CANYON, Texas - The Lubbock Christian men's soccer team opens October with conference play, facing the West Texas A&M Buffs for the second time this season.

Lubbock Christian (3-4-2) at West Texas A&M (2-2-4)
Canyon, Texas - The Pitch
Saturday, Oct. 1 - 2:30 PM

CHAP HEADERS
• Lubbock Christian is coming off a 0-0 draw against No. 4 Midwestern State. Midwestern State outshot LCU 16-4 but tallied just two shots on goal. It was the first time Lubbock Christian failed to record a shot on goal since Sept. 29, 2021, also against Midwestern State.

• 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 51 points rank second all-time, while he sits tied with Nick Gorrie for third most shot attempts in program history with 102 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 also currently sits with the seventh most matches played of any LCU Chap, playing in 67 matches for the red and blue in his career.

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 51 during his time in Hub City. Bakkali's 22 career goals rank second all time, while his 102 career shots are tied for third with Nick Gorrie 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. 4 Midwestern State and no. 17 Oklahoma Christian along with a contest against no. 24 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 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. 

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 BUFFS
- 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. 17 Oklahoma Christian. Kenny Brown scored a goal in the 30th minute before Alexandre Picoto Rodrigues answered with the tying goal in the 78th minute of the match.
- West Texas A&M has not won a match at home this season, picking up a pair of 1-1 draws against St. Mary's and no. 5 Midwestern State. The Buffaloes went 8-1 at The Pitch last season, including a 3-2 win over no. 6 Midwestern State. Their last home loss came on Oct. 20, 2021 against St. Mary's in overtime.
- Kenny Brown leads the Buffs with six goals and 13 points this season. Brown has scored a goal in three straight matches, including a goal against LCU the last time these two teams met on Sept. 17, 2022 in the 87th minute.
- 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 series between LCU and West Texas A&M is now tied at 8 wins apiece after Lubbock Christian knocked off then ranked no. 18 West Texas A&M 2-1 on Sept. 17, 2022 in a nonconference match. Goals from Jeremy Chua and Tariq Bakkali put the Chaps up 2-0 before a late goal from Brown made things interesting with three minutes remaining. The Buffs could not find the back of the net again, and the Chaps held on for the win. LCU has won three straight matches against the Buffs by a score of 8-1. The Chaps have not won in Canyon however since Oct. 4, 2018 in overtime when a goal by Emilio Marti in the 97th minute gave LCU the 2-1 victory. Lubbock Christian is 2-5 against West Texas A&M all-time at The Pitch in Canyon, being outscored 18-10 in those seven matches.

UP NEXT
The Chaps return home for a rematch from earlier in the year against Oklahoma Christian on Wednesday, Oct. 5. Kickoff is set from the LCU Soccer & Track Facility for 7 PM. Fans can purchase tickets for the match at lcuchaps.com