LUBBOCK, Texas - The Lubbock Christian men's soccer team begins their first of back-to-back matches with nationally ranked opponents, facing no. 16 Oklahoma Christian at home on Wednesday, Oct. 5.

No. 16 Oklahoma Christian (7-1-2, 1-0 LSC) at Lubbock Christian (3-4-3, 0-0-1 LSC)
Wednesday, Oct. 5 - 7 PM
Lubbock, Texas - LCU Soccer & Track Facility

CHAP HEADERS
• Lubbock Christian is coming off a 1-1 draw against West Texas A&M. The Chaps answered an early Buffs goal in the 70th minute as Ezequiel Fidabel scored off an assist by Tariq Bakkali to preserve the tie. Tom Miles also made three saves in the match.

• 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

• 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 103 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 can tie Gabriel Mendoza, Conner Dean, and Yuriy Sadula for the fourth-most matches played in program history. Bakkali has played 68 matches for the Chaps during his time in Lubbock.

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 103 career shots are third most all-time. His 41 shots on goal are tied with Jorge Martinez for fourth all-time.

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 three matches against currently ranked foes remaining, with conference rematches against no. 8 Midwestern State and no. 16 Oklahoma Christian along with 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 is coming off of a 0-0 draw with no. 4 Midwestern State The Chaps are 5-14-2 all-time against nationally ranked teams, and 4-4-2 in their last ten 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 0-4-1 in true road matches, being outscored 10-2 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 in their last road match against 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 EAGLES
- Oklahoma Christian was predicted to finish eighth in the 2022 Lone Star Conference preseason poll
- The Eagles currently sit at first place in the Lone Star Conference after upsetting no. 3 Midwestern State in their conference opener 2-1 on Oct. 1. Isaias Silva scored the game winning goal in the 54th minute.
- A two-time LSC Offensive Player of the Week award winner this season, Daniel Gutierrez has scored seven goals this season, the most in the Lone Star Conference and seventh in all of Division-II.
- Alejandro Colom leads the LSC with five assists this season, a mark that ranks 20th in Division-II. The Eagles lead the conference as a team with 36 total assists, the 18th most in Division-II
- The Eagles are averaging just over 11 shots per match, but are averaging just over six shots on goal per game, giving them a shot accuracy of 53.6%, second in the conference and 18th in the nation
- OCU head coach Mitchell Sowerby is in his second season with the Eagles. Prior to joining Oklahoma Christian, Sowerby posted a 35-7-4 mark at Mid-America Christian, guiding the team 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. Sowerby was named as the NCCAA coach of the year following a national championship victory in 2019.


THE SERIES WITH THE EAGLES
LCU leads the all-time series with Oklahoma Christian 9-3-2, but the Chaps are 0-1-1 in the last two meetings between the clubs. OC won the first meeting between the two teams earlier this season 3-0 in a nonconference match. Diego Casero Comeche picked up a pair of assists, becoming the first opposing player to record two assists in a match against LCU since Gustavo Barroso of Texas Permian Basin did so on Apr. 6, 2021. LCU is 7-2 all-time against OC in Lubbock, having won three straight in Hub City.

A WIN WOULD
- Be the fourth straight win over OC in Lubbock
- Be the 10th win all-time against Oklahoma Christian
- Be the second win of the season against a nationally ranked opponent 

UP NEXT
The Chaps are back on the road to face another ranked opponent, traveling to Wichita Falls, Texas to face no. 8 Midwestern State on Saturday, Oct. 8. Kickoff is set for 3 PM