LUBBOCK, Texas - After a five-match road trip, the Lubbock Christian men's soccer team returns home to renew the Rivalry on the Range against no. 18 West Texas A&M in a nonconference clash.

No. 18 West Texas A&M (2-1-3) at Lubbock Christian (2-4-1)
Saturday, Sept. 17 - 3:30 PM
Lubbock, Texas - LCU Soccer & Track Facility

CHAP HEADERS
• Lubbock Christian is coming off a 3-0 loss to Oklahoma Christian. The Chaps have been held without a goal for 223 minutes of game action, being outscored 7-1 in this three-match losing streak. LCU has been out shot 31-16 and 14-6 in shots on goal in this stretch.

• 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 entered the week 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 101 total shots. With two 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 0-4 in true road matches, being outscored 9-1 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 3-7-2 in their last 12 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, 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 BUFFS
- West Texas A&M enters the match ranked 18th in the national poll. LCU has already faced one ranked team this season, falling to no. 25 CSU Pueblo 1-0 on Sept. 9. 
- The Buffs were picked second in the Lone Star Conference poll, earning seven first place votes.
- West Texas A&M is coming off a 1-1 draw with no. 5 Midwestern State. Kenny Brown scored the tying goal in the 81st minute to earn their third tie of the season.
- Kenny Brown leads the Buffs with four goals and nine points this season. His 4.33 shots per game rank third in all of D-II, while his 2.50 shots on goal per game rank fourth nationally. With 26 shots and 15 of them on goal, Brown tops the LSC in both categories.
- One-time LSC Defensive Player of the Week Anthony Perea will roam the pitch for the Buffs this weekend. Perea has one goal and one assist on 11 shots this season, while anchoring a defense that has picked up two shutouts and knocked off a Seattle Pacific team that was earning votes in the national poll.
- Butch Lauffer enters his 32nd season as head coach of West Texas A&M. During his tenure, Lauffer has coached the men to 29 consecutive non-losing seasons and the women to 12-plus victories in 12 seasons. Lauffer has recorded a 364-161-40 (.644) record at the helm of the Buffs with a 553-228-57  (.660) overall record at WT.

THE SERIES WITH THE BUFFS
The Buffs lead the all time series 8-7, but LCU has won two in a row and three of the last five. The Chaps dropped the first match of the series last season 3-2 in Canyon, before knocking off the Buffs 3-0 in Lubbock. The two squads met again in the semifinals of the Lone Star Conference Tournament, with LCU rolling to a 3-0 victory. The Buffs have not scored a goal against LCU in 182:18 of game time, their last goal being a game winner by Yotam Balbul in the 88th minute last year in Canyon. West Texas A&M has not scored a goal in Lubbock against the Chaps since Nov. 7, 2019, a 4-1 win for Lubbock Christian. LCU is 4-14-1 against ranked teams all-time, including a 1-0 loss to no. 25 CSU Pueblo earlier this season.

A WIN WOULD 
- End the Chaps three-match losing streak
- Be the third straight over West Texas A&M
- Be the first win over a ranked team this season

UP NEXT
Lubbock Christian gets a much needed week off before returning home on Saturday, Sept. 24 to face Midwestern State in a nonconference match. Kickoff against the defending LSC Champions is set for 3:30 PM.