LUBBOCK, Texas - The top two teams in the Lone Star Conference collide, as Lubbock Christian hosts no. 8 St. Mary's at the LCU Soccer & Track Facility on Saturday, Oct. 22.

No. 8 St. Mary's (9-0-5, 5-0-1 LSC) at Lubbock Christian (7-5-3, 4-1-1 LSC)
Saturday, Oct. 22 - 5 PM
Lubbock, Texas - LCU Soccer & Track Facility

CHAP HEADERS
• Lubbock Christian is coming off a 2-1 win over Texas A&M International on Wednesday. Tyler Little picked up his first career goal off an assist from Jasper Reese. Little then tallied his first career assist, finding Pablo Galietero Diez for the second goal of the game. Galietero Diez has now scored a goal in four straight games. 

• 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.

•  Tariq Bakkali has now tallied 56 total points in his LCU career, second most all-time. With a pair of shots on goal against Eastern New Mexico, Bakkali now sits third all time with 43 career shots on target. Bakkali broke the school record for career matches played on Wednesday, playing in his 73rd match as a Chap against Texas A&M International. 

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 56 during his time in Hub City. Bakkali's 23 career goals rank second all time, while his 106 career shots are third most all-time. His 43 shots on goal are third most in program history.

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 leads the team in goals (7) and shots on goal (17). He now sits tied with Nick Gorrie for the fourth most points in a career with 42. He is also tied with Gorrie for fourth most career goals with 17. Galietero Diez now ranks fourth all time in career points with 44, and is now tied with Fernando Flores for third all time in goals with 18 in his 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.

I CAN SEE FOR MILES AND MILES
In his first season as a Chap, Tom Miles is already making a mark on the record books, recording five shutouts this season, including two in a row against Eastern New Mexico and UT Tyler. That is already the fourth most for any goalkeeper in LCU history and is the second most in a season for any LCU goalkeeper ever. His .812 save percentage is the second best in program history for a single season and is currently the 16th best in all of Division-II.

IT'S NEVER EASY
As of press time, the Chaps have one more match against a currently ranked foe remaining, a contest against no. 8 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 1-5-1 in true road matches, being outscored 12-6 this season. LCU's did pick up a victory in their last road match at Eastern New Mexico 3-0 on Oct. 12, their first road win of the season and first win in Portales since 2018. 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 23 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, 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 RATTLERS
- St. Mary's enters the contest ranked no. 8 in the United Soccer Coaches national polls at 9-0-5 overall and 5-0-1 in the LSC. The Rattlers are 4-0-1 in their last five matches and have tallied five straight shutouts. 
- One of the top goalkeepers in the nation, Andre Schlaefi leads the conference and all of Division-II with 10 shutouts. Schlaefi has allowed just three goals this season, and his .919 save percentage is first in the Lone Star Conference and second in all of Division-II.
- The Rattlers have allowed just three goals this season, the best in the conference and tied with Mercyhurst and Franklin Pierce for the least amount of goals allowed all season. With 26 goals scored, the Rattlers Goal Differential of +23 goals ranks 15th in Division-II.
- Johnny Clifford is entering his fifth season as head coach of the Rattlers. Under Clifford, the Rattlers have reached the semifinals of the Lone Star Conference Tournament each of last two years. In 2021, the team had nine honored by the league with postseason honors, including First-Team All-Conference nods by Liam Morrison and Alonso Rodriguez. Deni Cresto was also named the male Scholar-Athlete by the LSC for St. Mary's. The club was 13-7 overall and ranked second in the league in both saves (67) and save percentage (72.0) and led the league in shots (327).

THE SERIES WITH THE RATTLERS
LCU leads the series 5-4-1 against St. Mary's. The Chaps won last year's meeting in San Antonio 4-2 over a then no. 24 ranked Rattlers team. Oddly enough, LCU has fared better in San Antonio against the Rattlers, going 3-2-1 on the road and just 2-2 at home. LCU's last win at home against St. Mary's was Oct. 14, 2017, a 4-1 victory. 

A WIN WOULD
- Move Lubbock Christian into first place in the Lone Star Conference standings with two matches left. 
- Be the second win at home this season over a ranked team (beat no. 16 Oklahoma Christian 1-0 on Oct. 5)
- Be the second straight season that LCU has defeated a ranked St. Mary's team (defeated no. 24 St. Mary's last season 4-2).

UP NEXT
The Chaps start the last week of the season heading to Dallas to face DBU in their final road contest of the regular season. Kickoff is set for 7 PM on Wednesday, Oct. 26.