PORTALES, N.M. - The road trip continues for the Chaps, heading west to the Land of Enchantment to face Eastern New Mexico on Wednesday, Oct. 12.

Lubbock Christian (4-5-3, 1-1-1 LSC) at Eastern New Mexico (4-4-1, 1-2 LSC)
Wednesday, Oct. 12 - 8:30 PM
Portales, N.M. - Greyhound Stadium

CHAP HEADERS
• Lubbock Christian is coming off a 2-1 loss to no. 8 Midwestern State. The Chaps took an early lead off of a penalty kick by Pablo Galietero Diez in the 56th minute, but a pair of goals in the final 30 minutes of the match pushed the Mustangs over the Chaps.

• Jasper Reese has played all 90 minutes in every single match so far this season. The last time Reese came off the pitch in a start for the Chaps was in the 60th minute on Nov. 3, 2021 against Texas Permain Basin. Reese recorded his first career assist on Oct. 5 against No. 16 Oklahoma Christian on the game-winning goal.

• With a goal and an assist against West Texas A&M, Tariq Bakkali became just the second Chap in program history to record 50 points in a career. His 52 points rank second all-time, while he sits at third in shot attempts in program history with 105 for his career. With two shots on goal against the Buffs, Bakkali is now tied with Jorge Martinez for fourth most shots on goal in program history with 41. Bakkali is tied for the third most matches played with Jorge Martinez with 70, becoming just the fourth Chap in program history to play in at least 70 matches in a career.

BAKKALI IS BALLIN'
With a goal and an assist against West Texas A&M, Tariq Bakkali became just the second LCU player in program history to record at least 50 career points, with 52 during his time in Hub City. Bakkali's 22 career goals rank second all time, while his 104 career shots are third most all-time. His 41 shots on goal are tied with Jorge Martinez for fourth all-time.

THE NOT SO SECRET WEAPON
After returning from injury against West Texas A&M on Oct. 1, Pablo Galietero Diez, the senior picked up right where he left off with a penalty kick goal against No. 8 Midwestern State. Galietero Diez is tied for the team lead in goals (4) and assists (3) and shots on goal (9). Galietero Diez is tied for 79th in career shot attempts with 79, tied for seventh in career shot on goal attempts with 36, and tied for fifth all-time in points with 35. He is one of three Chaps to make multiple penalty kick goals in a career. In the season opener against Adams State, Galietero Diez scored three goals and picked up an assist, finishing with seven points, the second most points in a single match in program history.

IT'S NEVER EASY
The Chaps are currently facing their second straight team to be ranked inside the United Soccer Coaches Top 25. As of press time, the Chaps have one more match against a currently ranked foe remaining, a contest against no. 18 St. Mary's. LCU fell 1-0 earlier in the year to no. 25 CSU Pueblo before knocking off no. 18 West Texas A&M 2-1 later in the year. LCU earned 0-0 draw with no. 4 Midwestern State before knocking off no. 16 Oklahoma Christian for their first conference win of the season. LCU took a 1-0 lead on no. 8 Midwestern State, before a pair of Mustang goals pushed MSU to the 2-1 victory. The Chaps are 6-15-2 all-time against nationally ranked teams, and 5-5-2 in their last 12 matches.

FURTHER BACK
The Lubbock Christian men's soccer program began in 2010 with a 3-1 win against the University of the Southwest (N.M.). On Nov. 9, 2021 in the opening round of the LSC Tournament, the Chaps won their 100th match in program history, rolling over UT Permian Basin 6-0. The Chap program enters the 2022 season with an overall record of 101-81-23.

ROAD WOES
The Chaps are currently 0-5-1 in true road matches, being outscored 12-3 this season. LCU's last road win was an upset, a 4-2 win over no. 24 St. Mary's in San Antonio on Oct. 30, 2021. LCU is 3-7-3 in their last 13 true road matches. The Chaps did manage to earn a draw at West Texas A&M on Oct. 1, ending a four match road losing streak. Lubbock Christian has not had a winning record on the road since 2018 when the Chaps went 5-4-1. 

IN THE MOUNTAIN AIR
LCU has played ten games in program history within the state of Colorado, going 5-9-0 there all time. The first-ever Chaparral trip to the Centennial State was a successful one, as they beat Colorado Christian 5-1 behind a hat trick from Mbongeni Ndlovu on Sept. 11, 2015. They also beat Adams State 2-1 on that 2015 trip. Last season, LCU went 1-1 in the Centennial State, falling 3-1 to Fort Lewis in Durango, while defeating Adams State 3-0 in Alamosa. The Chaps went 1-3 in Colorado this season, knocking off South Dakota Mines 4-0 in Denver, before dropping matches to MSU-Denver, UC-Colorado Springs and no. 25 CSU Pueblo on the road.

NEW YEAR, NEW TEAM
LCU will feature an astonishing 24 new players on the 2022 Fall roster. Of those new players, 12 are true freshmen, while the other 12 are transfers from either the junior college ranks or other universities. It is a diverse group, with seven players from Texas, four from England, four from Brazil, and the rest from Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and Spain internationally, along with new faces from Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in the states.

PRESEASON POLL
For the first time since joining the Lone Star Conference, the Chaps earned a first-place vote in the preseason polls, slotted to finish fourth in the LSC this season. The last time the Chaps earned a first-place vote was prior to the 2014 season, when LCU earned four first-place votes and were predicted to finish second in the Heartland Conference.
 
THE CONE ERA HAS BEGUN
 - Collin Cone was hired as the Head Men's Soccer Coach at Lubbock Christian University in April of 2022, coming to LCU after leading the men's soccer team at LeTourneau University for the last four seasons. He posted back-to-back winning records in 2021 and the 2020-21 season, and had the team improve in every year he was the head coach. The YellowJackets 6-5 showing in the 2020-21 season was the program's first winning season since 2010.
- Cone also spent three years at Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana. He played a key role in the recruiting efforts for the Lancers while working with the goalkeepers. In his final season at Grace, the Lancers won the Crossroads League Championship for the first time in 25 years and made it to the NAIA National Championship for the first time in 35 seasons. Cone's time at Grace as a coach was marked by one conference championship, one NAIA national championship, two NCCAA National Tournaments, and two regional tournament titles.

SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS
- The Greyhounds enter the match 4-4-1 overall and 1-2 in the LSC. Eastern New Mexico did upset no. 8 Midwestern State in their home opener on Oct. 5 thanks to a Ben Sauerländer goal. ENMU dropped their last match on Oct. 8 to no. 18 St. Mary's 3-0 in San Antonio.
- Jaime Oliva leads the Hounds with nine points and three assists this season. His 20 total shot attempts and 11 shots on goal both rank sixth in the Lone Star Conference.
- The Greyhounds have played just one home match this season
- Goalkeeper Paul Waschkau ranks second in the LSC with 3.86 saves per game. His 27 total saves are tied for third in the conference.
- Brandon Misuraca was named the seventh Men's Soccer coach in Eastern New Meixco history in February of 2022. In 11 seasons prior to joining ENMU, Misuraca has coached over 50 All-Conference, All-Region, and All-American honorees, and over 130 Academic All-Conference, All-Region, and All-American honorees. Additionally, Misuraca has recruited or coached student-athletes across six continents, has been part of two conference championship winning coaching staffs, and has made an NAIA National Tournament appearance.

THE SERIES WITH THE GREYHOUNDS
Eastern New Mexico leads the all-time series 7-4-4. The series has been split 2-2-1 in the last five meetings between the two clubs. The last time these two teams met was Nov. 9, 2019, in Portales, a 2-0 win for the Greyhounds. LCU is just 2-5-1 in Portales, their last win a 2-1 decision on Oct. 25, 2018.

A WIN WOULD
- Be the first road win of the season
- Be the first win in Portales since 2018

UP NEXT
The Chaps return home to face UT Tyler on Saturday, Oct. 15. Kickoff is set for 3:30 PM from the LCU Soccer & Track Facility