LUBBOCK, TEXAS - For the first time this season, the Lubbock Christian Lady Chaps will play a match inside the friendly confines of the LCU Soccer & Track Facility against East Central on Sunday, Sept. 4.

East Central (0-2-1) at Lubbock Christian (2-0-1)
Sunday, Sept. 4 - 1 PM
Lubbock, Texas - LCU Soccer & Track Facility

LADY CHAP HEADERS
• The Lady Chaps rolled over New Mexico Highlands 5-0 in their last match. Lexi De La Cruz scored her first hat trick of her LCU career, while Stephanie McClung and Graycen Rasmussen tallied their first career collegiate goals

• De La Cruz's hat trick came seven years to the day since the last hat trick by a Lady Chap. Current Assistant Coach Brooke Wendl cored four goals against Southwest on Sept. 3, 2015.

• The Lady Chaps have not recorded four straight shutouts since Sept. 30 - Oct. 14 of 2017. That squad went 4-0 in those matches, outscoring their opponents 7-0. LCU has not allowed a goal in their last 275:46 of game action.

• LCU is now 7-0-2 in their last nine nonconference matches. The Lady Chaps last loss was against Angelo State on Feb. 27, 2021 in a match ruled a nonconference match. LCU's last loss to a team outside of the Lone Star Conference was to CSU-Pueblo on Sept. 7, 2019.

DEFENSE WINS MATCHES
The Lady Chaps defense has not allowed a goal so far this season. LCU has also allowed just 16 shots in three games, an average of just 5.3 shots allowed per match. Only seven of those shots have been on goal by Lubbock Christian opponents.

KONE YOU DIG IT?
After recording two shutouts in her first two matches, Abby Kone was named Goalkeeper of the Week by the Lone Star Conference on Monday, Aug. 29. The freshman out of Uvalde, Texas faced 12 total shots in two matches against Western Colorado and Fort Lewis this past weekend, tallying four saves while going 1-0-1 in the Centennial State.
It is the first time a Lady Chap has been named Lone Star Conference Goalkeeper of the Week since Oct. 4, 2021, when Hannah Wise earned the honor. It is also the first time an LCU has earned a weekly conference honor after their first week of the season since Sarah Palmer won the Heartland Conference Defensive Player of the Week award as a freshman goalkeeper for week one of the 2015 season.
Against New Mexico Highlands, Kone recorded her third straight shutout at keeper. The Uvalde, Texas native already sits in seventh place for most shutouts in a career. Kone picked up three saves in the win.


WELCOME BACK LEXI
Lexi De La Cruz is a sophomore transfer from Howard Payne University. De La Cruz was the American Southwest Conference Freshman of the Year in 2021, leading the conference in points (34), assists (8) and goals (8). The Lubbock native was also named Third-Team All-Region by the United Soccer Coaches Association. De La Cruz did not waste long in her return to Lubbock, scoring a pair of goals and recording an assist in LCU's 3-0 shutout of Western Colorado in their first match of the season. She currently ranks first in the conference in points (11) and goals (5), and is second in the conference in shots on goal (13) and shots (16).

SHUT IT DOWN
Since the program's inception in 2010, the Lady Chaps have recorded at least four shutouts in every single season. LCU talled six shutouts in the 2021 fall season, going 5-0-1 in those contests. The Lady Chaps have already compiled three shutouts this season, and now hold a 73-0-5 record in shutouts all-time

PRESEASON PICKINGS
The Lubbock Christian University women's soccer team was picked to finish eighth in the 2022 Lone Star Conference preseason poll. Celia Duarte, Madison Mayben and Megan Mirabal were named players to watch by the conference for the 2022 season.  
- Duarte played in 11 matches last season for the Lady Chaps, scoring a pair of goals and tallying one assist. Her goal against Texas A&M International on Sept. 25 was the game winner over the Dust Devils and gave LCU their first conference win of the season. 
 - Mayben played in and started 15 matches for the Lady Chaps last season. Mayben was a key part of the Lubbock Christian defense that recorded six shutouts, including four in their first eight matches on the way to a 6-0-2 start. 
 - Mirabal started five games in net for LCU last season, finishing the year with a 3-1-1 record. Mirabal earned the win for the Lady Chaps in her first three matches, allowing two goals and recording 11 total saves. She earned her lone shutout of the season against Adams State on Sept. 9, tallying six saves on the way to the 3-0 victory.

THIS IS HOME
In their second year at the new LCU soccer and track & field complex, the Lady Chaps went 4-4-1 at home, opening the season with a 4-1 thrashing of New Mexico Highlands. LCU is now 57-27-12 in home games all-time, and 7-5-1 all-time at the LCU soccer and track & field complex. Lubbock Christian has never had a losing record at home under head coach Alex Denning. The home schedule for 2022 features nine home games in total, including three-straight contests at home from Sept. 4-10.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
- East Central was voted to finish sixth in the Great American Conference preseason poll.
- The Tigers went 3-11-2 last season. ECU is 0-2-1 this season, and haven't recorded a win since Oct. 30, 2021 when they beat Southern Nazarene 8-3.
- Head Coach Riley Bailey is in his 13th season as head coach of the East Central Tigers. Bailey led the Tigers to Great American Conference regular season and postseason tournament championships in 2011 and to the GAC semifinals in 2012.
- An All-GAC First Teamer last season, Tanja Bauboeck returns for ECU. The Austrian scored five goals for the Tigers last season. Bauboeck has scored one goal this year on six shots attempted
 - The Tigers are coming off of a 4-2 loss to Central Oklahoma and are 0-2-1 this season. The Tigers and Broncos were tied at two goals apiece entering the 58th minute, but a pair of UCO goals downed East Central.

THE SERIES WITH THE TIGERS
The Lady Chaps and Tigers have met twice before, splitting the series. ECU won the first meeting in Ada on Sept. 12, 2014 4-2, while LCU won the last contest on Sept. 18, 2015 in Lubbock 3-2. The Lady Chaps held a 3-0 lead entering the 68th minute of that matchup, but a pair of goals by Taylor Kennedy almost gave the Tigers at least a draw.
The two teams were supposed to play each other last season, but the match was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.

A WIN WOULD - 
Give the Lady Chaps their second straight undefeated start through four matches 
Be the first home win of the season

UP NEXT
The Lady Chaps remain at home, facing CSU-Pueblo on Thursday, Sept. 8 at 7:30 PM. Fans can purchase tickets for the match at lcuchaps.com