LUBBOCK, Texas - The Lubbock Christian University men's soccer team is set to begin the 2024 season on Thursday night against #21 Fort Lewis.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at the LCU Soccer & Track Complex and will be streamed live on
FloFC with Brennan Riker and
Lucas Carli on the call.
Game Promotions:
Thursday is the annual Chap Athletic Kickoff hosted by LCU's Student Athlete Advisory Committe. There will be food trucks, prizes, games, and the first 75 LCU students will receive free ice cream.
Notes:
- Head coach Collin Cone enters his 3rd season as the leader of the LCU program. He has tallied a record of 13-12-11 in his 2 years at the helm and guided the Chaps to the LSC Tournament in 2022. Joining him on the sidelines are Jonathan Woods and Duvan Canchila.
- Nako Amare, Alejo Garcia, and Connor Pettigrew were named as Players to Watch by the Lone Star Conference on Aug. 26. Amare played in all 17 games a season ago, scoring two goals and dishing out three assists. Garcia started in 16 games as a defender in 2023. Pettigrew recorded a shutout in his lone start in goal last season (Sept. 2 vs Adams State).
- Lubbock Christian is coming off a 6-4-7 season in 2023, the most draws in a season in LCU program history. The Chaps return two of their top four point scorers from last season, including leading goal scorer Saimon Gjeci (six goals).
- LCU will feature 17 new players on the 2024 roster. Of those new players, six are true freshmen, while the other 11 are transfers from either junior colleges or other universities. It is a diverse group, with five players from Texas, two from England, two from Spain, and the rest from Italy, Japan, France, Brazil, and Italy internationally, along with new faces from Arizona, Florida, and Washington in the states.
- The Chaps were picked to finish sixth in the Lone Star Conference preseason poll.
- 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 2024 season with an overall record of 114-93-34.
- This will be the fourth matchup of all-time between the Chaps and Skyhawks. LCU has gone 1-1-1 against Fort Lewis in the first three meetings, including a 3-2 win to open the season a year ago.
Scouting Fort Lewis:
- Fort Lewis is ranked 21st nationally in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll.
- The Skyhawks were picked to finish second in the RMAC preseason poll. Earning 91 points in the poll.
- In 2023, Fort Lewis ended the year with an overall record of 12-5-4 and won the RMAC regular-season title. The Skyhawks defeated UC Colorado Springs 3-2 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to 2-1 to Midwestern State in round two.
- 2023 saw the program win it's ninth regular-season conference championship and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011.
- Fort Lewis returns a wealth of talent from last year's team, including their top three point scorers in Anton Hjalmarsson (33 points), Tomas Duenes (25 points), and Gabriel Legendre (23 points).
- The Skyhawks are coached by David Oberholtzer who enters his ninth season at the helm. He owns a 68-53-19 overall record at FLC.
A Win Would:
- Give LCU an opening match win in three consecutive seasons.
- Be the 14th win of the Coach Cone era.
- Give the Chaps their 115th win in program history.
