OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - Looking for their first road win of the season, LCU makes the trek to Oklahoma City to face the undefeated Oklahoma Christian Eagles in a nonconference matchup.

Lubbock Christian (2-3-1) at Oklahoma Christian (5-0-1)
Sept. 14 - 7 PM
Oklahoma City, Okla. - Eagle Field

CHAP HEADERS
• Lubbock Christian is coming off a 1-0 loss to no. 25 CSU Pueblo. The Chaps were held without a shot in the second half, the first time  since Nov. 9, 2019, against Eastern New Mexico when LCU did not tally a shot in the first half against the Greyhounds. ENMU won the match 2-0 and outshot the Chaps 16-2 for 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

• The Chaps are ranked 23rd in Division-II with nine assists this season. Pablo Galietero Diez leads the team with three, while Jordan Jayapuram and Eduardo Forte have two. 

• Tariq Bakkali is just the fourth LCU Chap all time to record 100 shots in a career. With three shot attempts, he can pass Nick Gorrie for third most all-time. With three shots on goal, Bakkali will pass Jorge Martinez for fourth most all-time. Bakkali has 39 so far.

SHOTS, SHOTS, SHOTS, (EVERYBODY)
In their two wins this season, the Chaps have recorded over 20 shots in a match. In the season-opening 6-1 win over Adams State, LCU tallied 21 shots with 12 on goal. In the 4-0 win against SD Mines, the Chaps finished with 24 shots with eight on goal. Lubbock Christian had 20 shots in just one match last season, peppering 22 shots against UT Tyler in a 4-0 win over the Patriots.

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 0-3 in true road matches, being outscored 6-1 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 3-6-2 in their last 11 true road matches. Lubbock Christian has not had a winning record on the road since 2018 when the Chaps went 5-4-1. 

THE NOT SO SECRET WEAPON
With a hat trick against Adams State on Aug. 25, Pablo Galietero Diez became the first Chap since Corey Hutchison did so against St. Mary's on Oct. 14, 2017. Galietero Diez added an assist in the second half to finish the match against the Grizzlies with seven points, the second most in a match by one Chap in program history. His three goals are second in the entire Lone Star Conference so far this season, while his nine points are tied for first in the LSC.

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 enter the match 5-0-1 after a 3-1 win over Harding. OCU already played a nonconference match against Eastern New Mexico this season, knocking off the Greyhounds 4-2. 
- A two-time LSC Offensive Player of the Week award winner this season, Daniel Gutierrez leads the conference and is tied for 17th in the nation in goals scored with four
- Alejandro Colom and Isaias Silva lead the Lone Star Conference in assists. Colom has tallied four assists, tied for fourth in Division-II. Silva's three assists are tied for 13th 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
The Chaps lead the series with the Eagles 9-2-2 all-time. The two teams finished with a 1-1 draw last season, with both goals coming in the first seven minutes of play. LCU had won three straight over OCU before that contest, as Oklahoma Christian's last win over the Chaps came on Sept. 27, 2018, a 1-0 win in Lubbock. 

A WIN WOULD
- Be the first true road win of the season

UP NEXT
The Chaps return home for a nonconference rivalry matchup against West Texas A&M on Saturday, Sept. 17. Kickoff is set for 3:30 PM