LUBBOCK, Texas - For the first time since 2011, Lubbock Christian and Oklahoma Christian meet in the postseason, opening up the Lone Star Conference Tournament in Lubbock on Tuesday, Nov. 1.

#5-seed Oklahoma Christian (9-4-5, 3-3-3 LSC) at #4-seed Lubbock Christian (7-7-4, 4-3-2 LSC) 
Lone Star Conference Tournament - First Round
Tuesday, Nov. 1 - 7 PM
Lubbock, Texas - LCU Soccer & Track Facility

CHAP HEADERS
• Lubbock Christian is coming off a 1-1 draw against Texas Permian Basin to close out the regular season. Pablo Galietero Diez scored a goal off Federico Said's first career assist to take a 1-0 lead, but a Falcon goal with 1:48 left in the match gave UTPB the draw.

• 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.

•  Tariq Bakkali has now tallied 56 total points in his LCU career, second most all-time. Bakkali is now second in program history in shots on goal with 49. Bakkali broke the school record for career matches played on Oct. 19, playing in his 73rd match as a Chap against Texas A&M International. 

- LCU is 2-1-1 all-time in the LSC Tournament, making a run to the conference championship last season before falling in the finals 5-4 on penalty kicks to Midwestern State. 

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 120 career shots are third most all-time, just two away from tying Fernando Flores for second. His 49 shots on goal are second 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 (8) and shots on goal (19). He now sits in third for career points in program history with 46 and third in goals with 19. 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. Galietero Diez just saw a streak of four straight matches with one goal scored, earning his first career LSC Offensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 18.

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 .787 save percentage is the third best in program history for a single season. His 63 saves this season are the fifth most in a single season for any Chap goalkeeper.

IT'S NEVER EASY
This season, the Chaps played six matches against nationally ranked teams. 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. Recently, Lubbock Christian tied no. 8 St. Mary's 1-1 with a goal in the 64th minute, but the Rattlers scored the game-winner with just 2:23 left to give LCU their first home loss in over a year. The Chaps are 6-16-2 all-time against nationally ranked teams, and 2-3-1 against ranked teams this season.

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 2-6-1 in true road matches, being outscored 16-8 this season. LCU had a two-game, road match winning streak snapped with a 3-0 loss to DBU in Dallas. 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 14 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, Texas 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 EAGLES
- Oklahoma Christian enters the match 9-4-5 and 3-3-3 in the Lone Star Conference, earning the five seed in the tournament after tying Eastern New Mexico 1-1 on Saturday.
- OC started the season 6-0-1 and were ranked as high as no. 16 in the nation, but ended the season 3-4-4 in their final 11 matches. 
- Joep Claassen and Daniel Gutierrez lead the Eagles and are tied for fifth in the Lone Star Conference with seven goals apiece.Their 14 points are tied for fifth in the Lone Star Conference. 
- Alejandro Colom ranks second in the conference with six assists this season.
- The Eagles have the second highest scoring offense in the Lone Star Conference with 30 goals this season.
-Mitchell Sowerby became Oklahoma Christian's seventh men's soccer head coach on May 24, 2021. Sowerby, came to OC after a brilliant two-season run at Mid-America Christian. He posted a 35-7-4 mark at MACU, guiding the team from the southwest Oklahoma City university to the National Christian College Athletic Association title in 2019 and the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament championship and a berth in the final 10 of the NAIA tournament during the 2021 spring season.

THE SERIES WITH THE EAGLES
LCU leads the series 10-3-2 all-time. OC won the first match of the season, a nonconference contest, in Oklahoma City 3-0 before the Chaps knocked off the then ranked no. 16 Eagles 1-0 in conference play for LCU's first conference victory of the season. The series is an even 1-1-1 in the last three meetings. The two teams last met in the postseason on Nov. 4, 2011 in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament, a 4-0 win for the Chaps.

A WIN WOULD
- Be the second win this season for LCU over Oklahoma Christian
- Advance the Chaps to the LSC Semifinals for the second straight season

UP NEXT
The winner of the match will travel to San Antonio, Texas for the Lone Star Conference semifinals to face the #1-seed, no. 6 St. Mary's on Friday, Nov. 4. Kickoff is set for 7:30 PM. More information on tickets and streaming will be available following the conclusion of the first round matchups.