LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (4-4-0, 3-4-0) vs.
UT PERMIAN BASIN (4-3-1, 1-4-0)
Tuesday, April 30 – 5 p.m.
LCU Soccer & Track Complex – Lubbock, Texas
 
CHAPARRAL HEADERS

• Lubbock Christian currently sits in seventh place in the league standings with one game to play. The top four teams by points at the end of the season will advance to the LSC Tournament
• LCU is averaging 1.50 goals per game so far this season, which is the fifth-most in the Lone Star Conference. Eight different LCU players have scored at least one goal
• The Chaps have lost three straight games for the first time this season. The last time they lost three straight games was during the 2017 season
• UTPB's three losses this season have come against West Texas A&M, St. Mary's and Midwestern State, which are the top three teams in the LSC
• LCU's Fernando Flores added his ninth point of the season last week against DBU and ranks fourth in the LSC with an average of 1.13 points per game

 
SENIOR DAY
With this being the final game of the regular season, Lubbock Christian will be honoring the lone graduating senior, Jonathan Woods. A native of Chesterfield, England, Woods has been at LCU for four years, transferring in after his freshman season at Bacone College. He has spent more than 4000 minutes on the field in his Chaparral career across 50 games. He has three career goals scored and two assists, and he has served as a team captain for each of the last two seasons. Earlier this year, he was named the Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week. "Jono" will be graduating with a bachelor's degree in Sport Management.
 
STANDINGS CHECK
Although they are currently in sole possession of seventh place in the LSC league standings, the Chaps are just a point back of the three teams tied for fourth. One of those teams is their Tuesday opponent, UT Permian Basin, so a win is the first step for the LCU to get to the postseason. They will also need a loss or tie from Texas A&M International, who is hosting St. Mary's, and a loss or tie from UT Tyler, who is hosting Dallas Baptist. The LSC Tournament will be played April 10 and 12.
 
BALANCED ATTACK
Tariq Bakkali scored the opening goal in last week's loss to Dallas Baptist, becoming the eighth different Chaparral player to have scored this year. Lubbock Christian is averaging 1.50 goals per game for the season, which is the fourth-best mark in the LSC. Only MSU and WT average more goals per game than LCU. Flores leads the team with three goals and three assists, while Hector Rodriguez-Cabo and Pablo Galietero Diez have both scored twice, as Diez got his second goal of the year last week against DBU. The Chaps have racked up a total of 88 shots for an average of 11 per game.
 
THE FLORES FILE
With an assist in the game at DBU, Flores has now tallied at least one point in three straight games and one or more in five of LCU's eight games this spring. He has scored a team-leading three goals and assisted three more, either scoring or helping on half of the Chaparral goals. His nine points are tied for the fourth-most in the Lone Star Conference. The Mexico native is also up to 40 career points now, which has him in third in the LCU record book. He needs two more points to surpass Nick Gorrie (2011-13) and take over second place on the leaderboard.
 
KICKIN' IT AT THE CORNER
Lubbock Christian's wins and losses this season match up exactly with the games where they have won and lost the corner kick battle. The Chaps are 4-0 in games where they earn more corner kicks and 0-4 in games where they earn fewer than the opponent, including their last game when DBU earned eight and LCU earned five. No game this season has ended with corner kicks even. Overall, LCU earns an average of 3.50 corner kicks per game, which ranks eighth in the LSC.
 
IN GOAL
Two goalkeepers have seen playing time for the Chaps this season in Braxton Thorne and Ben Pelz. Thorne, a Lubbock native, started the first six games of the season but has not seen action since the March 23 loss against St. Mary's. Pelz, a Division I transfer from Cincinnati, has played both games since then, but does not have a win in goal yet. A native of Birresborn, Germany, Pelz has made five saves and allowed five goals across the two contests. Thorne allowed seven goals and made 23 saves in his six starts.
 
SCOUTING THE FALCONS

• A win Tuesday would secure UT Permian Basin a spot in the LSC Tournament, as they are currently tied for fourth, but hold tiebreakers over both Texas A&M International and UT Tyler
• The Falcons allow an average of 1.50 goals per game, which is tied for the third-most in the LSC
• Alfonso Aragon has done the lion's share of the goalkeeping for the Falcons this season, posting a goals against average of 1.66 with 40 saves and a .794 save percentage
• Ollie Grundy and Joel Hope are tied for the UTPB team lead in points with five apiece Grundy has one goal and three assists, while Hope has scored twice and assisted one goal
• UTPB has lost two of its last three game, including a 4-0 loss to Midwestern State in their most recent game. Their last win was 1-0 over Oklahoma Christian on March 23

 
THE SERIES WITH THE FALCONS
Lubbock Christian leads the all-time series with UT Permian Basin with a 7-5-2 record. The two teams split the pair of meetings last season, with both teams winning the matchup on their home field. The Chap lead in the all-time series is mainly due to LCU winning the first four meetings between the teams.