began in 2014 (0-7-2)