LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (3-0-2) vs.
TEXAS A&M INTERNATIONAL (1-5)
Saturday, Sept. 25 – 1 p.m.
Dustdevil Soccer Field – Laredo, Texas
 
LADY CHAP HEADERS

• After a quick one-game homestand, Lubbock Christian is headed to Laredo for the first road conference game of the season against Texas A&M-International
• The Lady Chaps earned their second shutout of the season on Wednesday against Oklahoma Christian, lowering their goals against average to .60
• Dustdevil head coach Jon Hussak is in his second season leading the program after being named the new head coach at TAMIU in January of 2020
• Senior midfielder Allison Scott ranks fourth in the LSC in shots per game with 3.60 and has a team-leading 10 shots on goal this season, including two on Wednesday
• Six different Lady Chaps have scored so far this season, led by Scott and Makenna Pate, who have found the back of the net three times each

 
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE
Through the first five games of the season, Lubbock Christian has one of the best defenses in the Lone Star Conference. They have not allowed more than one goal in any game so far, and their goals against average of .60 is the third-best in the league, behind only Texas Woman's (.17) and West Texas A&M (.50). LCU opponents are averaging just 9.4 shots per game, with only 48.9 percent of those shots (23) on goal. The Lady Chaps have accomplished this level of defensive success while still committing just 35 fouls on the year, which is the third-fewest in the league. There are still 12 games left to be played, but the .60 goals against average would be the best in program history, surpassing the .70 mark set by the 2017 Lady Chaps.
 
SHARP-SHOOTERS
In every game this season, LCU has led in total shot, often by a wide margin.  In fact, LCU's average of 16.80 shots per game ranks fifth in the LSC, and their average shots on goal of 7.0 per game is the sixth-best. Scott's 18 shots and 10 shots on goal lead the team, but Pate (13) and freshman Kenley Blevins (11) have both already reached the double-digit mark in shots, and the pair are tied for second on the team with seven shots on goal apiece. Celia Duarte (4) has the most shots on goal of any Lady Chap who has yet to score a goal.
 
DOWN ON THE CORNER
Although Wednesday night's conference opener ended in a 0-0 draw, Lubbock Christian did set a new season-high with 11 corner kicks. The last time the Lady Chaps had more than 11 corner kicks in one game was Oct. 17, 2019, against St. Mary's. LCU has 29 total corner kicks (5.80 per game), which is tied for the sixth-best mark in the league. Opponents, on the other hand, have been limited to just 13 corner kicks in games against LCU.
 
SMARTY-PANTS
Earlier this week, the United Soccer Coaches announced its list of 2020-21 Team Academic Award winners, and – no surprise – Lubbock Christian was on it. The Lady Chaps have claimed the award every year since 2013, now running their streak to nine straight years. Teams are only able to claim the award if they have an overall GPA of 3.00 or higher, which LCU crushed with a 3.70 mark during the 2020-21 academic year. They were one of only 382 women's collegiate soccer teams in the nation to earn the award.
 
WISE IN THE WAYS OF GOALKEEPING
A familiar face returned in goal for Wednesday night's contest, as Hannah Wise was back in the starting lineup. The Midlothian native missed the first three games of the season before coming off the bench against Colorado Christian and playing 40 minutes. Against Oklahoma Christian, Wise played all 110 minutes, making four saves in the process. She now has 204 career saves and currently boasts an all-time goals against average of .96. Freshman Megan Mirabal is the other goalkeeper used by the Lady Chaps this season, making 15 saves and allowing three goals in 340 minutes of action.
 
ROAD JOURNAL
Saturday's game will be the third on the road for the Lady Chaps, where they are 1-0-1 so far this season. A 2-1 win over CSU-Pueblo started LCU's road journey before a 1-1 tie to Colorado Christian in their most recent road game. During the spring 2021 season, LCU was 2-2 in road games, averaging 11.2 shots and 1.50 goals per game, and they were 5-3-1 on the road during the 2019 season.
 
SCOUTING THE DUSTDEVILS

• TAMIU comes into the contest with a 1-5 record. Their only win so far came by a score of 1-0 against Florida Southern on Sept. 10
• Fabiana Solano has handled all of the goalkeeping duties for the Dustdevils, playing all 556 minutes. She has a save percentage of .795 with 35 saves and a 1.46 goals against average on 97 shots faced. Her only shutout was the win over Florida Southern
• Texas A&M-International commits the most fouls of any team in the LSC. Through six games, they have committed 11.17 fouls per game while also leading the league with six yellow cards
• Valeria Macias leads TAMIU in most offensive categories, including shots (24), shots on goal (13) and goals (2)
• Both Macias and midfielder Clarissa Valdez have been on the field for every minute of game action this year

 
A WIN ON SATURDAY WOULD:

• Be the 103^rd in Lubbock Christian program history (1-2-74-20)
• Be the 89^th under head coach Alex Denning (88-57-16)
• Be the 112^th of Denning's career as a women's soccer coach (111-90-19)
• Be the Lady Chap's 10^th win against Texas A&M International since the series begin in 2014 (9-1-0)