LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (1-0, 0-0) vs.
ANGELO STATE (1-0, 0-0)
Saturday, February 25 – 2 p.m.
ASU Soccer Field – San Angelo, Texas
 
LADY CHAP HEADERS

• Lubbock Christian won its season-opener on Wednesday 2-1 against UT Permian Basin. It was their first win in a season-opener since 2017, when they also beat UTPB.
• The Lady Chaps and Belles will actually be meeting up in back-to-back games, first in San Angelo Saturday and then in Lubbock at 6 p.m. on March 3
• Allison Scott netted the opening goal in the Lady Chaps' first game of the season. She scored 11 times last year and now has 21 for her collegiate career
• LCU will play every school in their seven-team LSC division twice, with only one game counting against the conference standings. It is the March 3 game against ASU that counts for standings
• Faith Webber scored what proved to be the game-winner in the season-opener, scoring in the 76th minute. Webber is a San Angelo native who came to LCU after a year at South Alabama

 
ALL THE RIGHT PIECES
Both of Lubbock Christian's goals in their season-opening win came off of set pieces. They scored in the first half of the win off a free kick, while their second half game-winner from Webber came off a corner kick. LCU led 10-3 in corner kicks in the win. Last season, the Lady Chaps earned 124 corner kicks to just 74 from their opponents. In games where LCU led in corner kicks or they were even, they went 13-1-1. The only game they lost while leading in corners was the Oct. 5 contest against No. 18 Dallas Baptist. Conversely, the Lady Chaps did not win a game (0-3-1) when they had fewer corner kicks than their opponent.
 
NEED SOME HELP?
There was one name that came up both times the Lady Chaps scored in Wednesday's game against UT Permian Basin. Sophomore forward Celia Duarte had an assist on both Lubbock Christian scores, taking the free kick that led to the opening goal and the corner kick on the game-winner. The pair of assists were the ninth and 10^th of Duarte's LCU career after she led the team with eight as a freshman. He 10 career assists are already tied for the seventh most in LCU history. Kristin Fellows, Jamie Boone and Pricilla Brannon also all recorded 10 assists in their LCU careers.
 
HIT THE ROAD, CHAPS
Saturday will be LCU's first road game of the 2021 season. The Belles of Angelo State play their games at the ASU Soccer Field, which was opened in 1996 and has a seating capacity of at least 500 fans, although COVID-19 restrictions are in place. In 2019, the team went 5-3-1 away from home, including a 4-1-1 road record in conference play. The Lady Chaps racked up 25 goals (2.78 per game) in road games while limiting opponents to just nine (1.00 per game). Duarte and Scott each scored four goals on the road, and Duarte tallied five of her assists in away games as well. Lubbock Christian did take on Angelo State on the road a year ago, falling 2-1 in overtime for their only road loss in conference play.
 
JUST GET TWO
It took two goals for Lubbock Christian to win their season-opener of UT Permian Basin, and the number brought them plenty of good fortune during the 2019 season as well. Last year, the Lady Chaps did not lose a game when scoring at least two goals, going a perfect 10-0 in that time. They scored exactly two goals four times and three or more eight times, averaging 2.35 goals per game for the year.
 
EARLY BIRD SPECIAL
The Lady Chaps struck first in Wednesday's win, continuing a trend from the 2019 season when they were the first team on the board in 14 of their 20 total games (70 percent) and scored 22 first half goals compared to just eight by their opponents. They were 13-1 in those contests, but the only loss they took when scoring first was at Angelo State. The Belles tied the game late and won in overtime.
 
IN THE STANDS
Angelo State is allowing fans to attend Saturday's game, but precautions are in place as they attempt to combat the spread of COVID-19. Fans are asked to complete a wellness screening before entering the stadium, which can be found here or at angelosports.com. Fans are also required to wear masks except when actively eating or drinking and remain socially distant in the stands.
 
SCOUTING THE BELLES

• Angelo State also won its season-opener, taking down St. Edward's 1-0 on the road thanks to a goal by Emily Keoughan.
• The Belles racked up 12 shots in the win over the Hilltoppers, including six on goal. All six shots on goal came from six different players, although four players did attempt multiple shots.
• ASU returns the 2019 Lone Star Conference Midfielder of the Year in Lubbock native Avery McNeme. She scored five goals and assisted 10 more while leading the team in shots on goal with 34 last season.
• Head coach Travis McCorkle is in his 13^th season leading the Belles, posting an all-time record of 139-77-21 in that time. He is already the winningest coach in Angelo State history.
• Freshman Casey Crawford started in goal for the Belles during their season-opener, making three saves on nine shots faced and posting the first shutout of her career.

 
THE SERIES WITH THE BELLES
Last season was the first that Lubbock Christian and Angelo State ever met in officially counted soccer games, although the teams had scrimmage before then. They met just once in the regular season with ASU taking a 2-1 victory in overtime, but LCU hosted another matchup in the first round of the Lone Star Conference Tournament. Neither squad scored for 110 minutes, sending the game to penalty kicks. Arely Jimenez took the sixth kick and converted, and Hannah Wise followed by stopping Chloe Souza's shot with her right hand to send the Lady Chaps to the semifinals.