LUBBOCK, Texas - The LCU men's soccer program looks to build off of a successful 2021 season, kicking off the Collin Cone era on Thursday, Aug. 25 at home against Adams State

Adams State (0-0) vs Lubbock Christian (0-0)
Thursday, Aug. 25 - 7 PM
LCU Soccer & Track Complex - Lubbock, Texas

CHAPARRAL HEADERS
• Lubbock Christian's 2022 scheduled features 18 total games. They will play at home eight times and on the road nine times, along with facing South Dakota School of Mines in Denver, Colo.
• LCU ended the 2021 fall season on a strong note, going 6-1-1 in their final eight games, before falling to Midwestern State in the LSC Championship Game 5-4 on penalty kicks. During that span, the Chaps outscored their opponents 24-6 and recorded six shutouts.
• The Chaps return just two starters from last year's team. LCU will also see Collin Cone take over the sidelines as head coach.
• Tariq Bakkali is the leading scorer that is returning to Hub City from last year's squad, recording six goals and three assists for a total of 13 points in the 2021 fall season.
• This is the second straight season that LCU opens against Adams State and Fort Lewis. The Chaps fell to the Skyhawks 3-1 to open the 2021 fall campaign before knocking off the Grizzlies 3-0 two days later. LCU is 6-6 all-time in season openers.

A LOOK BACK
The 2021 Fall season was arguably one of the best in program history for the Lubbock Christian men's soccer team. The Chaps finished the season 6-1-1, outscoring their opponents 24-6 and recording six shutouts, including three straight in the Lone Star Conference Championship Tournament. After finishing the first two overtimes deadlocked at zero goals apiece, the Midwestern State Mustangs bested the Chaps for the third time in 2021, defeating LCU 5-4 on penalty kicks. The second-place finish is the highest finish in program history in the LSC, and the Chaps first ten-win season since 2013. The Chapparal offense averaged 2.17 goals per game while allowing just 1.22 goals per game, the second-best in the conference. Luciano Rodriguez finished fourth in the conference in points with 19 and sixth in the conference in goals with six.

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.

IN THE MOUNTAIN AIR
LCU has played ten games in program history within the state of Colorado, going 4-6-0 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 will play four straight matches in Colorado from Sept. 1-9, facing MSU-Denver and South Dakota Mines in the Mile High City before facing UC-Colorado Springs and 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, Pennslyvania, 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 GRIZZLIES
- Adams State was predicted to finish last in the RMAC preseason poll. The Grizzlies earned 11 points for an 11th place prognostication.
- Justin Gilfert is in his first season as head coach of the Grizzlies. Last season, Gilfert was the head coach for the Southwest Virginia Community College men's and women's teams. As an assistant coach for the Pfeiffer University women's team in 2019, Gilfert helped guide the Hawks to a 13-5 record and a USA South regular season championship.
- Adams State finished the 2021 season with a 2-15 record. The Grizzlies did snap a 20-match losing streak dating back to Oct. 11, 2019 after defeating South Dakota Mines 2-1 in overtime on Sept. 26, 2021. ASU has never finished with a winning record since the program began in 2009.
- The Grizzlies return zero players that scored a goal for Adams State last season. Graduate Student Josh Garcia led the team with three goals and an assist for seven points.
- Goalkeeper Logan Rabasca enters his second straight season as net-minder for the Grizzlies. Rabasca recorded 45 saves and a 1-8 record last season

THE SERIES WITH THE GRIZZLIES
This will be the fifth meeting all-time between Lubbock Christian and Adams State, with the Chaps holding a 4-0 series record. LCU has outscored Adams State 7-1 all-time and hasn't given up a goal to the Grizzlies since their first meeting on Sept. 13, 2015, a 2-1 win for the Chaps. Lubbock Christian earned their first win of the 2021 season last year over Adams State, winning 3-0 in Alamosa, Colo.

A WIN WOULD
 - Be the first win for head coach Collin Cone in his head coaching career
 - Be the fifth win all-time for LCU over Adams State
 -  Give LCU their 102nd win in program history

UP NEXT 
The Chaps continue their home opening weekend, facing Fort Lewis College at the LCU Soccer & Track Facility on Saturday, Aug. 27 at 7:00 P.M. Fans can purchase tickets to the match at lcuchaps.com/tickets.